So ... I put a 35 liter top case on my Ninja this Spring. I did it because I needed a more secure solution for commuting and for grocery shopping.

Whereas tomorrow starts the Ninja Commuter season for me, I have thought about strapping my rolling briefcase/luggage to the Givi for the following reason.

When I got to thinking about leaving ATG in the Givi all day, I became concerned about the effect of the sun beating down on the Givi all day, and how it could affect the material. I have mesh pant and full on summer jacket now.

Is it bad to leave your gear in the Givi all day?

I still need the Givi for the convenience of going places and bringing things back. This would also free me to stop at the grocery store on the way home and have plenty of room for groceries. The luggage will be where I stow the ATG during the day and my other stuff, wallet, lunch box, etc. My tank bag expands and so I could use this for my helmet and it becomes a backpack. the luggage has wheels.

It comes down to the fact that there is no shade at the lot, and especially true for the two parking spots that are specifically reserved for motorcycles; that would be mine and the one other commuter that rides regularly...

No problem, other than being stolen.
Those things are not very strongly locked.

Well I was bored this morning, so I did some searching on the temperature degradation of Nylon, which most of the mesh gear is made of.

Found this research paper: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a048030.pdf

After reading it I'll disagree with Motofool.

They test nylon parachute material and had significant reduction in strength and elasticity after 100 days of storage at 80 degrees Celsius (176 F). If I read it right they had a 36% decrease in breaking strength on a 120 day sample. Now I think that temperature is higher than what you will see inside your Givi, but I don't think 120-130 degrees F is out of the question. Another thing to keep in mind is that when the researchers are talking about 100 days of testing, that's 24 hrs a day. Your gear in the Givi will not have full heat all that time, just during the hottest part of the day. If your location is correct I don't think Massachusetts is as bad as Arizona. So while that paper does show that nylon suffers from thermal breakdown, I don't think storing your gear in your Givi will be as bad as the tests they conducted.

However I think the research paper makes the point the Nylon suffers from thermal breakdown, so if you want your gear to last as long as possible keeping it out of the heat is a good idea. I would suggest if you can bring your gear into your air conditioned office that it would prolong the life of some expensive stuff. If you are just running into the store for some shopping I wouldn't worry about throwing your gear in the Givi for a little while.

Hot temps + sweat and other moisture + dark place = smelly gear?!?!?!?!? Possible mold too?

Putting on your gear after sitting in the hot sun will make the decision for you.
Ask me how I know?

throw an icepack or 2 in there with the gear. :D

Here's what happened ... I took the rolling luggage along and reserved the Givi space for dinner later tonight .....
https://bicyclebossons.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/img_20160526_081533.jpg

Over the long term, I want to preserve my gear. There is plenty of hot sun here in July and August. I do like the cold pack suggestion though!!!

The cold pack will be just as hot. Give it a try, what could it hurt.

Hot temps + sweat and other moisture + dark place = smelly gear?!?!?!?!? Possible mold too?

Boots.

Ugh.

I wouldn't leave it in the Givi simply because of theft issues. If you leave your helmet in there and it gets stolen...well, there goes your ride home if you live in a state with a helmet law.

I prefer a backpack. Stuff my gear in there and it goes with me where I go.

What am I missing here? Why not take your gear inside and hang it up?
Or; invest in A few bottles of Febreze!

What am I missing here? Why not take your gear inside and hang it up?
Or; invest in A few bottles of Febreze!

:rotflmao: That is why I'm taking the rolling luggage/briefcase. The ride is actually to the train station about 10 miles away as the crow flies, a bit more because I take the back roads. I live outside Boston**, so I steer clear of the rush hour traffic by driving to a station some distance away, even though I have two or three stations closer, so that I can get my moto ride in.

I stuffed my pants and jacket into the mostly empty briefcase and my lunch and valuables into the backpack/tank bag. Problem solved, and it's not too difficult to strap onto the Alu Rack even with the Givi case (read expensive hard sided grocery bag).

Last year I tried to get by with just the tank bag, but I was always just "this close" to being overwhelmed with everything I was carrying. This works and will be the go-to for the commute.

I will definitely keep the febreze in mind though. As the sun gets hotter, I'm sure something of mine will need it... :-}

** Boston traffic at rush hour means your otherwise 35 minute drive to the city can become 1.5 hours of stop and go in six lanes of traffic ... I take the train to bypass it.

Got it!
Though they always made sure I sat at the front in school; it really never made a difference :(

When I played hockey; there was always a few guys that never took their gear out of the bag except to play. Mother of all that stinks.... Later in beer league hockey; I used to spray febreze into their bags and on them if they lipped me! :D Fortunately; few dared to challenge me in spite of some seriously superstitious idiots. It's beer league! Not the NHL! I ain't going to sit through that stink! My point is: Febreze is quite effective though I wouldn't recommend it as a real substitute for a proper maintenance and airing out!

I sometimes ride to customer plant visits. I take off my gear, put on some pants (just shorts base layer under the gear) and throw everything into the cases. Helmet in the topcase, boots and pants in 1 side, jacket in the other.

That's why I have them.

I'd put some ice in the box. Get some sodas and throw in there too.
Gears?

Who needs one?

You got the weather to accompany you. Wet? Nah, you'll do just fine.

:rotflmao:

Most motorcycle gear and parts have to be replaced some more frequently than others. The only issue I see would be theft but most "security" is an illusion anyway. If someone really wants something enough they will find a way...

Most locks only keep honest people out... Same goes with fences and most any deterrent you can think of that doesn't immobilize or kill the unhonest person.

My family always said locks and fences only keep honest folks honest, shoot to kill

It has really warmed up where I'm at, 100 plus. I recently locked my helmet in my topcase in the shade, but of course the sun moved and really heated up the topcase. My helmet's camera mount is held on by 3M double side sticky pads, the type of stuff that holds the emblems on your car. Usually it's very tough but it softened, almost liquefied, in the heat. My camera and mount fell off! Luckily I had the safety lanyard attached directly to the helmet and not to the mount.

I've since re-evaluated what I will and won't leave in the topcase. One thing that worries me are the CO2 cartridges in my tire repair kit. Like my helmet, they now go inside with me when parked.

One thing that worries me are the CO2 cartridges in my tire repair kit.

I could imagine what will happen if you leave this outside! Vividly!