GPZ1100 owners interested in adding hard luggage have an alternative to the GiVi Wingrack. A German company named FiveStars makes bike specific racks for mounting GiVi luggage. Thanks to a fellow GPZ1100 listmember's lack of desire for luggage on his bike, I have been fortunate enough to acquire one of these racks. Some other listmembers have expressed interest in alternatives to the GiVi Wingrack so I'm posting a review here along with many more pictures than you probably want to see.
The FiveStars racks consist of two separate parts: a top rack and a side rack. They are made of tubular steel and are painted a matte black. Each side rack mounts at three points: the grab rail bolt, the front bungee hook bolt, and a rail at attaches to the liscense plate holder screws. The top rack unfortunately requires the repositioning of the turn signals to the top rack itself. This is because the two rear support bars of the top rack mount to the turn signal holes on the fender. The top rack also mounts to the grab rail bolts. Unfotunately, the use of either rack requires the removal of the grab rail.
FiveStars states that the side racks cannot be used without the top rack. This requirement is not for the reason you might expect. The side racks do not in any way bolt onto the top rack. The side racks simply interfere with the turn signals and the top rack provides the alternative mounting position for the turn signals. Perhaps another reason could be that the top rack provides an alternative hand hold for a passenger since the grab rail must be removed.
So far I have mounted only two E36 bags on the setup. The original owner of the luggage rack (not the individual I purchased the system from) for some reason removed the junction hardware from the top rack so at the moment a GiVi bag cannot be attached to the top. I have ordered this hardware from GiVi for only $6.50. It appears that the top bag may sit so far forward that it will interfere with a passenger, though I am not certain of this (doesn't really matter to me).
Click on any of the pictures to get a blow-up.
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- Much less bulky than the Wingrack
- With two E36 side bags and empty top rack, have a very large,
flat surface
- Very stable
- Inexpensive (even when bought new)
- Repositioned turn signals are high and visible
- Top rack cannot be mounted without the repositioning of turn
signals
- Requires removal of grab rail which leaves a bit of a gap
behind the seat
- Each bag should not be loaded to more than 5 kg (Wingrack is 10
kg)
These German products are not sold in the US. They are available through the major German retailers such as Hein Gericke (yes, it's a full fledged motorycle shop chain/mail order house in Germany, not just a clothing manufacturer) and Louis Shops. The top rack kit and the side bag kit are each about $100.
Hein Gericke
web: www.hein-gericke.de
e-mail: HG-GERMANY@t-online.de
Tel.: (028 71) 22 83 41
Fax: (028 71) 22 83 51
Louis
web: www.louis.de
Tel.: (040 73) 41 93 60
Fax.: (040 73) 41 93 47
If you have any questions feel free to contack me at fogleson@uiuc.edu