My 17" laptop rides in a Bestem topcase also. I use a great, thickly padded backpack for laptops made by Targus, which keeps the laptop from bumping around inside. (On my CB250 this backpack sits inside a milk crate on the luggage rack.

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DL650K8 Yellow

I regularly carry my Macbook in a bag with the power cord in a Givi top box. I stuff a regular jacket & hat in there as well and still have room for extra stuff. I think you should just get the box you like best and if the dimensions work with those of your laptop, go for it.

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Wherever you go, there you are.

I put a 15" Mac Book Pro in my JC Whitney top box and haven't had any trouble yet. It's in a neoprene sleeve thing and I have enough other soft stuff in the box (gloves, towel, light jacket) that it has cushioning.

I have a 15.4" laptop and a 10" Samsung Galaxy 10.1 that I carry in a Leather Fossil Messenger bag inside a Hepco and Becker Journey topbox (think it's the 40L). I bought a cheapo Samsonite laptop bag at Staples, cut the shoulder strap off and slid that inside the messenger bag (for cushioning). Works great.

The fit is snug enough to limit movement. Been using the topbox for years and love it. It survived a deer strike with no damage to the box or anything inside.

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Zen Motorcyclist
Zen Motorcyclist at RoadRunner Magazine

Red '05 650, Hepco & Becker topcase, Givi engine guards, Givi E-21 sidecases, Garmin Quest2 GPS, Stebel Air Horn, Madstad, Moose Racing windshield, ScalaRider bluetooth comms.

What, no suction cups nor duct tape yet?

I carry mine in the laptop bag as well... inside whichever case it fits.

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V-strom forum, not KLR!

I have Dell Precision 17" M6500 and it could barely fit with the Dell laptop bag in Suzuki top case. There is no more room for anything else.

I just cut to the chase and bought myself a MacBook Air 11" for travel.

Just the right size for carrying, fits in just about any bag or satchel I'm using (in a neoprene sleeve of course.
Still feels like a fullsized keyboard, screen is obviously smaller than most, but hey it's bigger than the old Windoze Netbook I used to have.

Thing is it's useful for staying in touch, for down-up-loading/editing my photos.
I carry a 500 gig portable hard drive to run all my music and movies etc.

And everything just sits in my 39 litre Givi topbox, my wet weather gear and a fleece jumper provides a bit of cushioning underneath, and my camera gear packed around it.

If you can do without storing your helmet in the top box, you could use a Pelican style box Explorer Hard Case & Mounting Method. Works great for my 15" laptop in its bag.

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The destination is not important, only the ride there...

Current bike: 2009 VStrom 650

Previous bikes: Hondas - '65 305 Scrambler; '81 900F; '98 1100 Shadow ACE; '03 VTX 1800C; Kawasakis - '05 Concours; '08 KLR650; '01 Vulcan 1500 Classic

Thanks for all the input. Unfortunately the laptop in question is issued by work (Lenovo with the annoying extended battery that sticks out), so I need something that will accommodate that for those days I commute on the bike.

I am heading down to the bike show this Friday in Toronto - hope to get a idea of what I need.

GG




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