Dead useful 35 litre bag holds loads of stuff, straps onto pillion seat a treat
HOW MUCH: £60-70 street price
From: www.givi.co.uk/
Pro: Easy to use and attach, decent price, plenty of capacity
Not so: Not waterproof without extra cover
I’ve had this bag for three years now, and while I don’t use it a lot, it’s invaluable when I do get it out, for trips away. It’s dead simple: a cylinder of tough 600-denier PU material, with semi-rigid end plates, access at one end and the top, and an easy-to-use attachment setup. There are a few useful pockets on the outside, a carrying strap for off the bike, and for the price, it’s solid value.
The attachment system uses four double-‘D’ ring straps, with looped ends, so you just hitch the loops onto the footpegs or luggage hooks, then attach the bag using the double-‘D’ rings and tighten up. There’s also a single securing strap underneath the bag which you can pass right under the pillion seat/tail unit or grab rails depending on the bike.
Once it’s on, you can easily get stuff in and out via the end opening, or via the main top zip. I often stick my camera bag in here for short trips, and then you can leave the Givi pack in place, just taking your stuff in and out. The other side has a pocket for holding bigger bits and pieces, the main flap has a smaller zipper pocket, and there’s also a bungee net on the outside for stuffing extra stuff into – luggage straps, waterproofs, water bottle, etc.
The bag comes with an extra waterproof outer cover (it’s not waterproof on its own), and if you were off on a longer trip I’d deffo put that on. Obviously, I’ve mislaid mine in the morass of bike kit which is my loft, so try not to do that if you can.
It’s not as good as a top box in terms of security, waterproofing or capacity, but is far cheaper, lighter and more flexible.
