Shad vs. Givi Top Box

Streetdoctor · Apr 28, 2012

Just purchased my first FJR and I'm shopping for a top box, but I have a couple questions that I can't seem to find the answers to. I'm familiar with a Givi box on an ST that I rode, it was very wobbly and my wife was afraid to lean on it at all. I'm looking at either the Givi monokey E55 tech or the Shad SH50.

-Are the shad's a little more secure? (thicker plastic, better mount, etc?)

-Does anyone know if the shad sh50 in blue matches the '05 FJR blue? What about the Givi blue?

-Are you able to mount helmet locks under the shad like the Givi?

-I understand the givi has an adjustable mount to slide the box fore and aft? I know it might not be necessary but I have a passenger backrest so can you mount either of these boxes with the backrest on?

-Any dealers local to the front range in Colorado for me to check these out in person?

What else am I missing? Feel free to chime in

Nick

03HiYoSilver · Apr 28, 2012

Streetdoctor said:
...

-Are the shad's a little more secure? (thicker plastic, better mount, etc?)

(It is good)

-Does anyone know if the shad sh50 in blue matches the '05 FJR blue? What about the Givi blue?

-Are you able to mount helmet locks under the shad like the Givi? (On Mine, I mounted some cabinet handles)

-I understand the givi has an adjustable mount to slide the box fore and aft? (Not that I know of)

I know it might not be necessary but I have a passenger backrest so can you mount either of these boxes with the backrest on? (It Comes with a Backrest-SH50 does)

-Any dealers local to the front range in Colorado for me to check these out in person?

What else am I missing? Feel free to chime in

Nick

Here are pictures of Shad TopCase:

nervous · Apr 28, 2012

Very timely thread. I am just about to do a quick write-up of my new SH50.

Here's a few pics from today:

nervous · Apr 28, 2012

Here you go:

Shad SH50 Install

03HiYoSilver said:
Streetdoctor said:

...

-Are the shad's a little more secure? (thicker plastic, better mount, etc?)

(It is good)

-Does anyone know if the shad sh50 in blue matches the '05 FJR blue? What about the Givi blue?

-Are you able to mount helmet locks under the shad like the Givi? (On Mine, I mounted some cabinet handles)

-I understand the givi has an adjustable mount to slide the box fore and aft? (Not that I know of)

I know it might not be necessary but I have a passenger backrest so can you mount either of these boxes with the backrest on? (It Comes with a Backrest-SH50 does)

-Any dealers local to the front range in Colorado for me to check these out in person?

What else am I missing? Feel free to chime in

Nick

Click to expand...

Here are pictures of Shad TopCase:

And some more:

FJR 1300 Shad Pics

gixxerjasen · Apr 28, 2012

You guys almost have me convinced.

nervous · Apr 28, 2012

gixxerjasen said:
You guys almost have me convinced.

To sweeten the deal how about 10% off your entire Shad direct order just for asking nice (and signing up for the Shad Forum)? I can get you an e-mail address........

kolonial72 · Apr 29, 2012

Doc, I put a SH45 on my '05. The blue insert pretty much exactly matches the Galaxy Blue, though it's not quite as deep and entrancing. Seriously, it almost looks like the folks at Shad decided to paint that insert the exact color of the '05 FJR. I'd guess that the insert for the SH50 will be the same.

As for the construction, the Shad seems a tad bit lighter than the Givi E42, which suggests that the plastic on the SH45 may be a little thinner than on the Givi E42. That said, I've had the top case for about 3 years and there have been no problems with it. And the wife has never complained about the stability of the box for a back rest. (Well, to be truthful, she's normally pressed up against me using a convenient though distracting hand hold.

) Seriously though, I think the stability of the top box was helped a great deal by mounting the SH45 plate on the Givi rack I had on the bike.

IMPORTANT NOTE - I highly recommend mounting the Shad on a Givi rack to avoid subframe breakage. There are lots of posts and a few pics floating around of what happens when you put that weight and vibration directly on the tail of the subframe. Can you say, find a shop that can weld aluminum and then remove your subframe so they can weld it and then reinstall the subframe? I knew that you could.

One last thing. Opinions vary, but of course mine is more valid than most. The SH45 looks a whole lot better on the bike than the comparable Givi. The Italians usually nail it when it comes to automotive design and such, but the Spaniards got 'em on this one. My $0.02.

nervous · Apr 29, 2012

kolonial72 said:
Doc, I put a SH45 on my '05. The blue insert pretty much exactly matches the Galaxy Blue, though it's not quite as deep and entrancing. Seriously, it almost looks like the folks at Shad decided to paint that insert the exact color of the '05 FJR. I'd guess that the insert for the SH50 will be the same.

As for the construction, the Shad seems a tad bit lighter than the Givi E42, which suggests that the plastic on the SH45 may be a little thinner than on the Givi E42. That said, I've had the top case for about 3 years and there have been no problems with it. And the wife has never complained about the stability of the box for a back rest. (Well, to be truthful, she's normally pressed up against me using a convenient though distracting hand hold. ) Seriously though, I think the stability of the top box was helped a great deal by mounting the SH45 plate on the Givi rack I had on the bike.

IMPORTANT NOTE - I highly recommend mounting the Shad on a Givi rack to avoid subframe breakage. There are lots of posts and a few pics floating around of what happens when you put that weight and vibration directly on the tail of the subframe. Can you say, find a shop that can weld aluminum and then remove your subframe so they can weld it and then reinstall the subframe? I knew that you could.

