Convince me to go fazer! (luggage q)

[gethyn]

Hi to all members.
I've just joined. The reason being I'm convincing myself to buy a fzs600. Having read reviews and having spoken to fazer riders I'm pretty convinced it's the bike for me (or us i should say as me and the missus are splitting the cost).


We live in Barcelona and are surrounded by beautiful places in Barcelona but I work six days and it's really hard to get anywhere on the weekends. The only affordable solution is for me to get back on a bike.  Anyway I've always liked the fazer, people say it's ugly but not to me.


So this is what's holding me back. We want to ride with our kit in panniers (preferably soft). There are very few second hand bikes around with the full 3 pannier set up so I'm wondering if there are 3 case solutions for the fzs600.


I've done a bit of unfruitful googling and now I've decided to set the question to the experts. So, all answers gratefully received.


Cheers

[clayt74]

Yes yes and yes!
Full givi racks are available but expensive.
The fazer only looks ugly with the rack and NO PANIERS, otherwise its a beautiful bike!!!
And great to ride!
Go for it!!!

[Rebuilt]

I had the old FZS and stuck soft panniers on iy at one point ... that looked good and rode well with the luggage .... so in theory although i like the old models .... of bike that is ...!

I say they can only get better as you go on ... Go for it you wont be disappointed 
 

[gethyn]

Looking around it seems there are a few 2nd hand racks to suit the fzs600 but people aren't selling full kits. If I buy givi how does it work in terms of compatibility? Do all give boxes fit all givi racks? Their website is shite. Please help!

[taylor]

great bikes you wont be dissapointed, that,s a  very welsh name you have there.

[ernst]

hi,if you have not bought a bike yet have a look at the xj900 diversion,thet are often for sale with luggage,superb touring bike very comfy,i own one and have owned an fzs600 my son now has it ,but two up the xj is far better,your very lucky to live in spain i drove a truck for ten years doing many trips to spain,i will be going on my bike in the next year or so cant wait,good luck in finding the right bike

[bozboz]

Looking around it seems there are a few 2nd hand racks to suit the fzs600 but people aren't selling full kits. If I buy givi how does it work in terms of compatibility? Do all give boxes fit all givi racks? Their website is shite. Please help!

I dont think so. Monokey fits monokey plate, monolock fits monolock plate and think theres panniers called PLX which have pannier racks that bend intowards the bike so look nice without panniers fitted also.
Other makes you might want to consider are Krauser (£500+) or SW Motech (which I think use adapter plates to match any givi/krauser box?)
Ive used soft luggae on mine on a weekend break to the west country with the missus on the back and had no probs, I did put the later foxeye(02-03) rear pegs on my boxeye(99) bike as foxeye pegs are a little further down bit more comfy for her on long runs (something to consider).

[kebab19]

I had the givi wingrack with 3 cases fitted, but parted with the setup fairly soon afterwards.
If you have a 98/99 bike you will need to buy later 2000 onwards rear footrest hangers for the wingrack to attach.
One reason I sold it onwards was that the other half couldnt get on the bike with them fitted - sounds hilarious but it's something to bear in mind if she's small. And that was with Givi e21 litre side cases.
The other reason - if you get the 3 pannier Givi case setup your other half will need very small feet - the edges of the side cases are practically over the top of the rear footrests, leaving minimal space for feet.

Pictures of my old setup linked in the last post on this other thread:
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,5353.msg46770.html#msg46770

Instead I would go for a rear monorack Givi Hard Case setup, so you could use it to lock away essentials. Then you could add soft panniers under the rear seat & a tankbag to carry more gear

[Fuzzy]

I have a Givi Wingrack 2 with a 52ltr topbox and 2x 36ltr panniers. Have had a better experience with them than Kebab though as he said there isn't a lot of room for the pillion's feet. Having said that, no trouble getting on or off and and I'm glad to have it and won't be selling it until I sell my bike. We've done several long rides and it didn't cause any issues. Perhaps there is a smidge more room with a Wingrack 2 compared to the 1 (which I think Kebab had?).

Don't know, but if you want a 3 case hard luggage option, the Givi system is probably the easiest to get hold of. Wingracks are easy to come by although you will need a FZS600 specific fitting kit which is not as easy to find. Kappa make identical kits so you can expand your search for them too.

The Givi system is probably the best for the FZS600 although if you are doing regular trips 2-up there are probably other bikes that lend themselves to the job more easily and ultimately do the job better.

If you go with a FZS600, the easiest solution is probably a large topbox, tankbag and soft panniers.

[ruffers]

hi,if you have not bought a bike yet have a look at the xj900 diversion,thet are often for sale with luggage,superb touring bike very comfy,i own one and have owned an fzs600 my son now has it ,but two up the xj is far better,your very lucky to live in spain i drove a truck for ten years doing many trips to spain,i will be going on my bike in the next year or so cant wait,good luck in finding the right bike

This is a good shout - I did 400 miles a week commuting on one for three years - top bike. Not a fazer but might be better for what you want, lots with full hard luggage around.

[gethyn]

thank you very much to all who replied. I'm giving it a good think and going to have a chat with the lady to try to work something affordable. I had already considered a divi 900 but after reading reviews i was more 'into' the fazer.

thanks again

[Slaninar]

A forum member Motorbreath is from Spain I believe.

Here's a tested, working, cheap and reliable hard/soft luggage combo solution:

[packie]

I run with the same combo as "Slaninar". I use the Givi 340F top rack too, but my box of choice is their biggest...the E55 Maxima which holds 55ltrs...or the kitchen sink!!


This combo is more than enough for your Sunday day trips. The box and bike is stable up to 120mph which is as far as I managed so far. To save space, just buy a good wire lock to tie your helmets onto the bike and put your coats and stuff into the box.


You can buy a set of soft panniers, but using these or hard luggage is a bit annoying for day spins especially for the passenger getting on and off the bike. I only use my full luggage on my Bandit for full touring on holidays. If i'm stuck for a little extra space, I'd rather use my tank bag.

[JZS 600]

I had an XJ900, it was great in a straight line! Lots of room, big, comfy seat, real cruising bike.


FZS 600 def. more fun and I've got soft panniers and a tank bag if I want to go somewhere for a couple of days.

[gethyn]

thanks to you all for all the info you've supplied me with. you've given me a lot to think about. I've decided to go for the fzs600 cos i've read so many good things about them (and they is cheap!).

i've seen a nice one for a grand over here in spain. seems good. the only thing is that the guy has run an after market exhaust upwards a la hornet, which kind of messes things up for the luggage.  however having seen packie's huuuuuge top box i've begun to think that we could fit it all in between one of those and a big tank bag and maybe even be more comfy. we generally travel very light so it might be possible. if not i'll get a standard fazer with tp box, soft panniers and small tank bag.

again thanks for all the info, it's been a great help to me.