Givi E55 Maxia Topcase

My Givi topcase finally arrived today from Twisted Throttle. Since I already had the Givi base plate installed, it was a breeze to attach. It clicks into place, and the Givi Monokey system makes it easy to open, shut, secure and remove.

It's a finely-made piece of equipment.... I'm quite happy with the fit and finish. I had thought about painting the lid red to match the bike but it doesn't look too bad in matte black. It matches the black seat and silver rear cowls. I also purchased the optional back rest, which at about sixty dollars seems pricey, but is nicely upholstered and fits well. I'm not keen on the leftover Chrysler Sebring "tail lights" but they're not as ugly as I expected.

As I gotit all together I began to feel I should be cautious not to overload the trunk. It's the biggest topcase on the market so it would be easy to cram a lot of stuff inside... but it's a big box hanging off the back of an adapter plate, which hangs off the back of the luggage rack, which hangs off the back of the subframe. The pieces are all strong but there is a lot of cantilevered leverage at play. The Givi manual states not to exceed 120Km/h, which I doubt I'll obey but I do wonder about the forces of turbulence pushing and pulling at it. I'm curious if it will cause a weave at high speed. I'll soon find out.

Here are some pictures:

The big case almost looks like it belongs.

From behind. Givi offers a kit to make the brake "lights" functional. I think it's a good idea for safety's sake, given the way the bike's tail lights are swallowed up by luggage.

Instructions and template for the backrest. Requires drilling.

Backrest installed in a couple minutes.

Cavernous. The red box is a little storage tray. This would be a good spot for a first aid or roadside emergency kit. An extra pair of metal hinges support the lid.

The E55 easily gulps 2 full-faced helmets as advertised... with room to spare.

Looks not half-bad I think. As I've stated many times, this is what I love about the VFR1200: It works and looks good as a sport bike or a touring bike.