GIVI Business Case on R1200ST - REVIEW

[jaytee]

Givi Business Case

 

Needing to solve transport issues concerning my pending 17” laptop purchase, I tried to buy a 48l BMW topcase for my R1200ST. Much to my dismay, I found that the R1200ST rack does not support the larger top case due to load limitations. BMW says that the rear rack can support only the 29l case which, fully loaded, has a prodigious max load of 23lbs (12lbs for case, 11lbs of stuff). Since I could not use the larger case I had to find an aftermarket solution.

 

 

After posting up the question , I followed Selden’s advice and ordered a Givi Business Case. The problem I ran into is that Givi no longer supports the racks for the R1200ST on their website. After some calling around, I miraculously found a small Givi dealer in Georgia who had the ST rack *in stock*. Whether this is just an oversight on Givi’s part or if there just isn’t enough demand for them to take up web space for it, I don’t know. But those ST owners who have been on the fence about going Givi should probably take notice that these racks may be hard to come by in the not-so-distant future.

 

I ordered the Top Case from Twisted throttle as they have a distribution warehouse in Nevada, only 1-2 days shipping from me. The case, shipped 2 days later, arrived the day before the rack. Total outlay was ~$400.

 

Monokey vs Monolock

Nominally, Givi only supported the Monolock (lighter) rack type on the R1200ST, but either top rack will fit on the ST mounting rack. Givi has two locking mechanisms available: Monokey and the newer, lighter, Monolock. The Monolock is designed for small bags and is required for many of their top cases. The Monokey is required for all large bags.

 

The Business Case has the unique feature of adapting to fit on both types of racks and locking mechanisms so if you already have a Givi top rack, the case will fit regardless of how you went with the mounting rack. Knowing that I was likely to overload this rack from time to time, I opted to get the larger Monokey key rack for the stronger latch and extra width supporting the wide business case.

 

 

The Givi rack comes in two pieces: the bike specific mounting rack, and the case specific (Monolock or Monokey) top rack. The differences are mainly in rear tab style and rack width. If pure convenience is the main issue, the lighter weight Monolock system seems to have the edge as there is a long bar on the rack piece to slide the back tabs of your case under. The Monokey system instead uses two small interlocking lugs that are a bit more difficult to line up if you are trying to one-hand your case onto a bike (esp on its sidestand). The Monokey does have a stronger latching mechanism and provides a bit wider base for more bag support.

 

 

Givi has apparently revamped their top racks to look more attractive. The old slab-of-wood looking polymer base is a thing of the past, replaced by a swoopy, rounded molded plastic piece adorned with a Givi medallion. It does a reasonable job of covering the plain welded rack mount itself.

 

 

 

Load Capacity

Givi says that the R1200ST rack only supports 7kg, or 13 lbs. as labeled on the rack itself. As compared to the BMW rack, I think that is a gross understatement. The two racks connect at the same location using the same bolts, and while the ST rack is an attractive molded piece, it doesn’t seem to have any structural edge over the lesser rated Givi rack; certainly not enough difference to account for more than 50% additional load capacity. In fact, the Givi rack, in addition to the three stock mounting bolts, places a Teflon-lined additional clamp on each side of the rack-to-bike mount.

 

 

Despite the 13lb warning sticker, I would estimate that this rack can easily hold the same load capacity as the BMW rack (if not more) with no further problems other than the obvious handling implications. Heck, the BMW 29l bag weighs nearly 13lbs empty!

 

 

Business Case Interior

The 33l Business Case is larger in length and width than the 29l BMW bag but somewhat shallower. This means that the Business case can not carry a helmet. But it *can* carry even the largest 17” laptops on the market as evidenced by its generous 18 ½” x 13 ¼” minimum internal dimensions.

 

 

The case itself is of single wall construction although it does flare to a double-walled section where the clam-shells meet along with a bottom mounted rubber grommet of some sort. It seems effective and passed the hose test while washing the bike. The inside of the case contains a cheap-feeling plastic latch for the 4 way elastic tape. The latch does the job but is obviously not a BMW part.

