SuperSport Pannier/ Luggage Swap DIY

'Tards,

Well, I did it. Years back I envisioned possibly swapping the 2017+ SuperSport 950 panniers with our stockers after I saw how much better they were. Now, I still argue the OEM's are decent and I wouldn't have purchased this bike if they didn't hold a full-face helmet. Plus, the form factor compliments the shape of the Hyper. However, slightly flimsy and they turn to elephant skin after about 3 months in the sun. The SS bags are made by Givi and have a very similar basic shape as our OEM's. Buddy of mine recently bought a 2017 SS and I got to inspect his bags. Some very rudimentary comparisons led me to believe this was doable. I was, thankfully, correct.

Now, this is a relatively crude approach for you engineers out there. I don't have CAD or even a proper work station. I have decent tools and above average mechanical ability. The donor bags were floor models that I got shipped for around $950. I imagine if your patient you could find a used set in the $500 range.

So, why go to through the trouble of the transplanted brackets? Because the best part about our OEM system is the mounting system that doesn't look like a nest of wire coat hangers if your ride naked. Also, the SS bags don't match the locks to the ignition key, which is also a plus for the OEM.

Skill Level: 3-4 (and a lot of patience)

Time: 6-8 hours (2nd bag was about 4 hours after I knew what I was doing).

Tools/ Materials (other than basic stuff):
- Dremel with cutting wheel
- Adhesive. I used shoe goo, which is actually pretty awesome stuff.
- 1/4" dense foam padding. I bought a 3'x3' garage floor pad you would put in front of a bench to stand on. It was maybe a little too thick but worked.
- Stencil material. I used cork board but anything rigid that cuts easy is fine. I don't have a lot of resources in my location.
- Tracing paper. I actually used parchment paper cause it was there. You may be able to use my schematic photo's in lieu.
- Paint pens.
- 20, 30, 40 mm round cap headed M6 bolts. Just get a bunch of these as you'll be dealing with a lot of varying depths. Intermediate sizes are bonus (25, 35, etc.). I preferred philips heads over the OEM hex heads. You can probably reuse a lot of the OEM bolts but sucks to get stuck without proper hardware.

1. Make Master Stencil. Not scientific but worked for me. This is mostly to keep your project on track as you get to the mounting phase. A master file. You can try my mensurated illustration but I never used it. Keep track of orientation of brackets and which bag your working on so you don't install the mounts backwards.


2. Outline OEM Brackets/ Voids. Use a paint pen to outline all the inner and outer OEM bracket pieces. There's a zippered access on the inner cover of both models to get to the bracket bolts and spacers. For the SS bags, trace the external raised portions surrounding the "Y" bracket. We'll have to fill these voids to even the brackets on the inside.


3. Remove OEM Brackets. You can do both sets. Save the thin metal inner "Y" bracket from the SS bags as we'll use this later (photo).


4. Cut Spacers. We have to make leveling spacers for the internal and external bracket mounts. You probably don't need the cork board if you can get buy with the tracing paper or other means. Be sure the final product is of the compressible material. Cut these to fit and glue into place.


5. Cut OEM Bracket Wall. Point of no return - dremel out the entire bracket wall of OEM bags. I would start big, like along the entire seam. You will have to trim this considerably but better to start big. Later, you can hug the outer bracket boundaries and jenga it into place. This is a strong material and will help make a uniform compression disc to keep everything secure. The OEM inner brackets had adhesive but I didn't do this on final product.


6. Drill Mounting Holes. Mostly feel and not science here. If you cut the OEM bracket wall to fit flush inside the SS bag, this sorta works out. Mount the wall and drill. There will be 2-3 holes in the outer "Y" foam that will require you to drill the matching thin metal bracket. After you drill all holes, lay the metal "Y" brack over the foam match and mark the holes.

7. Assemble Brackets. Recommend loosely attaching the long inner-middle bracket first, wedge the metal "Y" bracket under it, tighten and continue. You can start with longer bolts, dog them down, and shift to shorter bolts to get the most flush fit as the foam material compresses. Keep in mind the top locking bracket is the thickest. Alternate torque until all are flush but careful not to crack the inner wall.


8. Mount and Profit! Lube the mating surfaces and don't force anything. You can probably adjust the torque on individual bolts/ brackets to even it out. I was pretty seat of the pants and both fit first try.


Cheers.

9. Bonus. Paint/ Wrap inserts. You can remove these to color match. Mine were red. Remove the emblem like you would de-badging a car.

NOTE: The SS right side bag has an exhaust shield on the bottom. I removed as we didn't have one on the OEM's and I felt no significant heat absorption after a 20 minute ride. Possibly could get radiated in traffic. You'll need to plug the 4 bolt holes as you could get some water intrusion. I'll probably stick some auto fairing pop-locks in it as they are fairly big holes. It's light aluminum so no harm leaving it. It's really shiny and makes noise when you set the bag down.

Damn, y'all. Really? Nothing? I'm quite proud of this.

So far, holds up to 100+. Little undersquare than stockers, but still happier.

Ya, not very scientific, but I think keeping the weight lower helps the CG a bit. I had a lot of weight stacked high on the tail (no bags on) when I low sided a couple weeks ago and I thought it went over a little too quickly.

Thanks. They narrow the profile if you don't have the expansion slot open (like on luggage). A tad smaller as I have to smash my messenger bag in there whereas it fit pretty easily in the OEM's. While they look and feel much higher in quality, my buddie's are popping stitches, though I don't think the previous owner took care of them and he rides with them in the expanded configuration often, which I will try and avoid as it just looks like it puts a lot of stress on the weak parts. If you actually carry your bags, these are a little easier to handle and you could attach a shoulder strap. They also come with waterproof covers that I don't think would last very long at high speed.

nickwst4 said:

'Tain't vanity; the simple truth is all stylish bikes look SO much better without bags on the back! They are a necessary evil if you really need to take a load of stuff with you, but at least that won't happen on my 'Strada because I've taken all the brackets off, including the grab handle, and fitted Motard CF sections. On the ST4, I make do with a tail back and come home before I overstay my welcome!

Click to expand...

So, why did you buy a Strada? You basically turned it into Motard with ****** suspension. I needed a swiss-army bike more than I needed SP suspension. And I can't see myself owning a bike without even an attempt at a windscreen after trying the CF shorty a few times. The true art is making luggage look good. The Hyper went a step further with a not-so-atrocious mounting system when you ditch the bags. And despite all the warnings, they are secure at Vmax and will carry a lot more than the recommended limit. The luggage "system" is a win.

All this is coming from someone who daily's and has a long walk from the garage to the office. I HATE carrying a helmet around like a purse so it takes a lot for me to strip the bags. I also ride all seasons and don't dig looking like a storm trooper walking around, so I usually fold up my jacket and gloves and stuff in the bags. Also, also need gym gear, uniform and lunch. Also, also, also wearing a big heavy backpack on a bike sucks, especially if you hoon a bit.

If all I did was pull it out on the weekend for fun, I wouldn't own this bike.

All good, nic. If I had f-you money when I bought this, I'd probably be on a BMW. I just don't get removing the one big defining trait of this bike over the Motard. There's been plenty that have done it. They sold a lot more Motard's than Strada's, so your chances of getting a cheaper base model is way better.