If you think that the rear rack is sturdy enough and has the right holes for the top case hardware go for it. Most companies sell racks that they know will work with their hard cases ( yes it is partially a business thing).

As for hard cases over bags. I use both. The Suzuki supplied hard cases (side ones) are sub par due to their shape. Aluminium side cases or plastic (ie pelican) are good and look nice. Bags are also good with the benefit that if you fall under the bag in a crash you will suffer (?) less leg damage.

On my KLR650 I used soft bags because of the areas I travelled in and the tip overs I had. On the Vee I use mostly hard bags. However I will be doing more gravel roads this year on the Vee and will be using soft bags.

One thing for soft bags - any hard case frame will work for support.

This is one area where you will get a lot of opinions.

Brian

 

Thanks Hard Miles.

 

I have SW-Motech Trax side cases (panniers) and top case. The top case required an adapter plate & adapters mounted to the OEM luggage rack so the top case could be securely mounted. If that is as clear mud, holler and I will take a picture. The side cases required side racks and adapters. SW-Motech also makes adapters for its adapter plates & racks for several other brands of side cases and top cases. Seems many manufactures have their own unique way of attaching their cases.

The Givi top cases I have had in the past also required an adapter plate too.

22 pounds sounds about right. I think I have had about 25 pounds (including the top case) in mine once. I usually try not to carry much weight in mine or that far back on the bike. Don't want the tail wagging the dog.

I went with hard cases for security; both from prying eyes as well as when I dump the bike. Plus, it holds my stickers quite nicely.

YMMV

 

I have a givi top case and it uses their mount which is bolted to my factory rack. I'm not a fan of it when I want to carry something else on the rack but it does allow me to quickly remove and reinstall the case. Givis listed weight limits are excessively low. I recently had a 50lb bag of mortar in the top case, I wouldn't recommend a whole lot more than that without a passenger or a decent amount in the side cases. My givis have a ton of volume but I wouldn't mind having aluminum cases that were built for more weight

 

For side panniers get a set of used SW Motech racks. Look here in the for sale section and on e-bay. Given that its the first generation Wee you will have no problem finding them. They are very sturdy and remove in a minute with 4 bolts each side. Below you can see my setup that is using these racks. When you don't need the panniers the bike looks normal since the rack mounting points are small and discreet.

For the top box, very useful I never take mine off, you need to bolt the adapter plate that comes with the top box to the rear rack after removing the rubber insert. That rear rack is plenty strong enough to hold the top box and it's contents. No need to change to a custom rack.

Edit: Mine is an older Shad Top Box. It was already several years old when I bought it and is still functional, after some repairs of the locking mechanism. All, the SWM racks and the Pelican boxes were bought used (here and e-bay) and cost a fraction of new systems. I bolted my Pelicans directly to the SWM racks. I mount them only for trips. When riding locally they are off. I see the Pelicans as big crash bars/ boxes. Tested that out, it works ;-)

 

Also, Shad top cases come with a universal adapter plate that can be attached to the stock luggage rack. They look pretty slick too. We can get you one at a discount. I like the SH39 and SH48, but we can get them all.

 

"if you fall under the bag in a crash you will suffer (?) less leg damage."

You have no idea how exquisite the pain is when a fully loaded bike with hard plastic boxes land on your leg and ankle. A no mile an hour fall over in the dirt had me putting my leg down and the whole pile of crap pinned me to the ground. Sprained my ankle something fierce.
Thank goodness I was riding with a horde that quickly got the bike off me. The indignity of it all!
That being said, the Suzuki bag mounts, older egg shaped bags, make a great place to mount the Pelican style bags.
The tail rack easily takes a JC Whitney mounting plate. It's a universal system, easily adaptable. I've put the same mount on several bikes now.
Mounting luggage and a top box is only limited to your imagination, pocket book and desire.

 

If your adding hard panniers look at the happy trails rack system. There are a few options, I would suggest one with a center bar crossing over the license plate area connecting the two frames together. More rigid and durable. My OEM racks flex too much IMO.

I like my Tusk 37 liter aluminum boxes, they are cheap yet durable, hold plenty, weather tight and only $224 or so with some thread locker and some tightening of the locks they work good. Pelican 1550 cases work good for a little more money. Everything else is much more costly. Shad would be my choice for a plastic pannier system, then the more expensive Givi.

Whatcha wanna spend?

Soft bags are fine for short trips, the tail bags over the seat ain't bad. Just make sure you keep it off the exhaust. I only use wolfman expedition PVC soft luggage for off road ventures. Hard bags for the road tours, far superior, far more secure.

 

I second the Tusk panniers. Here's some info from my install on my 2007 DL650A:

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1420254#post1420254


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Awesome write up! Always nice having people show what they did.

Did the tusk panniers feel strong and durable on the stock racks after you installed them?

 

Has anyone upgraded the locking mechanism on the Tusk panniers? It seems like they could be easily cut by a determined thief. We have a lot of those here and I want some piece of mind when I walk away from the bike for a while.

I really like the looks of the locks on the Jesse luggage boxes, but they don't sell them separately.

 

I've yet to do it . . . but my plan is to use Givi racks and a pair of $40 tool boxes from Home Depot for panniers. I can't see dropping that kind of coin for plastic boxes.

Joe

 

I see this is a bit dated and Billski you've probably solved your bag problem by now, but I'm posting some photos of my solution. I have no drawings or detailed descriptions so I simply offer my solution to provoke some thoughts and ideas. The frame is constructed of 0.5 inch OD steel tubing and .75 x .125 bar stock for the end tabs. Slots are cut into the end of the tubes and the flat stock welded in place. The frame was designed, fitted and assembled "on the fly", so to speak. The photos show the basic design and fitment.

Just my .02....

Stan