 

 

One nice advantage to the singlewall construction is a marked lowering in weight. The 29l BMW case eats up more than 50% of the racks total weight capacity at a porky 12+ lbs. Nearly 5 lbs less at 7.5 lbs, the Business Case is noticeably lighter and therefore will accommodate a heavier net load before maxxing out the rack limitations. Depending on whether you believe Givi’s numbers or BMW’s numbers, the Business Case gives you a net load carrying capacity of 5.5lbs to 15.5lbs. With a typical 17” laptop and power brick you are probably breaking 10lbs already.

 

 

While having loads more usable space than the BMW 29l case, the Business Case also has a false bottom that Givi says you can use for documents or other electronic stuff. However, there is no space under the floor large enough to put a sheet of notebook paper, much less a manila file folder. The only use I can see for this space is maybe batteries, pens, business cards and a thin mouse.

 

 

The bag is keyed although you can not get it keyed to your bike like the BMW bag can. Unfortunately, you *must* have the key in the lock in order to open, close or remove the bag. This can be a tad inconvenient if you keep your case key on a larger keyring as you have to hang all yours keys from the bag the entire time you load the bag or want any kind of access to it like at a client’s. Givi should really look at having an “unlocked” position that lets you take the key out while giving you access to the case.

 

One nice thing about the Givi is the smooth bottom profile. The claws on the BMW case are always a PITA to hold away from clothes when running the hallways and elevators of a business building. Also, the case looks far more professional for motorcycle field appointments.

 

 

On the bike the case looks good. Despite its wider profile, it does not look overly large or out of place on the back of the R1200ST. While the rack is not nearly as attractive or finished looking as the stock rack is, it’s not nearly as unattractive as I feared. The newer top racks are definitely a step up.

 

 

Conclusion

The 33l Business Case from Givi represents an excellent value in a large laptop case for use in a commuter/business environment. The fit and finish is reasonable, the functionality is high and the price is right. For the price of a new large BMW top case you could have the rack, the Business Case and another top case of your choice with tail-lamp. The weatherproofing is adequate for rain but the single-walled top won’t help much with hot sun. The Monokey system is the stronger choice but is more difficult to one-hand the bag onto the bike than the BMW bags are.

 

Pros:

* Shaped for a notebook computer

* Light-weight

* Excellent value

* Smooth sides

* Professional looks

 

Cons:

* Hard to one-hand mount

* Unattractive sub-rack

* Can’t use BMW bags with it

* Key must be in bag to get open

* Flimsier fit and finish

 

GRADE

Quality = B-

Performance = B

Price = A

Looks = B

Installation = B

 

Overall Grade: B

 

 

PS: Who spotted the French Brittany (Blackjack) the first time through?

[Selden]

Congratulations, I'm glad this worked out for you, and I agree that losing room for a helmet is a small price compared with the greater overall utility of a case of this shape. I would be inclined to fit an open-cell foam sheet to the bottom for added bounce cushioning. You should be able to find some black or dark gray foam at a photo supply store.

[CraigT]

Nice fit, I use my machine for commuting and have been considering something like this. What is the coating you have on your headers?, makes the bike look a lot cleaner.

[jaytee]

Selden:

Thanks for the suggestion. So far the case is performing well for my non-computer transport needs as well. I will either get some foam that I custom cut for my computer, or I will leave it as is and take the computer in a well-padded case - not sure which yet.

 

CraigT:

The headers use a standard silver ceramic coating that was put on by the previous owner of the pipes. I bought them lightly used. IIRC he said the coating was ~ $125. I think this makes a VAST improvement over stock and I realyl don't understand why BMW doesnt do this from the factory. I think these pipes have over 2000 miles on them and while there is a slight dulling of the finish near the manifold they look like they will hold up pretty well.

 

JT

[Troy]

Nice review JT. Nice looking bike as well.

 

I installed a Givi rack and E470 Monolock case - your impressions line up very well with mine. On the K12RS the BMW factory rack was useless. The Givi, while not being as nice looking, is a far superior rack with a stronger support system.

[Gregori]

I've had some Givi cases on a couple of different bikes (though not this specific one) and wasn't terribly impressed with them.

 

I fit my 17" MacBook Pro inside the BMW topcase no sweat. (This is the standard system case on the 1150RT, though it looks like the ST has a completely different one.)

The 17" MBP is no tiny laptop, either - AND it fits in the topcase while protected inside its shoulder bag. (With the computer in there, there's plenty of room for other sundries to keep it company.)

