Ballabio Grand Tourer

[WitchCityBallabio]

Well...

 

Here is the final product. I already owned my Givi cases from a previous bike, and liked them so much I decided to keep them. I ordered the Hepco & Becker rack in the hopes that I would be able to retrofit my bags to the rack.

 

As you can see, it was successful and actually quite an easy retrofit. On the upside, I didn't even have to relocate the directionals, as the Givi's don't mount inside the rack, but rather against it.

 

I ordered the mounting hardware from Givi (about 100 bucks, including the assembly for the trunk) and they bolted directly to the H&B rack with just a very minor plate for the top latch.

 

If anyone has Givi bags, or is thinking of trying to mount Givi's, I would say (from my experience anyway) that it was a relatively easy retrofit, accomplished in about 2-3 hours.

[richard100t]

Very well done :!: I have to say this is the first V11 that I have ever seen with a passenger backrest.

[WitchCityBallabio]

Well, my wife rides quite a bit with me, and we are going to Nova Scotia for a one week bike/camp (or as someone on Sport-Touring.net called it...Motocamping ) and will probably end up doing a couple of thousand miles, and after trying it out, find that it not only is more comfortable for her, but for me as well, as it makes for more seat space, as she can lean back instead of hunching forward. Because of that, it also relaxes the angle her legs have on those pegs as well. We'll see how it all works out for the trip though.

[Tom M]

Nice job! That looks like the perfect setup for your moto-camping trip. Please post a few here when you get back from Nova Scotia.

[kanoa]

Well, my wife rides quite a bit with me, and we are going to Nova Scotia for a one week bike/camp (or as someone on Sport-Touring.net called it...Motocamping ) and will probably end up doing a couple of thousand miles, and after trying it out, find that it not only is more comfortable for her, but for me as well, as it makes for more seat space, as she can lean back instead of hunching forward. Because of that, it also relaxes the angle her legs have on those pegs as well. We'll see how it all works out for the trip though.

hey, cool! when are you heading up there? a friend and i are doing NYC CapeBreton in mid-august...

[waspp]

Looks great there Doug! Hope you and the wife have a great time in NS, keep in mind the Eagle Squdron campout in Maine and the IMOC rally at Sturbridge.

 

Hal

[orangeokie]

Well...

 

Here is the final product. I already owned my Givi cases from a previous bike, and liked them so much I decided to keep them. I ordered the Hepco & Becker rack in the hopes that I would be able to retrofit my bags to the rack.

 

As you can see, it was successful and actually quite an easy retrofit. On the upside, I didn't even have to relocate the directionals, as the Givi's don't mount inside the rack, but rather against it.

 

I ordered the mounting hardware from Givi (about 100 bucks, including the assembly for the trunk) and they bolted directly to the H&B rack with just a very minor plate for the top latch.

 

If anyone has Givi bags, or is thinking of trying to mount Givi's, I would say (from my experience anyway) that it was a relatively easy retrofit, accomplished in about 2-3 hours.

 

 

That is a great looking set up, and one I may want to persue in the future. Remind us how you were able to get the MG Ti cans to lay flat, like stockers. If I remember correctly, the stock pipes are welded to the original cans and cannot be used with the Ti's, no? . . . And the Ti cans come with pipes that project the angle of the cans upward.

[WitchCityBallabio]

kanoa

hey, cool! when are you heading up there? a friend and i are doing NYC CapeBreton in mid-august...

 

We're heading up next Thursday morning. Aug. 2-9. I'm really looking forward to driving the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton.

 

waspp

Looks great there Doug! Hope you and the wife have a great time in NS, keep in mind the Eagle Squdron campout in Maine and the IMOC rally at Sturbridge.

 

Count us in!

 

orangeokie

That is a great looking set up, and one I may want to persue in the future. Remind us how you were able to get the MG Ti cans to lay flat, like stockers. If I remember correctly, the stock pipes are welded to the original cans and cannot be used with the Ti's, no? . . . And the Ti cans come with pipes that project the angle of the cans upward.

 

Correct, the originals are part of the cans. The Guzzi Ti pipes can be either mounted high or low. The exhaust cans are true slip-ons. You just position the pipe from the can to the crossover the way you want it. If you use the high mount, you change that bracket that the passenger peg sits on. It comes with kit. If you want it low, you simply bolt it up.

 

Tom M

Nice job! That looks like the perfect setup for your moto-camping trip. Please post a few here when you get back from Nova Scotia.

 

Thanks. It's the same setup we used on our previous bike for our 3 week cross country moto-camping extravanganza. I really can't say enough about the Givi's.

 

I'll take lots of pictures and attempt a nice ride report, but I'm sure compared to Orson's ride reports, it will pale in comparison.