Just had a top box fitted to the Mutley so the misses can ride as pillion in more comfort. Anyone noticed any difference to the handling when riding with a top box on the Mutley? Have been told if you ride it with the box fitted and without a pillion, you can have problems with side winds giving you handle bar shake. Anyone experienced this?
I find the top box helps a bit with the wind blast from the screen. I've always found that the bars can start shimmying at speed with or without the top box, though this is generally above about 120 and I'd obviously never do that on the public road...
big top box when on has no adverse effect on straight line stability in excess of 140,can alter the handling a bit in the fast twisties if full and heavy,but that is only to be expected.The front end feels as planted as ever though.
When braking hard from (a sat nav verified) 140mph on the Autobahn this year with just the top box fitted mine got a bit of a shimmy on at the bars. Interestingly, will full luggage it didn't do it. (I wish German road repairers wouldn't suddenly sprint across the roads!)
With just the Ducati Top Box on the bike is very stable at a 130mph cruise (on the Autobahn!) it will go to 140+ as well with no stability problems but found that 130 felt better - nice to be able to flash Audi's out of the way! HOWEVER with topbox and loaded panniers it starts to shimmy at 110+ and got uncomfortable at 120 so I backed off. Never had any side wind problems with any combination of pillions top box and panniers, the little twitch as you pass lorries sometimes on the motorways but only to be expected.
I wonder if that's a loading or distribution problem as mine was rock solid at an indicated 140 with full luggage ( a real 129 by the way)
Could be - the panniers were loaded and balanced, the topbox was only half full with light stuff and no pillion at that time and it defintely made me back off at approaching the 120 mark but was fine at 100 - 110. It does say keep below 180k (112Mph) with luggage so must have some effect on the aerodynamics / balance.
120 in a straight line gives a tiny bit of movement on the bars, but it's when you lob it into a bend at that speed it starts to move more. It's not an alarming movement and feels like it's coming from the hand guards. As a moto cross rider, a bike moving about doesn't bother me at all, but I'd rather it was stock steady at speed!
Just this week on the way back from the EMM get together in Livigno I 'tested' the stability with a top box on a nice empty German autobahn - the result - 140mph on the speedo and it was rock solid..... PP
