GIVI Pannier Rack - A Word of Warning

[NeilM]

My VStrom came equipped with a GIVI Monokey pannier racks for which I bought some 15 ltr panniers which are plenty for my solo tours.

In January I got a BMW R1200GS I had recently bought, running and on the road, and as soon as the weather improved, I went for a few days camping using the BMW Vario panniers that came with the bike.

As a result of my experiences with those panniers, I decided to get a set of GIVI racks for the Beemer and here we get to the point.

I bought the racks from Branded Biker as they were offering them at an excellent price. But when I made an attempt to fit the racks.... they didn't... fit that is. I have attached some pictures below.

In the case of the Beemer, with a screw fitted to the first boss, nothing else lined up, one set of screws also appeared too short. I immediately called Branded Biker and spoke to Julian who asked to see some pictures. I sent him an email and about a half an hour later I received a call back.

It appears from what Julian told me that GIVI racks only line up properly once under tension. I was also advised that some racks are a two man job, as one person is needed to line up bosses with attachement holes, while the other inserts the fixing screws. I was told it was helpful if the 'helper' is large and strong.

None of the above is indicated in GIVI's instructions. Following their illustrations, it would appear that everything lines up perfectly and you just have to put the screws through the bosses and tighten everything up.

I got everything fitted today, but it was a right faff and also required me to buy a handful of longer M6 screws, as no matter what I did, there was no way a couple of the screws were ever going to contact, let alone screw into the threads in the frame.

So, be aware. If you buy any racks from GIVI / KAPPA, they may require levels of force and a degree of ingenuity to install.

[NeilM]

Just found a better picture of the misfitting rack.

[MisterDavey]

I'd expect that from the cheap Chinese copies, but not from THE luggage company.

[Steve T]

I've had alignment problems in the past with GIVI pannier frames but nothing quite as obviou as those shown in you pictures.
Makes me wonder if the jigs they are using in the factory to fabricate and finish these items are worn . . . a lot and need re-aligning them selves?

[Rusty Nuts]

Your bike's bent.


But seriously, Givi stuff has needed a bit of tweaking during assembly. Usual procedure, fit the stuff that will fit loosely, persuade the last bits together, tighten it all up bit by bit.
Yours looks quite a way off.

[timangus]

I’ve had similar issues with Givi frames on various bikes over the years. Even the rubber stoppers on the frames can be different. My Dolomiti cases require a thicker stopper which makes it a faff if you want to swap cases.

[2112]

On my first Varadero 1000 the previous owner had shimmed the Givi racks out with all manner of washers. I thought 'what a chump' and decided to fit them properly. After a fruitless 4 hour fight with the racks it went back together with all manner of washers to make it fit...

[purplebikeunicorn]

My Givi rack was the same on my 650, needed a bit of persuasion to line up the holes.

What worked was only put each bolt in a couple of threads, then line everything else up. Once everything was in position, start tightening everything up. This was especially true for the rear cross-brace which absolutely did not line up if you'd put the side pieces on and tightened them up.

[NeilM]

Looks like it's a pretty common occurrence, which is what Julian at Branded Biker told me.

As I tightened various screws in sequence, everything eventually lined up, including the cross brace, but it was a right old phaff!

[mr_diver]

Quite a number of the givi racks are designed to be "tensed" when tightening all the bolts down.
The old CBF125 rack was a pita to fit that I used to fit on a regular basis, My Varadero Givi racks and engine bars also need a little bit of wangleing and pushing to line up all the holes.

The original (steel) Suzuki top rack on the classic models (T, GT and XT models) required force to get the bolt hole to line up with the frame.

The trick is get the bolts in a couple of turns then lever the other into place and insert the bolts a couple of turns, then tighten them down and torque them down.

But I think your racks may be a little more than just a little bit of leverage!

[NeilM]

As an update to this saga.

After the install, I was unhappy with the angle of the section of the frame that the monokey latch is mounted to, it had a clear bend in it and without a washer behind one of the latch mounting screws, the panniers would not reliably fit.

It's taken a few days for the problem to percolate through my ever slowing brain, but it occurred to me that by releasing one of the top mounts a little, then the frame should straighten out.... and it does, perfectly.

I need to turn up a couple of 11mm spacers (rather than a collection of miscellaneous washers) to fill the gap, but I have some conveniently sized alloy bar stock, so I can take care of that.

That said, as some of you suggested, there is something not quite right with a set of brand new frames that need spacers machining, just to fit and function correctly.