Before you buy the Kawasaki trunk...

[omcrider]

    

[VirginiaJim]

I wouldn't worry about any top case coming off if the base were metal.  My Shad has a metal plate that attaches to the rails.  If it's the rack that comes with it......all bets are off.

[omcrider]

Yes well as we all know the adapter plate the comes with the Givi case is plastic as is the stock rack. So would a Phils rack take some of the bouncing out of it and make it more sturdy. Logic tells me it should but not if the plastic adapter from Givi is the culprit or weak link and not the stock plastic rack that bolts to the aluminum rails of the C14.

[VirginiaJim]

I wouldn't trust anything plastic to hold the top case in position (especially the stock sandwich holder rack on the rear of the bike) and that's coming from knowledge of 7 years of ownership of this bike and reviewing all the C14 threads that have passed my eyes since then.  They (Kawasaki) replaced it once under recall with something not much better.

[omcrider]

Yeah kinda sounds like I am in the market for a Phils rack, just when I thought I might be done with buying parts. I did learn that the SW-Motech kit does not work with my Givi MonoLok case though.

[Conniesaki]

Thought I would revive this topic as I was searching for some info and ran across this. Figured 1. it was good info to move to top and 2. I ran across this website (link below) and it states that the MonoLock which is what I have is not designed for high speeds or heavier loads. Now I already know not to load these down but I found it odd that Kawasaki would use this style on a high performance bike if there was an issue with the strength of the mounting plate. I do know with my stock rack and the Give 47L from Kawasaki it shakes and bounces quite a bit. So my question is two fold, 1. Has anyone ever had one of these break on them and fall off? 2. Does Phils rack make the whole thing more stable using the Monolock system and same plastic attaching plate vs the Monokey that he sells the kit for?  Little nervous after reading this that the wife is going to lean against this at 85 and the thing is going to fall off.

http://www.giviluggage.co/givi-luggage-explained/the-difference-between-the-givi-monolock-monokey-technology/

Also surprising you get away with calling your wife "the thing".








(OK I think that's all the 'jokes' I've got on this)

[philipintexas]

"and not the stock plastic rack that bolts to the aluminum rails of the C14"
OMCRIDER: The rails on the C-14 are made of plastic, not aluminum. So you have plastic rails, plastic rack, plastic mounting plate and a plastic trunk, You will get lots of wiggle when you compound the flexibility inherent in each component. My rack will help a lot, it doesn't have ANY flexibility. The monoKEY is the most solid but other systems work well also.

[twowheeladdict]

I passed on the Kawasaki trunk because it is a monolock instead of the monokey.  The monolock is only rated for 3Kg while the monokey is rated for 10Kg.

I don't carry a passenger so that part is not an issue, but I definitely put more than 6.6 lbs of gear in the top trunk.

[Cold Streak]

I have the Kawi trunk and soon noticed that the plastic mounting plate had cracked.  Not the one holding the case itself, but the sub plate that attaches to the bike.  Kawi was nice and replaced it under warranty, but I went ahead and made my own.  I also made it so I could attach a couple of helmet locks to each side.  I've gone 40k+ miles since then with no problems and I definitely put more than 3 kg in it at times.  It's nice to have a machine shop at your disposal.

[omcrider]

I think knowing what I know now I would have also gone with a MonoKey, interesting that Kawasaki would not be using the stronger of the available Givi designs. Also did not realize those grab rails are plastic on the C14, damn for a 16 thousand dollar sport touring bike you would think they could have had helmet locks and aluminum rails with a decent rack for loading gear.

[Classvino]

Sounds like someone with a milling machine and a bunch of spare time could make metal clones of Kawi's plastic grab rails, and have quite a potential market...  well... here, anyway...

Jamie

[VirginiaJim]

Also did not realize those grab rails are plastic on the C14, damn for a 16 thousand dollar sport touring bike you would think they could have had helmet locks and aluminum rails with a decent rack for loading gear.

Really?  This coming from the people that gave us disintegrating rear racks, depth charge side cases, rear brakes that would melt a rear drive, warping rotors, and headlight adjusters that leave their mounting points on a whim?  But of course I say this with the fondest emotion for our beloved bikes.

Sounds like someone with a milling machine and a bunch of spare time could make metal clones of Kawi's plastic grab rails, and have quite a potential market...  well... here, anyway...

Jamie

I doubt you'd they'd have that much business.  While those rails are plastic, we haven't seen anything go wrong with them in 8 years except for the paint rubbing off.  I know I wouldn't replace mine.

[omcrider]

I just installed Phils rack with the Monolock Givi set up last night. I had it attached to the factory plastic rack and there was clearly visible flex coming from the stock rack. Phils rack took out that flex and made for much more solid mounting. Now the only flex is coming from the box itself. I would also suggest getting the Monokey vs the Monolock as it is designed a bit more structurally sound as well as upgrading the stock rack for any cases being mounted on these C14's.

[omcrider]

Now that I am thinking about it a post like this should be a sticky as trunks are something a strong percentage of Connie owners upgrade with and this thread provides the info you would need before making a decision.

[va_bank]

I've been mostly happy with the Kawi trunk, been using it for two years.  The only problem is that I bought the "passenger pad" that was supposed to make my wife more comfortable by providing a leaning surface, but it only makes contact with a very small part of the middle of her back, causing more discomfort than when not leaning on it at all.  For that reason alone I may get rid of it and replace with a backrest to which I will tie some tourpack.  UNLESS! I can find a backrest that can coexist with this trunk.

[Cold Streak]

I've been using the Kawi trunk and asked my girlfriend if she would like to have a pad on it.  She replied that the spine protector pad in her jacket gives her all the support and comfort she needs. 

[VirginiaJim]

I've got a pad on my Shad.. , but it's hard as rock.