Kappa K48N

No sooner had I got the insurance rebate from selling Red Pepé than I had spent it again on a new top box for Suzi.

The current Givi E45 was bought back in the mists of the early 1990's and was part of a two top box and two pannier set that Audrey and I bought between us and they were used on the pair of XJ900's we ran at the time.

When she went to Spain to live and work on her 1989 XJ she took one of the E45 boxes and both the smaller sized panniers. The panniers may have been 30 or 35 litre. 

Or rather she flew and I rode the bike down there in the February half term. I got the Motorail from Paris to Narbonne and rode down. Spain? It's always warm and sunny. Right?  No. The section between Le Perthus and south of Barcelona had snow on the sides of the autoroute and it was freezing! I was barely thawed out when I got to Benidorm and I stayed the night there.

I kept one of the boxes for my 1991 XJ900F.  It was used on Suzi (long before she had a name!) as well, and was fitted when I went to the Wasserbüffel Treffen in 1999.

The Givi E45 on Suzi at Montlhéry in 2001

Since then it was been used on a few bikes including the TDM 850, Bandit and BMW's I had between 2000 and 2013. It then went on Suzi until she was left unused at the back of the garage. 

In keeping with Suzi's new life, a new top box is on order.  The Kappa K48N.

Why Kappa?  It's a budget range and made by the same company ast Givi. In my estimate it is just as good quality as Givi. but cheaper to buy. I had one of their boxes (and should have kept it!!) on the Explorer. It was superb. Took two helmets and when I let the bike go , I left it on. Fool.

Kappa  KGR52 on the Explorer

As it  is the K48N is a Monokey fitment so it should slide straight onto the plate that is fitted to Suzi and the Rickman rack that has been there for so long. The Rickman rack went on after I came back from the year in Czech.  How I wish I had had it then!

Anyway. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Luggage?

Low priority at the moment.

Given that a newly rebuilt Kettle will eventually become "Old Paul's" main bike at some stage in the future, I might need luggage.

I still have the Swagman panniers I used in the 90's. They have done sterling service over the years. I bought them before a holiday trip in the late 80's and they went with me to Czech in 1992. 

Here they are in 2001 carrying our stuff for the weekend to Ostend for the St Nick's Rally.

In the garage is also a set of Craven Comet panniers. They used to be fitted to my GS1000G back in 1981. 

These have QD fittings so that they could be removed when not needed. It's a bit cumbersome and used dzus  fasteners and a lock to secure them.

Craven are being made again for classic bikes and even for modern Triumph twins. Maybe I might move in that direction. 

Whether the "new" Craven makers could make a rack and mount for a GT? And maybe replicate the pannier rail and QD plate? Is a question for them!

Of course the current Rickman rack accommodates the adapter plate and Givi E45 topbox.

Above it was paired with the Swagman panniers on the trip to Austria/Italy/Slovenia in 1999.