 

Used it that way on my daily commute for probably 3 years. (Well, the MBP (and PowerBook before that) only travelled maybe 3-4 days a week...)

 

FWIW - a full-face Arai (or my BigMac tankbag) fits nicely in the topcase when the MBP isn't in there.

 

My experiences have given me the following perspective:

 

One key fits case and bike? Advantage: BMW.

Easy to use/attach/detach? Advantage: BMW

Quality of build / sturdiness? BMW

Purchase price: Givi

Options (brake-light, reflector kit, etc): Slight nod to Givi. But aftermarket reflector kits for the BMW case decrease the delta.

Multi-bike use: Givi. (Unless you're going BMW-to-BMW, in which case the factory box wins hands down)

Usable space/volume? Depends on which Givi case you buy, but Givi probably wins this one from the choice perspective. My Givi Maxi(?) case was freakin' huge! Two helmets would *easily* fit in that thing. However - it was like flying an AWACS when it was mounted, and any sort of wind or side-gusts on the freeway were VERY noticeable. (So I tended to leave it home unless I HAD to have the cargo volume - sort of negating the convenience of having a case in the first place?)

 

My conclusion? I'm happy with the factory case, and wouldn't replace it with any of the Givi offerings

If I were starting from scratch, I'd certainly take another look at the Givi stuff, but would probably end up with the BMW case in the end.

[jaytee]

I fit my 17" MacBook Pro inside the BMW topcase no sweat. (This is the standard system case on the 1150RT, though it looks like the ST has a completely different one.)

 

Herein lies the problem. The R1200RT, R1200R, R1200ST all use the same 29l top case which will not fit a 17" laptop. The RT (and maybe the R?) can fit the large top case which *will* fit a 17" laptop and I went so far as to travel 100 miles to go buy one from a forum member only to find out that the large BMW top case was designed specifically NOT to fit the R1200ST.

 

While Givi was my second choice, I would add the following to your list for pro/con:

 

Weight: Givi, hands down. The rack is no heavier and the case is 40% less weight with more usuable volume. Having an extra 5-10lbs mounted up high liek the BMW top case comes with a noticeable handling penalty, esp if you lean the bike over at all with that big-assed case up there.

Carrying: Givi also. The Givi bags are smooth on the attachment side and the Business Case is narrow so that it is easy to naturally carry it. The fat BMW cases with the claws on the bottom make carrying the bag into an office building with nicer pants on a PITA.

 

Otherwise your experience tracks with mine.

 

JT

[John Bentall]

Givi wins hands-down on versatility,

 

These wheeled trolleys that double as carry-on aircraft luggage have been mentioned before.... http://www.givi.co.uk/soft-luggages/Luggage-with-plate/

 

 

[jaytee]

*******CORRECTION********

 

I just noticed that I listed the Givi B36N Business Case as 33l in my review.

 

This is incorrect.

 

The Givi B36N Business Case is 36 liters capacity, NOT 33l as written.

 

******************************

[Don Garrett]

So, I'm looking at doing the same thing, but my dealer isn't sure that they've found the right rack.

 

Can you please share the part numbers?

[jaytee]

Twisted Throttle lists the Givi SR686M as the rack part number. This part comes with both the R1200ST-specific sub-rack (welded metal) *and* the Monolock plastic top rack.

 

The larger Monokey top rack *will* fit on this rack but is not specifically supported for the R1200ST becasue the larger Givi bags that use this type of top mount exceed the Givi's load limit for the sub-rack.

 

The Business case is unique (AFAIK) in that it is light enough to mount on the Monolock top rack and is also designed to be able to use the Monokey top rack.

 

The place I purchased the rack from allowed me to swap out the top racks at no charge and I chose to go with the Monokey because it is wider and suppports the business case a bit better. IF you do decide to go with the Monokey (larger) top rack, you will not be able to mount any of the smaller Monolock top cases and the other Monokey larger top cases will overload the rack.

 

JT

[Don Garrett]

Thanks very much! I installed it over the weekend and used it for the first time this morning. It was easy to install, and working just fine!

[jaytee]

So where's the pics???

 

Also... Did you opt for the larger Monokey rack or stick with the standard Monolock rack?

 

JT