OK, finally I have some pictures as well as a proper review.
The delay in getting the bags was due to the racks themselves. They had to change the design for the 07+ Fizzers and then there was a delay in manufacturing/shipping/customs. The folks at Twistedthrottle.com did their best to get the gear to me. As soon as the order came in they pulled my parts off and shipped them.
The Motech rack is unique in that it can be quickly and easily removed from the bike, leaving the FZ6 looking almost stock. And the new GIVI V-35 PLX bags are much more aerodynamic and just plain better looking. Normal GIVI luggage looks like somebody bolted a couple of Sampsonite bags onto a motorcycle. PLX bags look like they were designed for the bike.
The bags mount in four places on each side of the bike. In the front, they mount to the passenger footpegs and the frame underneath the side pods. In the back, the upper mounting point is the rearmost muffler mounting bolts. The lower mount is all new. It bolts to the plastic fender in place of the stock license plate holder. This mount also holds the turn signals.
I was worried about this last mount because the plastic fender is not a part that can hold any weight. But it's not a problem. This mount is just a crossbrace. It provides sideways support for the bags without holding any actual weight. Motech does this on other racks (Vstrom 1000 for instance) and it works just fine.
This bracket has one problem, the slots aren't long enough to accommodate my Texas license plate's bolt holes. Easy solution, I drilled new holes in the license plate.
With all the brackets loosely installed, I mounted the racks and then tightened all the bracket mounting bolts, using red locktite to prevent any on the road mishaps.
The ride.
The bike rode perfectly with the bags in place. On some machines saddlebags can cause odd instabilities at speed. In this case, it was not a problem at all. And even better, my gas mileage was unaffected. I got 40mpg before the bags went on, and I got the same afterwards.
This is hard to believe. I didn't at first. But here's the thing. When riding, the front of the bike parts the oncoming air like a boat's wake. The bags are at the back of the motorcycle, where the wake is wider. I was able to reach down with my hand while riding and feel that the bags were not actually in the wind, at least not at highway speeds.
It's a bit different when you ride faster. I've been able to approach 150mph on the Fizzer before. With the bags fitted, the 600cc motor began to run out of steam as it approached 130mph in 6th gear. So as speed increases, the bags do start to catch the wind and slow the bike down.
The bike's ability to corner feels unchanged. Oh, who am I kidding? I was riding around Florida, there are no real curves. But the suspension feels stable and the bags are mounted high enough that the only way to drag them would be to lowside.
The bags do come off the rack as advertised, and the rack itself can be taken off in less than a minute. The only tool needed is a quarter or a flat bladed screwdriver.
I was worried about the rack and bags being stolen, so I also got a set of the locking fasteners. These work just fine, and I'm going to look into having them rekeyed to match the GIVI bags.
Conclusion. This is a great looking setup that bolts on easily, travels well and looks damned good. It's money well spent.
Oh yeah, pictures.
Fred
