Panniers rack VFR 800 Vtec 2004

Hi All
Just purchased a 2004 VFR 800 and would like to mount side panniers but haven't got a clue on what i need, i plan to buy some original Honda panniers(second hand) which rack system do i need, does it have to be original Honda or can any other make of rack system be made to work. Sorry for the dumb questions but i cant find much info on the net.
Regards
Al

 

Givi also do panniers - cheaper..

 

Hi Al and welcome to the MadHouse:welcome:

When you get a chance please swing by the introductions part of the forum and say hi to the rest of the folks on here and post up a photo of your 6th Gen to stop folks raggin on you - as you will discover they like photos on this forum. Its easy to add a photo - click the "Insert Image" icon and then follow the prompts to select and upload photos from you computer.

You might want to update your forum profile(Forum Actions + Edit Profile) to include the year and specs of your VFR and an approximate location - city/town is fine - that way the information will appear automatically alongside your posts and if you need help you may find someone living nearby is willing to offer advice especially if you have a well stocked beer fridge.

:focus:


As for hard luggage options for your 6th gen you have a straight choice between Givi and Honda systems - they are not the same and even though the Honda top box and Panniers are made for Honda by Givi they don't play together well. So you will find Honda paniers need to be mounted onto a Honda carrier, likewise GIVI panniers need to be mounted to a givi mounting plate. New Honda kit is expensive compared with Givi.

If you plan to buy second hand kit before you commit to buy just make sure you can get both the panniers and the relevant mounting rack. A few Honda dealers will still offer the OEM rack and panniers kit at an eye watering price as basically the same system was still being sold on 6th Gens through to 2013. Whichever route you go - fitting the mounting rack can be a very frustrating process with the key being to loosely locate all the mounting points before tightening any bolts fully.

Have fun





SkiMad

 

Hi Guys
Many thanks for the quick replies, i have updated my profile thanks SkiMad.

So im now clearer on what i should be getting, Givi sound's like the best option as i have seen plenty of mounting kits but no original Honda ones, quick question do the Givi panniers wrap around the profile of the exhaust like the original Honda panniers or are they straight down.

The girlfriend and i impulse brought this bike yesterday, we both really like it(credit to its previous owner) and plan to use it a few times a season to go touring on nice summer days, saves us riding out together separately on our own bikes.

So far i have brought
Original Honda rack
Universal 52l top box
Renthal soft grips
Shorter levers

Thanks
Al

 

A few minutes on the web and I borrowed some photos which show how the OEM kit and various GIVI options look like on the VFR.



Inherently the OEM kit is sculpted to follow the contour of the underseat exhaust system but stay far enough away to stop things melting, and also keep the weight as low as possible. The Givi panniers tend to be universal panniers with straight up down sides which means their mounting rack has to stand off a bit further from the bike each side to accommodate the straight side cases. The result is the bike is a bit wider. You get what you pay for - If you wanted OEM - you will find the price shock is here.. https://northwestmotorcyclesdirect.com/Your-Honda/Sport-Touring/Honda-VFR800-V-TEC


Hope that helps










SkiMad

 

There's also the V35 Givi system, it looks a bit more like the OEM panniers.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4eUAAOxyLiJR39tn/s-l300.jpg

 

Yikes i only thought you got your pants pulled down when dealing with Ducati.

Thanks for the images guys, i didn't think the panniers sticked out so much, cant be much fun filtering through traffic...

Regards
Al

 

Filtrering is no fun with panniers, but it looks worse on photo than it actually is.

 

They stick out about as much as the mirrors so as a rule of thumb, if your mirrors pass, so will your panniers (I don't do much Ingemar Stenmark with the panniers on btw)

/R