Welcome to another part of our Givi FAQ series. In this part I’ll be covering as much as I can about the Givi Racks and Mountings and the frequently asked questions that come up with them. Givi have many different luggage hauling options that include top boxes, panniers, tank bags, rucksacks and more. Some of these are soft shell products that can be fitted using straps provided with the product and other are hard shell products that need racking, arms and plates to be mounted to. The hard shell products with the different kinds of racking, arms, plates and fittings tend to be what confuse people the most. And it’s understandable, there’s a lot there and can be a bit overwhelming when all you want is an easy solution to your luggage situation. So hopefully this FAQ will help you get some answers.
Q- How do I know what kind of rack I need for my bike?
A- All you need to know what kind of rack you need for your bike is two bits of information. The first is simple- Are you after a top box or panniers? Depending on the answer- you would look for either a top box rack or pannier racks. But be careful and pay attention to item descriptions- some pannier racks require the top box racking or arms as well in order to be fitted to. The second bit of information you need is the make, model and year of your bike. So if you have a Kawasaki ZZR1200 that was made from 2002 to 2005, you could search for that and would get the Givi Monokey Pannier Rack PL441 popping up. But! You would need the top box arms for the same bike to mount the pannier racks to. Specifically the 441FZ Top box rack/arms.
Q- What is the difference between Monolock and Monokey?
A- There are two main differences between Monolock and Monokey. The first is their use- Monokey is better used for light applications such as on scooters or on smaller bikes that don’t reach such high speeds. And Monokey is a more heavy duty case type as they’re made with sturdier materials, have better mounts and are over all constructed better, so they’re better suited to bigger bikes. The second difference is in how they’re opened and fitted to the plates. The Monokey cases use a patented locking system that only needs one key to open the case and take the case off the racking. Monokey and Monolock cases use different attachments to fit to their top plates. Monokey cases are interchangeable and can be used as top or side cases. Monolock cases are designed to be only used top cases. Monolock cases come with their own universal mounting plate which is not interchangeable with the Monokey mounts.
Q- How do I know what tank lock fitting I need?
A- The Tank lock fitting and flanges are a bit easier to figure out than you think- don’t worry. Just like shopping for racking- you just need the make and model of your bike and you can use Google to look the answer up. For example, if I’m looking for a tanklock fitting for a Honda CB600F made in 2011 to 2013, I would need the BF03 model of tanklock fitting.
Q- What do I do if I can’t find my model of motorcycle?
A- It is possible that Givi may not make or has discontinued the fitting kit for your motorcycle. If you own a new model of motocycle- Givi may still be in the process of designing a kit for it. In which case it’s best to give Givi a call- it’s worth an ask.
Q- How easy is it to fit a Givi fitting kit?
A- I’ve never fitted one myself but I have measured up parts against a bike while looking at the included instructions- and it all seems pretty straightforward. The shapes and locations of where bolts and such is quite intuitive anyway and I was able to figure it out more or less just by looking at it. But the instructions are detailed with diagrams of where everything should go and a list of all the bits that should be included.
Q- Do you have the fitting kits in stock?
A- We stock some but we certainly don’t stock a whole lot of it. It’s best to look at our website and the Givi Products section- see if you can find it on there and check it says “in stock” above where you would click to add to basket. If you don’t see what you need on there- it may be worth ringing us to see if we can get it in or have any on order.
Q- Can you help if i have trouble fitting my Givi fitting kit?
A- We can certainly help you figure out instructions if you’re finding them confusing but we can’t literally fit it to your bike. Especially if it’s not been paid for yet. But we can open them up, make sure you’ve got all the bits, go out with you to your bike and tell you how we think it fits. However- A common mistake when people fit the kits is that they tighten the nuts too much before having all parts in place. The way to do it is- have all the parts in place with the nuts fastened loosely on all the bolts and then gradually tighten them all up bit by bit. This is to ensure that when everything is tightened up fully- the fitting/racking you are using is under just bit of tension which gives it rigidity and sturdiness.
I have a monkey rack and plate on a 2010 k9 650 bandit, recently the Allen bolts that fit the rack to the brackets on the rear of the rack worked loose, I have lost one. Do you stock replacement Allen bolts?
Hi, Helen, thanks for your question
I’m afraid we don’t do replacement bolts here but if you know the size of the bolt you need you can try ordering them from places like Halfords or ToolStation. Typically Givi will either use an M5 or an M6 bolt, which more or less just means they’re either 5mm or 6mm thick. If you don’t know the bolt size you can use a ruler to find out and then ring up or have a search on their sites. Alternatively- take the other bolt with you to show to a local hardware store and see if they can help you out!