Givi Trunk

[Jambo_imp]

Good write up indeed, Jambo. You could end up with an awful lot of weight out the back of the bike if you filled the trunk and had gear on the rack.

True, so that requires some common sense. The top rack would be good for a dry bag if camping you could put in a tent and ground pad as mentioned. I have a real nice REI 2-person (well...two really intimate people...really a 1.5) and ground roll. That might weigh 6-7 pounds, and then if you were say camping, have dual purpose lightweight gear in the trunk. If solo, I could also utilize the passenger seat for a couple more dry bags attached to the bungee tie-downs and trunk rack. I have done this before (not on the CB). If you have ever done m/c camping before, then it is all about weight anyway, so you have small burner and aluminum or titanium cookware, and most everything you bring can do multiple things, like tarp for under the tent, or rain shelter for you or the bike, etc. I likely would not put but maybe 30 lbs max on the rack. That is to say the rear BIKE rack.
I would never put something heavy on that trunk rack because it attaches to the lid. It is not flimsy though. Where you drill through the lid goes through a couple layers and it is like 3/16-1/4" thick. I would not be afraid to put 10 lbs on it. It could also be used to lash something that simply does not fit in the trunk, but is lightweight. A couple months ago I picked up a violin in a HSC off CL and just bungeed to the Valk backrest. That rack would have made it more convenient and secure. Something like that.

Great job, Jambo. I've always wondered what a V47 looks like with the optional rack on top!

When I bought my CB, I transferred my Givi V47 to the Honda with the same rack that you just installed. Being able to click it off when I get to work and carry my stuff in was too convenient to give up. Mine has the silver trim on top, mainly because there was silver trim on the back of the BMW, so it blended well. That sort of carries over with the CB's silver side panels.

Keep an eye on the welds - from the used Givi chrome racks I've seen, that's where they start to rust first.

A few things that I modified on mine. Since the "taillights" are just colored plastic and don't do anything practical, I took the lenses out, and cut some pieces of 3M Scotchcal reflective tape to fit the insides of the lenses, and reinstalled them. I figure that they can at least be reflectors if they're not lights.

Also, I didn't like all of the wording printed around the band of silver trim, so I painted that over to make it look a bit cleaner, and not a rolling advertisement for itself.

Finally, I added a flexible LED strip along the bottom of the rear edge of the rack. It acts as an added brake light, and works with the box on or off, and flashes several times before going solid. When I added a Givi rack to my Bonneville, I did the same brake light setup.

With the V47 fully loaded, I definitely feel the weight high up on the back, but it's not scary. And, since I rarely need that much space, I kept my eye out for something smaller. I picked up a slightly used V40 a while back, and use that a lot more than the V47. Most days the biggest thing I haul to work is my lunch, but the V47 is great for weekend trips, taking work projects home, or when my wife tapes a shopping list to my helmet. The V40 is, I think, a little more on the fugly side - sorta looks like a round Weber barbecue on the back of the bike.

Be interested in you sharing the details on the brake light enhancement you installed.
If you think about it though, if someone is going to a** pack you, it is probably because their nose is in their phone, and an additional light can go equally unnoticed.
Still. Did mean it when I said I am interested in the details.

One of my favorite expressions is:
"Stupid people with smart phones".

Case in point regarding the V40...

Anyone want a burger or a hot dog?

Pretty sure none of us put those on for style points.
If I want to impress, I will definitely take the case off...Lol.