The Blue Rider
January 29th, 2012, 03:16 PM
This is a follow-up to my earlier thread about installing the Givi HR-4 Monorack (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68362) to the Ninja 250R. Last week I installed the pair of Givi SBX-401 racks onto the HR-4 Monorack, which now enable me to carry Givi V35Ns in addition to the Givi V46 top box I carry on the HR-4 platform. The fourth and fifth pictures in the previous thread's starting post show the SBX-401 racks and installation instructions.
I purchased the SBX-401's from Thailand along with the HR-4, but at that time I didn't have Givi side cases to install. I finally went ahead and purchased a set of Givi V35N's from sporttour.com (http://www.sporttour.com/shopexd.asp?id=2355), rode over to a borrowed garage, and installed the side racks and the full set of hard bags. Installation was very easy compared to the HR-4, as the SBX's mount in a fairly simple fashion.
Tools & parts necessary:
- Socket wrench & hex sockets, and hex-bit screwdrivers sized for working on the Ninjette; the kit doesn't use any strange sizes.
- Blue-flavored Loctite.
- A drill with decent bits that can get through about 1/8" aluminum (I have a consumer-grade Ryobi cordless purchased from Lowe's, you don't need anything fancy)
- All the environmental stuff that's good for working on a bike... Garage workspace, good lighting, stands, etc.
Here is the overall view of how the rack is installed onto the HR-4. The side rack attaches with one bolt into the HR-4's undertail "handle" (re-using the bolts already installed on the HR-4), a clamp on the lower forward part of the HR-4 arm, and a top arm which goes into the tail compartment and bolts through a hole you drill into the forward aluminum crossbar. The seat/tail cowling lock is lifted slightly with spacers under the locking mechanism to create a gap for the arms to fit through.
The order in which you work on each mounting point probably doesn't really matter. I found it easiest to affix the center bolts first, rotate/align the arms into position inside the tail box, then affix the forward clamps, and tighten/loctite everything down. The final step for the racks was to drill through the crossbar and install the bolts in the arms. After that I re-routed the turn signals.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1035_rack.jpg
Here is the re-used HR-4 arm center bolt.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1039_bolt.jpg
Close-up of the clamp at the lower front of the HR-4 arm. The supplied bolts are extra-long and actually intrude into the airspace over the tire if inserted head-side-out, so they should be installed head-side-in. The instructions don't specify which way they go in, as usual for Givi, but this is the best arrangement.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1036_clamp.jpg
This is the top arm, which goes in under the cowling/seat and is bolted through the crossbar. The arm has a plug on the bottom which fills the hole in the pre-existing tab, so alignment is not a problem. Drilling the crossbar is a matter of using progressively larger bits to first make a starter hole, and then gradually boring out the right sized hole for the M6 bolt. Do put some kind of wadded-up paper towel or other blocking material under the bar and into the front corner of the tail box, to catch metal shavings and dropped parts from sliding down towards the airbox or battery box. The screw goes into the hole in the arm and is secured by a washer and nylock nut underneath, which is kind of hard to get aligned; you'll need both hands, or maybe a helper.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1041_topbar.jpg
Here you can see the small spacers which lift the lock assembly, and hence, the front of the cowl/seat, to provide a gap for the arms. The kit supplies spacers and slightly longer JIS screws (why they didn't supply Philips, I don't know).
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1042_standoff.jpg
The SBX-401 racks have tails for re-mounting your turn signals. In stock position, the signals would be obscured by the V35 cases. You will need to take off the seat and tail fairing pieces for this work. I highly recommend getting all your electrical turn signal work done before installing either the HR-4 rack or the SBX-401s, because the racks interfere with wiring arrangement in the tail area. You will need extended slack wire to re-mount your signals; about another foot of wiring length would be best.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1038_tailsignal.jpg
I installed the modmy250.com no-cut diode mod (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=79621) and put Rizoma Zero 11's on all four corners. The instructions suggest that you run the turn signal wiring down the back side of the racks, in through the stock signal holes, and then up and into the stock routing down the left side of the frame. Unfortunately for me, even with the wiring extension pieces supplied by Rizoma, I didn't have enough wire to run the wiring the suggested way. I finally just ran the Rizoma's wiring over the top of the tail and into the gap under the cowling. It's ugly, but it works for now; I will need to find extensions for the wiring and re-route everything later. The tail box is cluttered, but I don't keep anything in there except my tool kit and insurance card anyway...
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1043_tail.jpg
Here's what she looks like with everything mounted.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/smIMG_0593.jpg
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/smIMG_0597.jpg
I haven't ridden with all the cases fully loaded yet, but riding back from the garage, I didn't notice any serious handling changes, except maybe a slight reduction in speed vs. power output. The bike actually feels a little more stable at speed, just slightly slower. I will have to do some extended riding with a load in the luggage before giving a final verdict on handling.
