bcityroller
Gear Whore
Been a month or so since I got the setup mounted but haven't had time to get a write-up. The write-up itself is largely the same as crazybiker posted up here:
http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/7884-shad-50-top-case-rack-installation.html
so I won't recap all that but will add a couple of things specific to my install or the Givi case setup. This will get you down to the point where you're clamping the two halves of the Shad rack around the grab handles using the plastic bushings and brackets. As mentioned getting the bolts all in was a PITA with a couple of starts and re-starts to get them all going. Eventually you can tighten it all up. It will look like this
I then test fit the side pods only to find out the while the left one mounted up flush as before the right one was pushed out a bit by the front mount of the rack. Like this
Rather than un-mount everything and re-adjust given the aformentioned difficulty I opted to remove a bit of the pod that won't be seen if mounted without the rack and make enough room to sit flush. Just marked it with tape and took a little off with the dremel so that it sits flush
The Shad plate doesn't have any holes that line up with the givi universal plate so I had to drill some. There's surprisingly few spots that work but enough to get the job done. I drilled them and then touched the new holes up with black rust-oleum enamel - you can see the smudges around the new holes in the pic.
After that easy job to bolt up the Givi plate and pop the case on.
From a review perspective, I'm very happy with the Shad rack - it's sturdy, it doesn't interfere with the aftermarket exhaust and it doesn't look like you have a big rack hanging on your bike. The Givi case being part of the monolok series is not quite as sturdy as a monokey but is still very good. I don't notice it at while riding from a handling perspective expect that maybe it's a little more stable feeling at high-speed (75mph+). Not sure if it actually acts like a bit of a rudder or if it blocks some of the turbulence from hitting me in the back and just feels better as a result. Oh, yeah and I did I mention that the functionality quickly gets you over the looks of a case in general - it holds 18 beer (in 6 packs), trips to the grocery including a gallon of milk if needed and easily 4-days worth of stuff for trips. Overall, I'm very happy with this setup.
http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/7884-shad-50-top-case-rack-installation.html
so I won't recap all that but will add a couple of things specific to my install or the Givi case setup. This will get you down to the point where you're clamping the two halves of the Shad rack around the grab handles using the plastic bushings and brackets. As mentioned getting the bolts all in was a PITA with a couple of starts and re-starts to get them all going. Eventually you can tighten it all up. It will look like this
I then test fit the side pods only to find out the while the left one mounted up flush as before the right one was pushed out a bit by the front mount of the rack. Like this
Rather than un-mount everything and re-adjust given the aformentioned difficulty I opted to remove a bit of the pod that won't be seen if mounted without the rack and make enough room to sit flush. Just marked it with tape and took a little off with the dremel so that it sits flush
The Shad plate doesn't have any holes that line up with the givi universal plate so I had to drill some. There's surprisingly few spots that work but enough to get the job done. I drilled them and then touched the new holes up with black rust-oleum enamel - you can see the smudges around the new holes in the pic.
After that easy job to bolt up the Givi plate and pop the case on.
From a review perspective, I'm very happy with the Shad rack - it's sturdy, it doesn't interfere with the aftermarket exhaust and it doesn't look like you have a big rack hanging on your bike. The Givi case being part of the monolok series is not quite as sturdy as a monokey but is still very good. I don't notice it at while riding from a handling perspective expect that maybe it's a little more stable feeling at high-speed (75mph+). Not sure if it actually acts like a bit of a rudder or if it blocks some of the turbulence from hitting me in the back and just feels better as a result. Oh, yeah and I did I mention that the functionality quickly gets you over the looks of a case in general - it holds 18 beer (in 6 packs), trips to the grocery including a gallon of milk if needed and easily 4-days worth of stuff for trips. Overall, I'm very happy with this setup.
:thumbup:
