Top box/ Rack option for 2000 GS500 ?

[Zaroka]

Hello Everyone, I'm really struggling to find a rack/top box option for my Gs

I was interested in the Givi Monolock system, as according to there website they hold more weight and tbh, They just have nicer looking boxes.
However I'm finding they only list 2001+
I've been struggling to find out if they would still fit my bike, if not.. are there any other options other than soft luggage ? as I really want to carry a helmet for my pillion in the box etc
Really disappointed if there's no options now due to the age of the bike :|

Thanks in advance for any help!

[ferda]

I am currently rocking a Kappa 49 (https://fortnine.ca/en/kappa-k48-monokey-top-case). This give me room for my full face (shoei qwest) as well as a smaller fuller face helmet. I am also using their universal mount as my bike came with a 'universal rack'. riding with a pillion isnt an issue, neither is riding at 130km/h.

[mr72]

I went DIY rack with a cheap $40 "scooter" top box. Couldn't be happier.

[Zaroka]

I am currently rocking a Kappa 49 (https://fortnine.ca/en/kappa-k48-monokey-top-case). This give me room for my full face (shoei qwest) as well as a smaller fuller face helmet. I am also using their universal mount as my bike came with a 'universal rack'. riding with a pillion isnt an issue, neither is riding at 130km/h.

Sadly my bike has no universal style rack, I was looking at renntecs and a heckor becker.. Both pretty pricey, with the renntec having a disclaimer saying it'll only take 3 or 5kg max, not sure which it was but it was pretty sad, heckor becker had that the rack isnt compatible with there top boxes 

So this is why I ended up looking at Givi, Not looked at Shad yet though, just want something that I can trust and If it all looks the part then that's great Ideally will fit 2 helmets But I'm tempted to get a small and larger top box, so ideally use the same mounting place, I find it weird that I can't find anything for a 2000 bike, It looks like it would be simple for a company to make a rack etc for

[Bluesmudge]

Hepco & Becker makes a really nice rack. Unfortunately for the older style bikes they only sell it as a complete kit so you are buying the pannier mounts as well.  Honestly, if you a hard case sort of person you are eventually going to want locking panniers so that's probably the way to go.
Nothing better than being able to lock up full head to toe gear including boots on your bike and having room to spare.

[Zaroka]

Hepco & Becker makes a really nice rack. Unfortunately for the older style bikes they only sell it as a complete kit so you are buying the pannier mounts as well.  Honestly, if you a hard case sort of person you are eventually going to want locking panniers so that's probably the way to go.
Nothing better than being able to lock up full head to toe gear including boots on your bike and having room to spare.

I have thought about getting panniers, I think I'd basically turn the bike into a small touring bike if I could, If the complete kit fits and they have boxes that will defiently fit then that's Great, I'm guessing it will be Very pricey however, Do you know if panniers get in the way of a pillions legs/foot position or not? It seems panniers could make it quite a small bike for two up?

If it does its sounding like I'm going to have to botch something together and hope it doesn't fall off 

[mr72]

BTW, I have a top case like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Yescom-Motorcycle-Scooter-Luggage-Storage/dp/B01MF5S1S4/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_lp_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=T3PKHPGAXWFD5G0Z61GA

I whipped up a "rack" assy with the included plastic base plate and other stuff I had laying around. There's a writeup here somewhere... oh yeah, it's here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=71055.msg871957#msg871957

You could use this mounting method with pretty much any topcase/bottom-plate assy out there. It's quite solid. I use it for grocery shopping all the time. The other day I bought a 9 lb bag of cat food, 2x 12-packs of Coke Zero and a handful of other stuff and it all crammed in the box, I had to use my bungee cargo net for the box of Frosted Flakes which I cinched to the box. About to do a 3-day weekend trip to a motorcycle show with my dad and I'll use this box plus a pair of throw-over soft side bags to hold a whole weekend's worth of stuff with a small tent and a couple of folding chairs strapped on the seat in front of the case. This particular case will hold a 3/4 helmet but just barely won't close around my Sedici Strada full-face. I think a box big enough for two full-face helmets would be very big and you'd want a whole different method of attachment including lateral reinforcements, probably a Givi rack.

Anyway, big downside of this mounting method is you can't do it with the side and tail plastics in place. But it is quite cheap.

I keep using these cheapo black powder coated steel tubing folding luggage carts as parts donors for my bike storage projects. I chop off pieces to make supports and braces. They work pretty fantastically. I'm sure I'll do something similar if/when I buy a new(er) Bonneville in the next couple of days/weeks/months, just go to Walmart and get a luggage cart and a fresh jigsaw bit and get to work making pannier supports and whatever else I need.

[Bluesmudge]

I have a 2004 GS so I can't speak to Hepco and Becker's rack for the older GS500s but I assume it is very similar with just slightly different mounting points.
I have 30 liter hepco and Becker "Junior" side cases with a matching 50 liter top case that holds two helmets. I added the top rack to the top case so I can strap on a bit more.

My wife and I toured 2-up for 2 weeks in the Western United States with all our stuff and camping gear with this setup. There are no issues for the passenger. In fact my wife doesnt like to be on the back of any bike for long unless all the luggage is on there. It provides a back rest and two hand holds and a sense of security. As a passenger, my wife prefers the GS500 to the Vstrom 1000 we used to have. That was a big reason I sold the Vstrom. So my GS is my do everything bike now.

[Zaroka]

Well Mr72 that Hurt my head  I just looked at your project, It's interesting, Shame if you have to loose the side panels, however my Gf is making sure to rub the paint off them with her boots anyways, Your project tempts me to mess with mine more, but at the moment its Mostly stock with less than 4k miles on it, I've had to do a topend rebuild and replace the carbs and a bunch of other things as it sat in a shed for 10+ years, Curious though does the larger fuel tank just fit the same way as the old models tanks?

As for storage I've found that shad make a luggage fitting kit still, Looks like it sits quite far off the back of the bike than some others I've seen however:

https://www.shad.co.uk/product/5345/suzuki-gs500e-top-box-fitting-kit

So far I'm thinking Al maybe go for that kit and get a box to match, will cost a small fortune but I don't really know how to make a mod like yours.

Thanks for the link/Idea's though defiantly will take another look before deciding what to do 


Bluesmudge, I'm surprised by that, may I ask why she didn't like the vstrom? I always figured it would be an upgrade from my bike and would be better for 2 up touring.