One last thing. Opinions vary, but of course mine is more valid than most. The SH45 looks a whole lot better on the bike than the comparable Givi. The Italians usually nail it when it comes to automotive design and such, but the Spaniards got 'em on this one. My $0.02.

So you mounted your Shad plate to the Givi rack? Any pics and was there much fitting or drilling involved?

gixxerjasen · Apr 29, 2012

Yea yea yea, I want to see this. This could be what sells me on the Shad. The Givi rack is ugly but I'll take a better mount over ugly. Please post up some more info with pics if possible.

kolonial72 · Apr 29, 2012

Cool, lemme remember how to get some pics posted here.

(Some time later at the Ponerosa...) Ah, here we go.

^This one shows the top view.^ You can see the mounting hardware supplied with the Shad mounting plate. There are two brass(?) brackets and two red plastic washers visible in the left half, and there is matching hardware on the right side under the cover. The brackets slide side-to-side quite a bit in order to allow the user to align the mounting plate to the, um, mounted surface. There are a few slots to choose from for the same reason.

^The bottom view^ reveals some bolts, nuts and washers that are supplied with the Shad mounting plate. I have had no problem with the nuts lossening over time, and that's after miles of some very suspect Wild72 off-the-beaten-path paths. The nuts on the bottom are lock nuts, and I added the lock washers just to be on the safe side.

These mounts are intended to be universal. So you should be able to mount this plate to just about any kind of rack. Some of the hardware you don't see in my pics because I didn't use them are the U bolts. Go ahead, get a Givi rack and set the Shad plate on it. I did, and now my SH45 ain't goin' nowhere without my say-so.

ekms377 · May 17, 2012

kolonial72 said:
Cool, lemme remember how to get some pics posted here.

(Some time later at the Ponerosa...) Ah, here we go.

^This one shows the top view.^ You can see the mounting hardware supplied with the Shad mounting plate. There are two brass(?) brackets and two red plastic washers visible in the left half, and there is matching hardware on the right side under the cover. The brackets slide side-to-side quite a bit in order to allow the user to align the mounting plate to the, um, mounted surface. There are a few slots to choose from for the same reason.

^The bottom view^ reveals some bolts, nuts and washers that are supplied with the Shad mounting plate. I have had no problem with the nuts lossening over time, and that's after miles of some very suspect Wild72 off-the-beaten-path paths. The nuts on the bottom are lock nuts, and I added the lock washers just to be on the safe side.

These mounts are intended to be universal. So you should be able to mount this plate to just about any kind of rack. Some of the hardware you don't see in my pics because I didn't use them are the U bolts. Go ahead, get a Givi rack and set the Shad plate on it. I did, and now my SH45 ain't goin' nowhere without my say-so.

My same question. Would feel better about using the Givi rack with all the subframe problems and big topcases. So I guess I will order the Givi rack for now and decide on the box in about a week or 2.

GeorgiaRoller · May 17, 2012

Streetdoctor said:
Does anyone know if the shad sh50 in blue matches the '05 FJR blue?

I have a 05 and I got the Shad SH45 with the color match top plate. The top plate from Shad is almost a dead on match to the 05 FJR body color.

Here's my Shad Thread with more info.

fjrsochs · May 23, 2012

GeorgiaRoller said:
Streetdoctor said:

Does anyone know if the shad sh50 in blue matches the '05 FJR blue?

Click to expand...

I have a 05 and I got the Shad SH45 with the color match top plate. The top plate from Shad is almost a dead on match to the 05 FJR body color.

Here's my Shad Thread with more info.

Wow that looks great on the 05. My only thought is is it as aerodynamic as the Yamaha top box. Do you experience any wobble at highway speeds passing the big rigs?

GeorgiaRoller · May 23, 2012

fjrsochs said:
Do you experience any wobble at highway speeds passing the big rigs?

No. I leave the topbox on 100% of the time and ride with/without the saddlebags depending on the trip.

fjrsochs · Jun 6, 2012

GeorgiaRoller said:
fjrsochs said:

Do you experience any wobble at highway speeds passing the big rigs?

Click to expand...

No. I leave the topbox on 100% of the time and ride with/without the saddlebags depending on the trip.

Awesome.

gixxerjasen · Jul 24, 2012

After my second dealing with Givi customer service, I think I'm sold.

Shad, here I come!

GeorgiaRoller · Aug 2, 2012

gixxerjasen said:
After my second dealing with Givi customer service, I think I'm sold.

Shad, here I come!

Which trunk are you getting from Shad? Did you order it yet? Are you using the Givi rack mount or the Shad rack mount?

wfooshee · Aug 2, 2012

I've never had any issues with my Givi E52 being unsecured or anything. It wasn't shaky on the mount, wasn't acting like it was gonna fly off, and in fact has never been close to removing itself. I also don't get the freeway wobble that so many others have talked about, but I don't know why I don't and some do.

As for backrests, the box is ALWAYS on the bike, and the back pad in her jacket would be enough padding to use the case as a backrest. The optional backrest pad for the case crowded her forward.

GeorgiaRoller · Aug 2, 2012

wfooshee said:
I also don't get the freeway wobble that so many others have talked about, but I don't know why I don't and some do.

I don't get that either. Never been an issue with my topbox. Sometimes I think people are just imagining things. lol I liken it to the whole helmet buffeting issue. Some act like the bike is unrideable at hwy speeds because of helmet wind buffeting. Or that the engine heat is unbearable...I don't have these issues on my FJR.

Shad vs. Givi Top Box

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