I finally got my luggage installed, and took it out for a 400 mile ride today.

After looking at everything on the market, I settled on the Kappa K33N side bags and a K46NT top case. For those unfamiliar with Kappa, it is Givi's no-frills line, and these are roughly equivalent to the popular Givi V35 PLX panniers and the Givi E470 Monolock top case.







They are mounted on a standard Givi PLX3101 side rack and SR3101 top rack. As others have already stated in their reviews, they are solid, fit the 2012 very well, and went on easily in about 30 minutes. The hardest part was holding everything together since both the side and top parts have to be installed simultaneously with the same bolts.

I chose the Kappa cases over their Givi equivalents for a few reasons:

• I'm cheap - they ended up costing about $200 less.
• The no-frills look appeals to me, and I think they match the style of the bike well. No bling, just plain black resin.
• The K33s are smaller than the V35s. I like the Givi PLX bags, but REALLY wanted something narrower, and it turns out that the K33s are quite a bit slimmer. You cannot fit a helmet in them, but the payoff is that the whole setup is 40" at its widest point.

They ride great. There is no noticeable wind resistance, buffeting, noise, or undue scraping. I took my bike up to about 140km/h indicated on the highway, and leaned her right over in the mountains, and pretty much forgot I had bags on.

I am very happy with them. You can see how slender this luggage is for a full-on Givi setup in the last photo.

__________________
2012 DL650 Shiro Nakama #27
Ride Report: In The Footsteps of Lewis & Clark

Nice looking set up on the your Wee. A GIVI fan here as well. Nice job and Well done!

__________________
2012 DL 650 Wee
2011 R1200 BMW ADV

"Ride as if your life depends on it"

Great pictures! Love the backgrounds. Vancouver is fantastic! Oh yeah the bags look good too....LOL.

Is that the Suzuki lower fairing?

Very nice set up and review. I love the white Strom's..

I've had the PLX V35's on my list, but it's nice to know there is a less expensive, narrower option.

Thanks for the info.

Where did you source them from?

__________________
'12 DL650A VStrom

Thanks for the compliments.

I'm in Canada and got mine from A Vicious Cycle in Ontario. The US dealer is Tour and Ride - they seem to regularly discount the Kappa stuff every so often.

Now that I have had this combo for awhile, I am still very pleased with this setup and recommend it if you like Givi but are looking to save a few bucks.

__________________
2012 DL650 Shiro Nakama #27
Ride Report: In The Footsteps of Lewis & Clark

nice set up. I find the kappa line is a great alternative to givi mono key .I live an hour from aviciouscycle, so I usually ride out to the store to pick up my parts.

Sent from my GT-S5830D using Motorcycle.com Free App

__________________
Paul 05 -wee Know your limit, ride within it. "A bad day on the bike, is still better than a good day at work"

Snowkarver --

that is a sweet looking set-up! Very integrated and in-line with the styling of the rest of the bike.

I realize that the pannier racks are standard Givi...but if you have the opportunity, could you post a picture of the from the rear of the bike (180 deg. out from your head-on shot)?

Thanks SpaceMan. Sure, I'll take one when I get a chance - turns out that I can't actually find an existing shot of the rear. I think I avoid that angle because the Strom just doesn't look that great from behind ("does my butt look fat?!")

__________________
2012 DL650 Shiro Nakama #27
Ride Report: In The Footsteps of Lewis & Clark

Great write up! and one question... the second picture is gorgeous. Mind if I ask you which camera and lens you used?

Thanks!