On a small Honda Enduro running a large top box off road can risk cracking your rear sub frame. Common occurrence among travelers. If you're just riding round town or commuting, a top box is very convenient. But on the road for months ... guys tend to overload them ... and that is when the trouble starts.

If going OFF ROAD or doing really crappy, beat up roads, a top box may stress it's mounting points or even break the subframe. (over time) If you use a SMALL, low profile top box and DO NOT overload it, you may be OK ... or not. :confused1:

Depends how fast and hard you attack the rough sections, how long they are and how much weight you've got in the Top Box and on the bike overall.

IMHO, soft panniers and a top duffel bag are best for travel. As mentioned, the security of a top box is illusory. A 12 year old with a screw driver can get into it in under two minutes ... and be gone. Been there, seen it happen.

Even strong GIVI and Pelican boxes can be broken into without too much effort by a determined amateur. But all luggage can be vulnerable.

Also, someone mentioned the fact that any hard items in your Top Box can be destroyed riding rough roads, as everything is shaken up badly and bashes against other hard items. It all turns to dust. Ask me how I know this!

Soft, throw over panniers offer more shock absorbing than hard boxes, either top or side boxes. Items are cinched down tight together, so can't jump round as much. Make sense?

It's a tough one to pack a 125 or 250 enduro for a long journey and not have it all look like Elvis's Garden shed:

Don't go here ...

I'd advise copying what other RTW riders have had luck with ... then get out and ride, see what works for you. In a year ... or three ... you'll have it figured out ... or not?




Not perfect but Nate's 100cc Postie bike made it from Oz to UK!

on a trip to Africa My Givi top box was essential to me as I used it as a KITCHEN...easy to access and I used to stop by the side of the road and have a snack or a brew....worked for me. Mind you I dropped the bike once and couscous was all over the place

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Hi Kei:

The advantages of a top box are self-evident and have been well explained above.

I have found that there are two big disadvantages to a top box, and for this reason, I don't use one. They are:

1) It raises the center of gravity of the moto. In theory, we should only put very lightweight stuff in a top box... all the top box manufacturers stress this in their literature and installation instructions. In practice, though, we tend to overload the top boxes (by weight), and because they are quite high up on the moto and thus exert a significant moment of inertia, they make the moto more cumbersome when stopped. If the moto starts to tip, the presence of the weight in the top box makes it more difficult to stop the tip sideways.

2) They have a significant effect on the aerodynamics and handling of the motorcycle at speeds above about 80 km/h (50 MPH). The extent of this varies by motorcycle & top box design, but it should not be discounted.

My suggestion to you is that if you travel solo on your bike, you pick up a waterproof rucksack and strap it to the passenger seat of your bike. This will give you the same storage, but without the higher C of G problems and without the aerodynamic problems.

If you ride two-up, the aerodynamic problems associated with the top box are diminished (the passenger acts as a fairing for the box), but the higher C of G problems still remain.

Michael

Nothing wrong with Elvis's garden shed








A very old pic taken in France en route to Rome - before I learnt about the advantages of a top box ! (or many of the other things I now take for granted)

I have grown to appreciate hard saddlebags and panniers with top box
i store things like rain gear/ clothing not used every day, tools, spare parts,
tire repair stuff etc. when i reach destination theyre locked and remain on the bike, i also secure small items on top of the boxes and a small cooler on the topbox.
regular clothing is kept in a waterproof canoe bag.
when i stop for the night i take the waterproof bag in the motel and leave everything that can be locked on the bike

Hi

I have a 37ltr givi copy top box, along with soft adventure spec panniers, and an ortleib roll bag on the back seat.

The top box doesn't drastically effect the handing of the bike for me.

Riding solo, its the safest place to store my valuables.. I only keep light things in it (sleeping bag) and then laptop and carnet. I keep some space free to throw fresh food into.

Its bloomin handy when I go swimming, I attach my topbox key to my swimsuit. I lock the rest of the bike keys in the topbox. Very handy when leaving the bike. I regularly to this when I go to beaches or waterholes.

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I use a top box for my clothes and a few other light things (tea bags) inside plastic bags to be sure they stay dry. Leave it empty enough so I can store my helmet and gloves in it. No weight in the thing. the heavy stuff is in throw over bags, these rest on the seat which helps absorb shock but not guaranteed to be waterproof. keeps weight low (below seat height and as far forwards as possible. My VERY large sleeping bag is carried strapped above the throw over bags on the seat. plus tent and bed. This setup has evolved over several years. The throw overs have external pockets where I keep the gaz stove, water and my tea making stuff.

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