Some clothes and a macbook is all I need to carry with me on my daily commute. And still I ran into issues with the stock solution Energica provides for their SS9 and Ribelle models. All you can get are these Givi WL900 like cases made from a fabric that is (hydro?) formed into a shell. Nicely designed and shaped to match your bike. Even with colour options to pick for the nameplate to match your bike. Downside I ran into is that a macbook doesn’t fit.
That is why I originally made some cases myself onto this mounting hardware from Energica. For that I used Peli case like suitcases that would just fit a Macbook. They were small and light and solidly mounted with some 3D printed brackets. You can find footage of these in some of my video’s if you’re interested. 3D printed parts were also shared here and on thingiverse.
On higher speeds I could see them bounce a lot in my mirrors but that also happens with the original ones from Givi so I didn’t bother looking into that. I’m not sure if it is the complete rack that moves or the sides of the cases that isn’t rigid enough. They also didn’t have the best opening lid setup for motorcycles often resulting in me dropping some of the content on the floor. Peli has their 1430 case that is top opening if you really want to stick with a custom solution.
Besides the new offerings from Energica, in the form of a complete new platform called Experia, the only solution I’ve seen so far that you can (or could) buy and bolt on is from electricmotorcycles.nl and looks like an official Givi rack that has been adapted to fit any SS9.
If you go check that website you’ll notice on top of the page that this product is no longer available though. Luckily I found someone on reddit selling his set because he moved on from an SS9 to a Ribelle. I was fast enough to get it and some days later found a box on my doorstep with everything needed to mount these on my own SS9.
The first thing that stood out to me is the massive difference in mounting hardware dimensions. The diameter of the steel bars used to create this rack is at least double that of the original Energica system. Mounting points are similar in that it uses some adapter plates where the license plate holder mounts underneath the saddle. And then instead of adapting the passenger foot pegs it bolts into these footpegs directly.
When you install this you’ll have to pay attention that you move the complete license plate assembly backwards so that the indicators and the license plate itself clear the cross bar at the back of the rack. Underneath the saddle there is another cross bar connecting the two side racks with each other.
Optionally you can also install another top plate so that you can mount a top box. I have no need for a top case but I can imagine this makes a huge difference for those who want to travel or store a full face helmet without having to get even wider side cases. Plus it clears the seat for charging.
Because this system comes with the monokey cam side hardware you’re limited to the Givi Trekker Outback cases. There are simply 2 colours (silver and black) and 2 sizes to choose from. I picked the silver ones in the smallest size. I say small but they are by no means small. There are ways to adapt to other systems but for now I just went with what fits. We’ll see how that works out.
When unboxing those cases I immediately noticed they are surprisingly light. Despite looking very rugged and oversized for my needs. At least I can easily remove these when I’m not using them. Price wise they were just above 600 EUR without the mounting hardware. For that I paid 500 EUR second hand, not sure what it costs new. The original ones from Energica were around 600 EUR for a full set, that is 2 bags and mounting hardware.
Other cases I had in the past are BMW vario cases for my GS. Those are also around 600 to 700 EUR for a set. These don’t require any mounting hardware since BMW has this very cleaver built in system. More comparable in dimensions, look and feel are the aluminium cases you can get for the GS. These are more like 800 to 900 EUR per case though. But then you have a BMW logo embossed instead of a Givi logo :D.