SW-Motech Racks - Not Too Bad

[SCraig]

I just got a set of SW-Motech Quick-Disconnect racks for Givi side cases and they work pretty well. Three 1/4-turn fasteners lock them in place very securely, and make them a snap to remove when the cases aren't being used. Two tabs and a bar around the back are left on the bike when the racks are off; one tab on top of the grab rails, a second one on the bracket for the passenger footpegs.

The rear bracket was supposed to mount on the license plate bracket but on my bike the license plate was too high. There is a hole in the rear fender beneath the license plate bracket that is exactly the right height though. I drilled a hole in the bar and used that hole for the main bolt, and added a couple of smaller bolts through the bottom holes of my license plate to keep the bar from pivoting when the racks aren't installed.

They have some optional locks that take the place of one of the quick-detach fasteners. I got them, but I'm not sure I would again. They are a good idea, but the only place they will work on the VFR is on the rear bar locations. I think it would be pretty easy to turn the fastener with a pair of pliers and bypass the lock, so I think they were pretty much a waste.

All in all I'm real pleased with the racks. Easy to get on and off and rock solid when on the bike. If anyone wants to see photos I'll be glad to take some.

[nozzle]

Scott:

I'm visually stimulated.... I'd be interested to see the images if you add them to the thread.

(Truth is I want to rejustify all the money I spent on my factory rack and bags.... so if you really like them and they cost less, please just post out-of-focus shots that are low resolution)

[SCraig]

I'm visually stimulated.... I'd be interested to see the images if you add them to the thread.

(Truth is I want to rejustify all the money I spent on my factory rack and bags.... so if you really like them and they cost less, please just post out-of-focus shots that are low resolution)

Here ya go ... Sorry, but my camera is autofocus and I couldn't remember how to change it to "Very Lousy Resolution" ;)

All of the photos below are links to larger ones on my web site. Click the photo to view the larger image.

The photo below shows the three tabs that the side racks mount to:


They are somewhat unobtrusive so if you don't see them here is a photo that points them out:


Here is the bike with the side rack mounted. Takes about 15 seconds to mount it to the three tabs:


Here is a closeup of how I mounted the bar across the rear. There is a bolt in the center that is covered by the license plate that handles most of the load. The two smaller bolts through the lower license plate holes really serve to prevent the bar from pivoting when the racks aren't installed. That bar could probably not even be connected to the rear fender but it does make everything more solid feeling when it is.


Here's a closeup of the lock on the back of the rack. I'm really not sure how much good it does, but I guess it will slow down a thief for a couple of minutes. Personally when I stay at a motel overnight I plan on taking the racks inside. It only takes a few seconds to remove them and I'll sleep a lot better knowing that I'll still have them in the morning.


The only other real down side is that the grab rails have to be mounted or everything will be too short. The top tabs mount on top of the grab rails and replace the original grab rail bolts. The grab rail covers could be drilled out and some longer spacers fabricated that would work, but I chose to just put my grab rails back on.

[nozzle]

Well those photos make it way too clear to me that the Givi solution is much easier to make it look like it is not there than the Factory Honda frame rails. Thanks for the pictures. Maybe I need another VFR to mount the Givi rack/cases to?


btw... nice website.

[SCraig]

This is my first set of hard cases, and when I started looking around for them I decided that I wanted some detachable racks. I just don't care for the looks of a bike with racks and no cases, plus they are a bit on the heavy side. The SW-Motech racks fit the bill, but they aren't cheap either. They were about $50 more than the standard Givi racks, but I was willing to pay that to be able to remove them. They came from Twisted Throttle since they were the only ones I could find that had them. I got Givi E360 cases but bought them from Sport Tour (This company is really good. Ordered them on Monday (a holiday!) and had them in my hands 2 days later, and the shipping was free).

I'm out of here on a trip this coming weekend so they will get a pretty decent shakedown. From everything I've heard about them, and what I've seen on mine so far, they do work great.

I do agree that another VFR would solve your problems! Everybody needs at least two bikes.

Glad you enjoyed my web site, and thanks for the comment.