Givi Maxia 3 Top Case and Mounting Plate

After installing the lower cowling (see previous post), I turned my attention towards mounting the Givi top case.  I opted for the Maxia 3 Luxury B model, which boasts 55L of storage volume and includes the case liner and integrated brake lights.  The best price I found was at Twisted Throttle for $359.10.  I understand that there are performance issues surrounding the brake lights and connectors, but I would have only saved $25 had I purchased the base Maxia 3 and case liner separately.  There are also options if I find that the brake light situation isn't serviceable, such as hardwiring the lights from the bottom case contacts or installing the Admore upgrade, which even adds running lights and turn signals to the case.  I'm holding off on that option for now, since it's a $140 upgrade.

Tools Used:

• Rubber Mallet
• Socket Extension
• X-acto Modeling Knife
• Socket: 10mm, 13mm
• Hex Driver: 5mm
• Ratchet
• Philips Head Screw Driver

Time to Install:  ~1 hour thanks to having to find some missing tools.

So to start off, I had to remove the blank from the adapter plate to open the hole where the contact for the power supply mounts.  It was pretty simple to do using a rubber mallet and the extension from my socket set.  I put the 3/8" square driver end on the plate, and struck the socket end with the mallet.  After about 5 good hits, the blank broke off.  I then cleaned up the hole using an X-acto modeling knife.

View from Bottom of Plate 

View from Top of Plate 

Socket Extension and Mallet

The next step is to install the Givi mounting plate.  This is the SR3101 plate for mounting Monokey boxes to the 2012 DL650A V-Strom.  First, you remove the OEM rubber cover from the rack.  There are five (5) "plugs" on the bottom of the pad that are simply press-fit to hold the cover on.

Rubber Pad Removed

Removing the pad reveals the two bolts that hold on the luggage rack.  Use the 13mm socket to remove these bolts.  You can put these aside as they will not be re-used.

Mounting Bolts at Top

The mounting plate comes with two metal spacers that will go into the holes where the original mounting bolts were.  Be careful and check the spacers.  One of mine still a metal shaving attached from when the holes were bored out, and the spiral shaving was very sharp.  I used one of the bolts to push it through.

Spacer (L), Metal Shaving (R) 

Spacers in the Luggage Rack Holes

With the spacers in place, you put the SR3101 mounting plate on the rack, and attach it using the 5mm hex driver to drive the supplied bolts.  The two longer bolts go where the original luggage rack bolts were (towards the front of the bike), and the two shorter bolts go in the holes towards the rear of the bike and secure with the included nylock nuts.  You will need the 13mm socket to hold the nut.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the plate mounted by itself, but you'll be able to see it in one of the next pictures.  So with the mounting plate installed, it's time to install the adapter plate to which the top case actually mounts.  I wasn't sure how far back I wanted to install it, so I put the case on it and dry-fitted it first.  I started with it all the way to the rear, but it looked a bit odd to me, so I moved it one square forward, and it seemed a little better.  I may have to move it back if my wife decides she wants to ride with me, because the case might be a little too far forward in that case.  Moving it back would give about another 1-1/2" of room.

Test Fitting the Adapter Plate and Case

In the picture below, you can see the adapter plate as mounted to the SR3101 mounting plate.  The SR3101 plate has four (4) studs to which the adapter plate connects, using the four square shaped washers and provided nylock nuts to hold it in place.  You will use the same 10mm socket to tighten the nuts.  As you can see, I mounted the plate one square forward of the rearmost position, and then I slid the plate as far back as the washers would allow.

Adapter Plate Mounted to the SR3101 Mounting Plate

After that, it's a simple matter of snapping the cover on and fixing it in place using the four (4) provided screws.  These screws are tiny, so make sure you don't lose them when you open the bag.  Do not screw them in too tight either, as they can easily strip the holes.

Mounting Plate/Adapter Fully Installed
Note the hole for the power connector. 

Side View 

With Case Mounted

I just received the brake/tail/signal wiring harness that I ordered from Eastern Beaver.  This will allow me to simply unplug the rear brake/tail/signal light harness, insert this adapter harness, and then use the open lead to wire in the Givi brake lights.  I bought additional plug housings so that everything is a plug-in connection, which will be a lot cleaner than positaps or splicing.  If I do decide to get the Admore kit, I can just unplug the Givi lead, and then install a plug on the Admore harness and plug it right in.  That and installing the OEM hand guards will probably be this weekend's project.