New Bike, New Accessories

It has been a while since my last post on either the 2013 Suzuki SFV650 or the 1981 Suzuki GS650L. I was going to post on the coolant and brake fluid flush on the SFV650 and the ongoing tear down of the  GS650L engine, but none of that sounds very glamorous at this point when you have traded in the SFV650 for a 2016 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Touring bike.

You can tell from my previous posts that this really wasn’t the plan. I had just put new tires, added a Givi top case, and another windscreen on the SFV650…

I had mentioned to a co-worker earlier in the year that I was interested in the new Ducati Multistrada 950 that was just coming out, but that I wouldn’t do anything until the fall at the earliest. He then stops by my desk a few weeks ago to let me know that the Ducati dealer in NH is have a demo ride weekend from Friday thru Sunday. I called them first thing Saturday morning to see if I could sign up to ride the 950 on Sunday so that I wouldn’t drive all the way there and then not be able to ride the bike. I didn’t get through to them until 4 PM on Saturday and was able to sign -up to ride the 950. They then indicated that the 1200 was available to ride in the next hour if I wanted. Why not?

I did ride both and liked both right from the start. The kicker was that they were offering this 2016 1200 with the factory installed touring package (heated grips, center stand, and 58L side panniers) for the same price as the 2017 950 with no packages included. It was impossible to say no to the 2016 1200.

Going in to this, I would have picked the Urban package which was the 48L top case, a tank bag, and USB port since I need the larger top case to carry my laptop and other commuting supplies. The Ducati panniers and top case are Ducati badged Givi units (both Italian companies). I decided to move my recently installed Givi top case to the new bike and have a complete touring/commuting setup. The next step was to find an adapter to mount the case that was not the $750 Ducati option that came with their top case.

I had just used SW-Motech for the Suzuki SFV650 adapter plate and Givi also had an option, but they had not updated the brackets for the 2015-2017 grab handles. The adapter that worked out was the Dynamic Motorcycle Accessories Long Luggage Top Case Mount that included mounting hardware for the Givi Monokey top cases. It was a very simple installation and very clean install for the top case. The Dynamic Accessories also has an optional backrest. The backrest can’t be used at the same time as the top case being mounted, but will provide additional options for passenger comfort.

It is basically a set of 4 machined plastic blocks that are shaped to fit the grab handles that attach the mounting plate to the bike.

The bike did come with an additional lock tumbler to match the two pannier locks and the seat lock. I was hoping that the tumblers would be interchangeable since both are made by Givi. In the Givi top case you access the lock tumbler by removing two Phillips head screws from the inside of the case and then the full lock mechanism comes off of the top case and the lock cylinder can be easily removed. Unfortunately the Ducati lock cylinder was longer and a bit wider than the Givi version and could not be swapped. Not a big deal that the lock could not be swapped out. The Ducati has a remote key FOB, so no need to have a bunch of keys dangling around as you are riding. everything is tucked away in a pocket.

Although the keys are very similar in dimension.

All in all, very satisfied with the new bike. Hoping for plenty of good riding weather to come.

SFV650 Powerbronze Windscreen

Three years ago I installed a Givi A172 windscreen to the 2013 Suzuki SFV650. It deflected a little bit of air, but was more cosmetic than functional. I have continued to look at options for more wind protection and decided to try the windscreen from Powerbronze called the Light Screen.

The two products have very different mounting techniques. The Givi uses the two existing bolts that hold the instrument cluster. These are in a very tight spot and make it a pain to add or remove the screen quickly. The Powerbronze adds brackets that utilizing the existing bolts at the top of each fork leg and the side of the headlight. The screen can then be added or removed easily while keeping the brackets in place. The Powerbronze also offers some vertical adjustability to the position  of the screen.

Powerbronze mounting bracket attached to the top of the fork leg and the side of the headlight:

The screen than has some rubber grommets and metal spacers added to the screen before it is bolted to the brackets.

And bolted to the brackets which is not easiest to see since the screen selected is Light Tint. It is shown in the lowest position. After a couple of rides I did end up sliding it to the higher position.

Here are some comparison shots of the two windscreens.

Overall, the Powerbronze windscreen does a better job of deflecting the wind while the light tint does not make the screen stand out from the appearance of the bike.

Commuting and Passenger Upgrades

For years I have been riding back and forth to work with my backpack strapped to the seat behind me with Rok Straps. It has worked without issue, but still a hassle everyday to strap down the bag and hope that it does not coming flying off at some point during the ride, so I decided to add a Givi V46 top case to the bike to carry some essentials, such as rain gear, and also have a place to store my bag while commuting or a place to store helmets and jackets while at a stop. This is what it looked like with my back pack strapped to the rear of the seat.

To mount the top case to the bike I replaced the existing passenger grab rails with a rack from SW-Motech. I preferred this rack over the Givi option since it maintained a similar setup for the passenger grab rails. The next photo shows the grab rails that were removed and the new parts from SW-Motech.

The new rails mount using the existing grab rail bolts and rubber bumpers.

Since this rack is not specific to the Givi cases, an adapter plate needs to be installed for the particular brand of case that you are using. It mounts simply enough with three cam locks.

The adapter plate came with two sizes of rubber bumpers to fit between the mounting plate and the case. The directions suggest fitting the thinner bumpers first and then if the case is rattling to replace with the thicker bumpers. The thinner bumpers worked fine for me.

The Monokey case is very easy to mount to the plate and locks in securely.

An accessory back rest is also available. I installed this too which requires drilling two mounting hols in the new case, but very straightforward with the provided template.

I debated back an forth on the size of the case, but I don’t think that I could have gone any smaller than this one. The Monokey cases have a carrying capacity of 22 lbs. My back pack fits in the case perfectly and with the current load of laptop, tablet, phone, 11″x17″ plan set, and other miscellaneous items weighed in at 15 lbs.

In the end, it looks good to me on the bike, will hold my essentials, and didn’t fall off in the first test ride, so I think this is going to work out much better than the Rok Straps for consistent carrying of items on the bike.

Change of Pace

Still working on cleaning and rebuilding the four carburetors from the 1981 Suzuki GS650, but this morning I finally installed the GIVI A172 windscreen that I received for Xmas on the 2013 Suzuki SFV650.

The instructions that came with the windscreen were fairly useless, just a picture of what to do and not much more than that. The washer locations were pretty clear…

Only two 5mm Allen head bolts that hold the instrument cluster and cable guides on each side of the the fork had to be removed and then replaced with longer 8mm hex head bolts to mount the arms for the windscreen. Each side was done individually so that the instrument cluster would stay in its proper place during the installation. 5mm Allen head bolt location (Sorry about the pollen. Can’t wash it every day):

Tight squeeze there with cables, frame, and fork, but not too bad.

I then bolted the windscreen to the bracket. As the windscreen was tightened to the bracket, the brackets found their desired position and the windscreen pretty much centered itself on the bike. I then tightened down the 8mm hex head bolts to finish it off.

Before and After shots:

First ride did feel like the airflow was a bit smoother, but it will take some more rides with different situations to see if it really makes a difference.