BMW Luxury Touring Community banner

Luggage rack capacity & Givi case top rack

5K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Teach 
#1 ·
I'm planning on loading some camping gear for some 2-up camping trips on my RT. I have a V46 Givi topcase with the luggage rack. I estimate the case is 10 lbs. My gear is approx 35 lbs total. The 11lb double sleeping bag will fit in a compression bag in the top case (barely). The other gear (2 self inflating pads, 3 person tent, pillows, ground mat, and 2 folding stools, weigh a total of approx. 24lbs. The bulk of it is in a 13" x 26" waterproof compression sack, and the lighter items are in a 9"x 14 waterproof compression sack. I plan to strap and I plan to strap it down to the top rack. We'll place our clothes in the side cases, and a tank bag will carry our extra gloves, jacket liners, rain pants and heated vests. Altogether, IU think we're still 50lbs under the GVWR of the RT. Thankfully me and my wife only combine for about 320 lbs with riding gear.

I have tested out the rack by strapping down a 25"x12"x13" box containing a 26lb ceiling fan I purchased at a Lowe's 40 miles from home. It made the bike a little top heavy but no other issues. It looked pretty stable on there.

I strapped it all down the other day, and it's seems stable enough, but the case does wobble a little on the top plate. I sat on the passenger seat and leaned back and it still seemed OK.

I think 90mph is about my limit with a load this tall and so much weight with the short wheelbase of the RT. I do have a 2" taller aftermarket Cal Sci Screen that should direct turbulent free air almost completely over the approx 16" tall load on top of the Givi case. I have added 2 criss crossing bungee cords to from the top of the load to the BMW rack to help pull the weight forward to help stabilize the load and offset soem of the aerodynamic loading.

I have 2 concerns. Does 24lbs far exceed what the luggage rack can handle? Is 45lbs too much weight for the RT rack? (Givi case & mount is approx 10lbs). I have the Givi case mounted further forward than I've seen the 49L BMW cases mounted on other RT's at the dealer.


Any opinions/suggestions are welcome. I should load it up again and take some pictures
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I've always wondered about Givi carrying capacity (I have two, one on each bike) as their website is confusing. For example, the weight of the E45 is 10 lbs, but the 'capacity' is 16 lbs - 10 for the case and 6 for contents. That's not much. Doesn't even cover two helmets. My own cases (E50 and E52) are quoted as 9 lb contents capacity, plus they are shown as having a rack as an option (E96) but no carrying capacity is quoted for the rack.

However, I have frequently been down to the grocery store and dropped at least 20 lbs of groceries in the box with no problems. I've also used bungee cords to tie stuff onto the top of the Givi (not much weight, though, 6 lbs maybe), so I guess the rule of thumb is 'whatever you feel comfortable with'?

FWIW, my wife also uses the Givi on the RT as her backrest so that's bound to put extra strain on it, particularly when accelerating. We have a Corbin backrest on the other bike.
 
#3 ·
That is a LOT of weight up top, and yes I know I'm coming to this post late. Might I suggest if this is a regular type of trip that you might add a hitch and a hitch rack w/rack bag. I believe Rivco makes a rack w/bag combo for around $200. Of course you'd still need to install a hitch if you don't already have one and here I'd recommend the bushtec because it sits lower than most I've seen. Lower would be best with the rack bag so the lights aren't obstructed.
Just food for thought.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top