We bolt on some semi-hard Sport-T panniers to our long term GSX-S750
THE OTHER week, we fitted a rack and topbox to our long-term Suzuki GSX-S750. It was pretty straightforward, and gave our cheeky little roadster a much-needed practicality boost in terms of carrying stuff about.
But we weren’t finished there. Oh no. So we’ve got hold of some of Givi’s smart semi-hard panniers to complete the setup. A three-box luggage arrangement is just the job if you’re off on longer trips, and for me, it’s great to be able to carry camera kit, laptop, change of riding gear and all that – sometimes even just for a day’s trip with this job.
The ST604 Sport-T panniers come with a kit that you can fit with or without the top box rack. It uses the same underslung bracket which bolts around the base of the numberplate holder, through the rear mudguard, with another two brackets which bolt onto the bottom of the subframe under the rider’s seat. A pair of small pannier frames bolt on to these, and provide a quick-release mount for the bags themselves.
First step is to remove the two M6 hex-headed bolts which screw up into the frame from below the rear mudguard. Then, the two small looped brackets bolt on here, using the bolts, washers and spacers provided in the Givi kit. Toward the rear light, these brackets bolt onto the Givi underslung bracket, with a pair of M8 Allen bolts and nyloc nuts. You can see this in the pic above.
Next, the square pannier frames bolt onto these two brackets at the bottom, using a pair of M6 Allen bolts. These bolt through the quick-mount flanges (!) that the panniers locate into on each side. Keep these a bit loose until you fit the main upper mounting bolt. On our bike, we had to remove the bolts which had been holding the top box rack in place, and swap them for longer ones which come in the pannier kit.
Slip the long M8 Allen bolt into the square pannier frame, through the top box rack rails, and into the underslung bracket. Get a 13mm spanner on the nyloc nuts at the rear and a 5mm Allen driver on the front, and tighten it all up. A 4mm Allen bit and a 10mm spanner does the final tightening on the lower flange mount bolts.
Do the same on the other side, and you’re done! The Sport-T panniers clip into place with a neat locking mechanism, so you get reasonable security (the zips can be padlocked shut), expandable capacity and a simple quick-release mechanism. A very good lightweight luggage solution, I reckon, and with the top box too, loads of space for all yer rubbish.
The mounting kit for the panniers costs around £115 and the panniers themselves are about £400. More info: www.givi.co.uk