The benefits of added storage are, of course, obvious. Givi luggage can be re-used on larger bikes when people "upgrade", too, if they so choose. Again, I don't know why this solution isn't available on the U.S. market; I think without the markup from shipping from Thailand, it offers a great way to make a popular bike more practical.
I purchased the SBX-401's from Thailand along with the HR-4, but at that time I didn't have Givi side cases to install. I finally went ahead and purchased a set of Givi V35N's from sporttour.com (http://www.sporttour.com/shopexd.asp?id=2355), rode over to a borrowed garage, and installed the side racks and the full set of hard bags. Installation was very easy compared to the HR-4, as the SBX's mount in a fairly simple fashion.
Tools & parts necessary:
- Socket wrench & hex sockets, and hex-bit screwdrivers sized for working on the Ninjette; the kit doesn't use any strange sizes.
- Blue-flavored Loctite.
- A drill with decent bits that can get through about 1/8" aluminum (I have a consumer-grade Ryobi cordless purchased from Lowe's, you don't need anything fancy)
- All the environmental stuff that's good for working on a bike... Garage workspace, good lighting, stands, etc.
Here is the overall view of how the rack is installed onto the HR-4. The side rack attaches with one bolt into the HR-4's undertail "handle" (re-using the bolts already installed on the HR-4), a clamp on the lower forward part of the HR-4 arm, and a top arm which goes into the tail compartment and bolts through a hole you drill into the forward aluminum crossbar. The seat/tail cowling lock is lifted slightly with spacers under the locking mechanism to create a gap for the arms to fit through.
The order in which you work on each mounting point probably doesn't really matter. I found it easiest to affix the center bolts first, rotate/align the arms into position inside the tail box, then affix the forward clamps, and tighten/loctite everything down. The final step for the racks was to drill through the crossbar and install the bolts in the arms. After that I re-routed the turn signals.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1035_rack.jpg
Here is the re-used HR-4 arm center bolt.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1039_bolt.jpg
Close-up of the clamp at the lower front of the HR-4 arm. The supplied bolts are extra-long and actually intrude into the airspace over the tire if inserted head-side-out, so they should be installed head-side-in. The instructions don't specify which way they go in, as usual for Givi, but this is the best arrangement.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1036_clamp.jpg
This is the top arm, which goes in under the cowling/seat and is bolted through the crossbar. The arm has a plug on the bottom which fills the hole in the pre-existing tab, so alignment is not a problem. Drilling the crossbar is a matter of using progressively larger bits to first make a starter hole, and then gradually boring out the right sized hole for the M6 bolt. Do put some kind of wadded-up paper towel or other blocking material under the bar and into the front corner of the tail box, to catch metal shavings and dropped parts from sliding down towards the airbox or battery box. The screw goes into the hole in the arm and is secured by a washer and nylock nut underneath, which is kind of hard to get aligned; you'll need both hands, or maybe a helper.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1041_topbar.jpg
Here you can see the small spacers which lift the lock assembly, and hence, the front of the cowl/seat, to provide a gap for the arms. The kit supplies spacers and slightly longer JIS screws (why they didn't supply Philips, I don't know).
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1042_standoff.jpg
The SBX-401 racks have tails for re-mounting your turn signals. In stock position, the signals would be obscured by the V35 cases. You will need to take off the seat and tail fairing pieces for this work. I highly recommend getting all your electrical turn signal work done before installing either the HR-4 rack or the SBX-401s, because the racks interfere with wiring arrangement in the tail area. You will need extended slack wire to re-mount your signals; about another foot of wiring length would be best.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1038_tailsignal.jpg
I installed the modmy250.com no-cut diode mod (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=79621) and put Rizoma Zero 11's on all four corners. The instructions suggest that you run the turn signal wiring down the back side of the racks, in through the stock signal holes, and then up and into the stock routing down the left side of the frame. Unfortunately for me, even with the wiring extension pieces supplied by Rizoma, I didn't have enough wire to run the wiring the suggested way. I finally just ran the Rizoma's wiring over the top of the tail and into the gap under the cowling. It's ugly, but it works for now; I will need to find extensions for the wiring and re-route everything later. The tail box is cluttered, but I don't keep anything in there except my tool kit and insurance card anyway...
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/givirack/smIMG_1043_tail.jpg
Here's what she looks like with everything mounted.
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/smIMG_0593.jpg
http://www.tdanielsart.com/offsite/smIMG_0597.jpg
I haven't ridden with all the cases fully loaded yet, but riding back from the garage, I didn't notice any serious handling changes, except maybe a slight reduction in speed vs. power output. The bike actually feels a little more stable at speed, just slightly slower. I will have to do some extended riding with a load in the luggage before giving a final verdict on handling.
The benefits of added storage are, of course, obvious. Givi luggage can be re-used on larger bikes when people "upgrade", too, if they so choose. Again, I don't know why this solution isn't available on the U.S. market; I think without the markup from shipping from Thailand, it offers a great way to make a popular bike more practical.