My gift to you all! Top Case(s)!

loonytuna

Guest
Maybe someone will learn from my mistakes!

First I thought it would be big enough, it was not.

Then I thought IT would be big enough.... it was not!

Now I guess it WILL be big enough ......... it better be!

Check out the pictures and you will see ....
 

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hence the reason i went all the way the first time :) and got a givi 55e
 
And I went all the way the first time and bought a Silver CooCase Astra.
 
Where were you guys when i needed you! Lol

I had a choice, keep my wife happy with more storage or,,,, well I guess there was no choice!

Live and learn!
 
She doesn't know about trailers ......... and we are NOT gonna inform her!
 
Between you and Falcon i could really be in trouble!

Okay seriously ......... she's great, she loves to ride on the back and i love that she wants to!

So I'm ready to make it easier for her any way I can, just short of a trailer or TrailerStar Products Poly Storage Chest Truck Box — Black, 44 3/8in.L x 19in.W x17 1/2in.H , Model# 1712240!

Thanks guys ........ I think!
 
WIMPY! I don't think so, when the mid sized bike with that wide of a box on it ventures into the columbia gorge cross winds , or even tose like coming off of Blewit last Saturday I would make speculation tha he may be a non wimp with a major handleing problem!
 
I have the large black box that mounts onto the HD Ultra Classic trunk luggage rack. It holds a lot of stuff, but is like a sail in a cross wind. I rarely use it and when I do I am very careful, It is not as big as picture shown but is bigger than I want for a square cornered box always paying very close attention to wind conditions. I like my 49 liter Shad on the NT.

Eldon
 
One of my Long Distance riding heroes is a guy named Leon Begman. He did all kinds of IBA rides on his Kawasaki Ninja 250. For several years it was painted John Deere green and yellow with the JD deer on the tank. In '03, Leon got into the Iron Butt Rally in the "Hopeless Class."

Ha!

I went up to the finish of the Rally in Missoula (in fact, that's where I met EX-WINGER, Eldon Cannon). On the Friday of the finish, there was a two hour window after the official finish time. You lost lots of points for every minute you were late (100 pts/min, IIRC). At one hour and fifty minutes (only nine minutes before the drop dead, you did not finish time) Leon came into the parking lot on his pick-up-truck-liner black Ninja 250. He had a rider-only Russell DayLong saddle, a huge black Rubbermaid storage box bolted to the pillion area, one (count 'em...1) driving light, and enough excess alternator capacity to run a Gerbings heated jacket.

Leon finished 11th or 12th in the IBR. His storage box wasn't quite as big as the TrailerStar Products Poly Storage Chest Truck Box.
 
Rich... That made me chuckle out loud. It beats the guy I saw with two Carnation milk cartons. I like my Honda top box. I can get two helmets in it and a pack of chewing gum too!
Len
 
Pikers. This guy has everyone beat:

coffee5.jpg


And even he finally switched to a trailer. That's why he's not riding anymore. The trailer was in similar style and the eventual accident grounded him.
 
I really hate the way top boxes look as well. But, I like being able to have some of my stuff locked away. Cameras, computer, etc.

Side cases just aren't enough (unless I spent the money on the wide cases from Europe). I used to use a carry-on type bag that was tied down with a bungee cargo net. For more capacity I'd use a small duffel or two. But, the ability to lock up some stuff lingered.

Since I am cheap I got the JC Whitney version. Has worked like a charm so far, including a couple of business trips. I still use a duffel for extra stuff, and a tank bag that holds about half what a duffel holds :)
 
I bought a Givi last week. I forget the size, but it will hold two helmets.
 
I thought I would use my Givi for a suitcase when I bought it in '99. But after carrying it to two hotels during our honeymoon, I started using it for stuff that would stay on the bike and carried the Concours' excellent panniers into the hotels instead.

With the NT I've got the pannier liners and a $12 duffel from Wally World that goes into the trunk. I've got room in my left pannier for a 1.5 liter bottle of red, and I've got room in the CooCase for my netbook, sandals, and a quart thermos of coffee. Bike stuff stays in right pannier. Clothes for the next couple-three days goes in the $12 duffel, clothes for the whole trip goes in the left pannier liner.
 
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I had never wanted a top box until I started riding again a few years back and needed to carry my laptop home and back every day. I was riding a KLR650, so I purchased a Plastic tote from WalMart that could be locked with padlocks. It worked great for the first year, and then they gave me a new laptop which was one inch wider, and would not fit in the tote. I purchased a slightly larger tote, but it was not as good as the first, so I replaced it with a JC Whitney top box.
Now, I have a JC Whitney top box on the NT. It is more convenient to access multiple times a a day than the panniers and makes carrying the laptop easy. When I get to work, I can lock my helmet(with bluetooth) in the top box and not have to worry about it being lifted from the bike.
 
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