Hard vs soft luggages for long trips

[marcomagica]

I also use a very similar rack (might have even been the same taobao vendor), but it is only a rear rack, no side supports. Those side supports look useful for soft luggage (I opted for hard luggage on the 250, with a different mounting scheme).

Hi Lao,
very possible, the same vendor has also have these
Didn't know you had a YBR250 too, how did you fix your hard luggage to the bike? Care to share some pictures of your configuration?

[bikerdoc]

I have several ADLO topboxes, all are model 981's with the quick release mechanism. I have 3 simply because I have 3 motorcycles, and rather than just buying one, I got three so I needn't worry about swapping the box between bikes. I have used ADLO for 5 years, and have been way more than happy, and have commented about the quality and robust construction of the boxes used. On my first JinJian Startrek scooter, there was a standard plastic topbox that cracked several times, on the rides I used to do frequently between Ningbo-SH-Ningbo. Keep in mind that these rides would take me around 7-8hrs one way and I often would do the return in the same 24hr period. If the standard topbox wasn't much cop, and after these type of long rides, I experienced trouble with the standard topbox that were supplied by the manufacturer. I had the topbox replaced a couple of times, under warranty and a later I bought the last one from the dealer, while I tried to find something more robust.

Fortunately I found my first ADLO 981 up in SH at a scooter shop that did lots of upgrades with after market gear imported from outside the mainland. I showed them the problem I was having with the standard box which was being shaken apart, and they sold me on the ADLO, with its better plastic and quick release mounting system. It helped that it was well under a couple hundred kuai.

That box lasted me a good 3 years. I installed that box onto the scooter and then later bought a second base plate which I fitted to my Dragstar Classic 1100 here in China and then swapped the same topbox over to it. The box did fall off one time, but that was nothing to do with the topbox, the base plate nor the locking mechanism. It was because I'd installed the baseplate onto the rear rack on my Dragstar 1100 with a wooden base I'd sandwiched in between the chrome rack and the steel plate. After some rough riding the wood split and the topbox still attached to the base plate came off one night and bounced down a local road. I turned round & went back to find a local and his female companion trying to bungy the box to their bike. I stopped and said I will have that back thank you very much -it's mine. No protest. When I got home to see why it had come off, I found it was my fault. But more importantly, amazingly the box was in one piece, just a little road rash but only just. I simply reinstalled it back to my Dragstar minus the wood base insert and rode 2 more years, until it came off on a week long ride me and some mates did round Zhejiang & Fujian. I was riding a crap goat track when to topbox came off. I stopped and found that the locking mechanism had finally decided that it'd had enough of all the crap road surfaces I'd ridden for the past several years.

The lock doubles as both the box lock and the lock for the release mechanism. I usually used a bungy or two over the box stretched front to back, just to quieten the vibration noise that the box would make on the rough roads/tracks, since the 4 rubber stoppers designed for just such a purpose never could do the job, that day I'd opted not to attach the bungy's. If I'd had those bungys on that day, the box would have stayed on.
It didn't turn me off the ADLO's at all, I went and bought 3 new sets of the 981's which hold a fair amount e.g. a full face hemet. The boxes are light enough, and I've carried up to 20kg in them on trips. They are meant to hold about 10-15kg max from what I recall. I always use bungy's on all of them, but since replacing my first one, the locking mechanism has been redesigned, as has the base plate. My original base plate didn't fit with new boxes.

Oh, and I get them from a Hangzhou motorcycle market seller, and they were cny160 delivered to my door direct from ADLO in Guangdong. Beats buying a GIVI for 5-10 x the price IMO.

[Lao Jia Hou]

Hi Lao,
very possible, the same vendor has also have these
Didn't know you had a YBR250 too, how did you fix your hard luggage to the bike? Care to share some pictures of your configuration?

Hi Marco - yes, I think that 185 rmb is the one I purchased for the 250. I was a bit skeptical, at first, but when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Strong and fit perfectly. Not sure how the finish will last, but powder coating in China is inexpensive, should I ever need it.

I haven't yet fit the luggage, as I am still waffling on which option will work best on the 250. I am kinda tilting towards the pelican-style knockoffs, but also really like the slim Tourfellas that Motokai now has on his JH600. Either way, I will have the mounting rack custom built (a disadvantage of hard luggage, each with its own unique mounting scheme).

I picked up a 250 because I really like the 125 (certainly a contender in my top 10 favorite bikes, of all time), and the 250 seems better fitted to the stream of overseas friends (of larger body types) who visit for rides.

[marcomagica]

Hi Fred,

I'm back with some pictures as promised. Here is "she" before finishing to install the HID light (you may notice the plastic bag containing the front light as yesterday I left the work half done)



And here at work completion



I can't report yet on the windshield air deflection, hopefully I'll have a sunny day tomorrow for some riding. All I can say is that I mounted very "vertical" hoping it will not deflect air on my helmet. It's very small though, so I don't know how much it can do.

Next step is to find some "tourfella style" hard bags for the sides, which I plan to fix to the lateral rack with some bolts. The only problem is the huge exhaust, which leaves little margin for bags on the right side as you can see here

[ChinaV]

Next step is to find some "tourfella style" hard bags for the sides, which I plan to fix to the lateral rack with some bolts.

Marco, you might want to re-think the idea of adding hard cases to those racks. They are designed to keep soft luggage from getting caught up in the wheel, not for attaching cases. If you do attach cases and add a little weight to them, they will sway from side to side as there is no support other than the 2 welds at the top. Hitting a few bumps at speed could be a real disaster.

Have a look a the racks on my V-Strom, this is a very common 4 point design that many bag manufacturers use.



Not trying to tell you what to do, but please be cautious.

Cheers!
ChinaV

[Fred]

Once again, thanks a lot Marco and others, we have now a good thread going for the luggages.

I'm convinced about the support for the YBR 250 and the trunk. Now 'm waiting for Marco's opinion about the "Givi" windshield, especially if there are some turbulence on the helmet at "cruising speed" (80 to 120 km/h).
About the saddle bags, I know I'll take soft ones, but which ones I do not know yet... Many possibilities in China or in France, but may requirements to fit too, in terms of reliability, volume, clearance with the exhaust, comfort for the pillion's butt, comfort for the pillion's foot rests, etc. .

[marcomagica]

I'm convinced about the support for the YBR 250 and the trunk.

Hi Fred,
You will not regret, quality of support is good (take care of possible EMS damage upon receival of the package), and the ADLO trunk is also good, although I will most defintiely bolt it to the support as suggested from ChinaV and Lao Jia Hou, the look of the fast release system does not inspire me confidence. Consider the model I bought it's the biggest, you may want to consider smaller models by ADLO too.

Now 'm waiting for Marco's opinion about the "Givi" windshield, especially if there are some turbulence on the helmet at "cruising speed" (80 to 120 km/h).

About the "GIVI" windshield I've tried yesterday for a 50 Km ride, the wind deflection doesn't cover the helmet area, but I've the feeling the lower chest is protected. I don't feel any increased turbolence on the helmet.
You have to consider it's fairly small. I'm 2 meters high, but I've tried to bend a little to no shielding effect in the helmet area.

From the shape of it, and the fact that on the YBR you have little choice but to mount it very vertical it should deflect the air more on the two sides than upwards, which makes sense with my sensation of not increased turbolence on the helmet. However the wind "shielding" is negligible if you ask me.

Anyhow I'm happy with it, more for the look then for the air deflection, as it's only 50 quai.