Top box vs backrest for wife

[RENOVATOR20]

Greetings,
I am trying to decide on a backrest or a top box with a back cushion for the wife. My bike came with a corbin seat on the front with a stock back seat (no problems closing the seat). I like the idea of a backrest and use a duffle on longer trips. If I get a topbox, it needs to be big enough for 2 helmets and look good. I have Yamaha side bags. Any recommendations will help.
Thanks!

 

[bloodline]

yamaha top case on mine. It will barely hold 1 helmet.

My wife rarely leans on it. It's far enough back that when she does, I have to check the mirrors to see if she is still on the bike.

Her gear has a back pad and she says it's more than enough for her.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[thfraser]

You went throught the same thought process I just went through. I bought a givi E460 and mounted it to a SWMoto rack. I bought the Givi backrest pad for it. I think the backrest pad sticks out more than I like. But i still have plenty of room for me and my wife. I got the top box with the ability to hold two helmets as my wife likes to put the helmets in a nice dry secure location if we go anywhere. If your wife has gear with a back protector like bloodline mentions, you probably don't need the backrest. Wife says it is comfortable for.

I have pelican's on my ST, so IMO the setup works well with the Givi.

Her is what it looks like (It took the pictures in the parking garage at my work):

 

[Rasher]

My wife rarely leans on it. It's far enough back that when she does, I have to check the mirrors to see if she is still on the bike.

Have opposite problem with trax Top Box, it sits a bit tooclose for us, gonna get it modded to sit about 40-50mm further back.

Also will only hold one lid

 

[tubebender]

Have opposite problem with trax Top Box, it sits a bit tooclose for us, gonna get it modded to sit about 40-50mm further back.

Had the same problem with the "matching" rear rack. Drilled some new holes in my Altrider rack and all is good.

 

[viewdvb]

I have used the GIVI 45L top box on my three last bikes (takes two helmets - anything else is hardly worth having). I have had to move it back some on every one to give my wife (only 120lb) plenty of wriggle room. I don't recommend the GIVI backrests as they are hard plastic and can give the kidneys a bit of a pounding. We made (well, she made - what do I know about sewing?) a foam pad and covered it in black seating material. Easy enough to fit.

 

[creggur]

I have the Givi E55 Maxia Tech on mine. Holds two full-faced helmets plus gloves, etc. no problem. Wife prefers the box without the backrest pad (her jacket has a back protector).

 

[creggur]

Tried to ad pics to my last post but Tapatalk keeps crashing so hope this works.

 

[MrTwisty]

The topbox is just too convenient. I only put the sidecases on when the wife and I are going away for a weekend. Othwise, it's topbox only for me.

 

[TRUBRIT]

Yamaha top box and a Gel pad for her pad. Air hawk for her seat. Her Helmet goes in the box when we stop. Mine goes on the mirror secured round the bars with bike lock.

 

[Rasher]

Yamaha top box and a Gel pad for her pad. Air hawk for her seat. Her Helmet goes in the box when we stop. Mine goes on the mirror secured round the bars with bike lock.

We use Pacsafe retractasafes for locking lids / tankbags to the bike when we stop, these would not stop a determined thief, but for a quick stop at a tourist attraction or lunch at a service station they are perfect, although I always notice when touring in Europe most locals just leave their lids unsecured on the mirror so if someone wants to steal a lid they have plenty of easy options!

Took off SW- Motech rack yesterday and dropped it off with an engineer I know, a quick measure showed we should be able to machine out where the base plate fits and relocate Duz Fasteners to move the box back about 50mm (2 inches for you 'Mericans) which should be about perfect to give us some extra room and still eave it far enough forward for the Mrs to lean on if she wants to.

 

[Captain]

Mine is Givi Maxia 3 (55 ltrs) with Givi backrest and Givi base plate. Due to size of backrest, about 2-3 inches of aft part back seat is "lost". But my wife doesn't care. She push forward as she knows I have the whole tank for myself only... I'm thinking to put sort of plate which will bring present (original) base plate few inches backward. ::022::

 

[switch]

Greetings,
I am trying to decide on a backrest or a top box with a back cushion for the wife. My bike came with a corbin seat on the front with a stock back seat (no problems closing the seat). I like the idea of a backrest and use a duffle on longer trips. If I get a topbox, it needs to be big enough for 2 helmets and look good. I have Yamaha side bags. Any recommendations will help.
Thanks!

My wife prefers the topbox instead of a backrest because it gives her support higher on her back, giving her the comfort of not being able to do a backflip off the back of the motorcycle.

She's afraid of that for some reason, but whatever makes her feel better, I'm ok with.

 

[creggur]

She's afraid of that for some reason, but whatever makes her feel better, I'm ok with.

Amazingly similar to my situation.

 

[AlsoRan]

My wife prefers the topbox instead of a backrest because it gives her support higher on her back, giving her the comfort of not being able to do a backflip off the back of the motorcycle.

She's afraid of that for some reason, but whatever makes her feel better, I'm ok with.

At first I did not have the top box and no problem with the wife, but now that we have it with a back pad she prefers to go with it because it makes her feel more secure. Also she thinks the panniers are like "fenders" and more added security. She knows their aluminum and will likely fold up in a wreck but it's a perception thing.

 

[Boondocker]

This is going to be interesting because I just bought a seat with a backrest. First, I have to give credit to my wife for going on more and more rides. She too does not like the feeling of nothing behind her. I probably wouldn't either if I wasn't holding on to the handle bars. I have an old Givi top box, maybe an E46, with a back pad. It's not much of a pad, hard enough that over a few big bumps she got kicked in the back hard enough to to get bruised. We have a good signal system for bumps, but you get surprised sometimes.

Our last weekender trip was for tent camping. So instead of the top box, I used a Giant Loop Coyote (too small) along with small duffel bags and rolled up tent, pad, and sleeping bag. This was like a stuffed lounge chair. Softer and with the wrap-around effect, more secure feeling.

Now I'm getting this rear seat

I expect that I can pack camping gear (soft luggage) around it, but I doubt that the top box will fit or at least the lid won't open. Is that why Electra Glide top boxes are side-hinged? The box pops off in an instant. While it loses some convenience to not be able to open the lid, it's not a huge hassle. The back rest is removable...unless she says otherwise. If you get the impression that I'm spending a lot of effort for passenger comfort, you're right. She's worth it :-*

 

[RENOVATOR20]

Greetings,

I haven't made a decision on the trunk. I want to look at the Givi V46NT and the Givi E55NT at the Cycle Show in Dallas next week (Nov 9-11). Both would work. We will probably go on Sunday. The Super Ten is a great bike. Thanks to everyone who has replied to this post!

Sincerely,
Randy