It gets my goat the amount Ducati charge for the topcase for the 2015+ Mutley and the anti competitive relationship with Givi!! Has anyone tried the Shad solution, over £200 cheaper, but not colour Co ordinated, I can live with that! Am about to pull the trigger, but thought I’d ask the question first. Has anyone tried it?
I'm not sure what you mean by the "anti competitive relationship with Givi"? It's pretty easy to understand why the Ducati stuff has a premium - because none of it is made by Ducati. It's all made by Givi who sell it to Ducati at not much less than they charge you if you bought it from almost anywhere else. Ducati put a mark-up on it (understandably) who then sell it to the dealer, who in turn put their mark-up on it (why wouldn't they?) and so by the time it gets to you there's an extra layer of margin. You can go and buy some other Givi solution from anywhere, you don't have to buy Ducati's solution although you might have to buy the mounting kit from them, so don't know where the anticompetitive bit comes in. Also, with the Shad top box, the mounting kit looks like it uses the bikes pannier mounts, so don't know that works if you're trying to add it to a bike that already has the touring pack. I can't see how you would get a Shad top box to work with Ducati OE panniers.
Its anticompetitive in that there is no option to purchase one without the other, considering they are 2 distinct pieces of equipment that everywhere else are sold separately. The fitting instructions do not imply interference with the grab rails, as the photo does, so Ive asked them for clarification
It's not the grab rails, it's the holes where the Ducati panniers fit and lock into. The image on the shad website looks like there is a clamp which runs underneath the seat which locates into the pannier mounting holes. Although the fitting instructions you've posted don't seem to have that but I can only see the top part of the fitment. Looking at the Shad top plate - I can immediately see why it would be cheaper. It's clearly not as solid as the Ducati solution. When I did my part-ex from my DVT to the 1260S I kept my top box and all the fittings, but was interested to see if the Shad stuff worked as well before re-fitting my OE Ducati stuff - so the timing of your post is quite fortuitous for me. Suffice to say, I'm putting my OE Ducati stuff back on as it just looks to be a LOT more solid and I don't know if the Shad stuff will take the monokey barrel I already have. I think you get what you pay for and for the price difference, whilst not insignificant, would just leave me with "buyers remorse" every time I looked at the Shad installation.
I appreciate your sentiment and will await the response from SHAD. Theres another part of me that appreciates that although over £500 for the Ducati solution, 2nd hand it'll always be worth £350, so its actual cost is only £150. If SHAD doesn't work, ill end up going for the OEM solution. I have provisionally changed my order to the SH58X which extends from 42 to 58l, 42 for work, laptops, shoes and casual jacket and 58l for bringing my partner with me. Again all dependant on confirmation
That's the exact same box I was looking at, for pretty much the exact same requirements. I've just had a chat with my tamed Ducati dealer and they state that every part in the whole solution is available independently - so you can buy the mounting kit separately. However ... same issue I mentioned before, everyone adds their margin but this time to a myriad of individual components which ramps the price up massively, as opposed to having margins added to a whole top-box assembly as a whole.
At least if you could buy the mounting kit, there is choice. Im guessing that if the mounting kit was available separately, it would be £200+. I cant blame a premium brand for wanting to maintain their exclusivity, thats what its all about, its the lack of options that gets my goat! If a range of top case solutions were offered, then that would be a different story. I dont really do take it or leave it, i generally leave it, on principle ( and prohibitive cost!)
As I see it, the issue doesn't fall at Ducati's door. They have a solution which they offer and it costs what it costs. The issue actually lies with accessory manufacturers not offering an alternative solution. Givi make the boxes for most manufacturers these days and previously they used to provide fitting kits independently of Ducati - so on earlier Multistrada's you could buy a fitting kit made by Givi from any Givi reseller and not just from your main dealer. The issue now is that Givi don't sell it themselves and supply resellers - so it's down to Givi, not Ducati. Shad make a mounting kit so why not everyone else? Ducati can't be responsible for the rest of the luggage market's inability to provide alternatives, can they?
Good enough point, the Multi mustn't be a big enough seller for others to offer a solution. If the SHAD system works, I'll be happy. If it doesn't then back to the drawing board. Preparing to put children up the chimney as we speak
Well, the rails fitted like a glove and are exceptionally well engineered and solid as a rock!! I personally like the look and have already taken advantage of all 3 settings of the topbox. All In cost about £300
Hi Madasadad, This is a very convenient solution and looks really good with the OE side cases. I am in the same process as you. I got my bike with the Touring pack but didn´t want to pay the cost of Ducati´s top case. I am now between the same option you installed and the Hepco & Becker Journey 42l. Do you have any picture with the top case removed to see how the mounting plate looks like? Is possible to fit a "support" so the pillion could rest her back against the top case?
I have bought the 58X case (which was coming with the general base plate). At first I thought that the plate, not being specific for Ducati, would not be stable. Truth is that I fiddled with it more than I would've liked to get it to a point where I felt it was ok. However, it's been rock solid since. SHAD's attachment mechanism seems to me much more robust than the Givi/Kappa ones. There are no two small anchor points at the front, rather three big slots that the topbox slides into. The locking/release mechanism on the topbox is also superior I think. The only drawback I can find is that the plate is big and ugly compared to the Givi one (when no topbox is attached). But it is what it is. I'm very happy with it and I think you will be too. It's a good buy.
Well there lies the rub. As a rule, I hate top boxes on motorbikes - they are all hideous and add nothing aesthetically pleasing to any bike. The trouble is, sometimes I'm forced to use one and my only alternative is to use the car instead - and that isn't happening in central London. For the majority of the time my top box isn't going to be attached and since I've just made a big commitment to a new 1260S I don't want an eye sore bolted to the rear if I can help it. The OE kit looks like it's part of the bike and doesn't look out of place without the box installed. So thanks for the info, thats helped me make my mind made up as I'd been holding back. OE Ducati top box it is, but I guess it's not an issue if you keep the top box on the bike all the time.
I wanted a smaller top box than the OE, so I went for the Hepco and Becker flip rack with a 42 lt Journey in white, I've been very pleased with it.
That's a less imposing size. Interesting. Is the flip rack much different to the shad or the OE/Givi one?
I understand that. Not all people hate topboxes however, (I don't, although I prefer the bike without one) and it's a compromise that I have to make for a bike that its role isn't mainly the track. I do a lot of touring and I also use it for everyday rides in the city (which is a pain even if you are not riding in London) two up (meaning two helmets). I'd love to be able to do without it but I can't. Going to the topbox itself, the SH 58X is really convenient for that. While you are riding you can fold it to its smallest size and it really looks slick on the bike. Park it and you can store two helmets and a jacket on its tallest setting. It's a really good idea and nicely engineered and applied. So, glad I helped on the looks front.
Very nice picture Twin4me. That's also my preferred option. The Shad 58x is 46l in the smallest configuration. Another factor in favour of the H&B is the fact that, the vertical part of the support folds down, and it looks very discreet when the top case is not mounted. One question if you allow me. The support is specific for the MTS so it fits in the bike without any additional rack; is this assumption correct? (I mean, I do not have the Ducati luggage rack for the Ducati Top Case)
Do you know what the factory fitting kit looks like, ive just bought a 1260, and was wondering if I could use my Ducati top box with a new kit, but mountings are nothing like the previous mounting I had on my 2010 I also agree, its for occasional use, and don't want some ugly fitting left on the bike all the time
