Using an SW-Motech Adventure Rack to mount a Givi top box on a Yamaha Tracer 9 GT might seem odd, but Givi still can’t sell me a mounting plate for my Tracer 9 GT.
But why am I fitting a top box anyway? Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT comes with panniers.
Yes, it does, but I found them to be all show and not very practical. I tried taking my laptop to the office, but it wouldn’t fit into the Tracer 9 GT pannier.
The top box and mounting plate from Yamaha (via Shad) that matches the panniers costs a small fortune (c£300). But perhaps the most significant point is that I already own a Givi top box, and I want to reuse it.
So, there was my dilemma and here is how the SW-Motech Adventure Rack solved it.
SW-Motech Adventure Rack
The SW-Motech rack is one of those clever ideas that I wonder why no one else thought of it.
When the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT was released, a shortage of accessories fuelled ingenuity, with people adapting parts from previous motorcycles to get top boxes and racks to fit.
What SW-Motech have done is take that concept and manufactured something wonderfully adaptable without you having to drill holes or become creative.
The fixings for the Adventure Rack are specific to each motorcycle, but the top plate is designed to accommodate a range of different luggage options.
All the holes are predrilled. All the adapter kits are designed specifically to give you the solution you need.
An immensely flexible solution and you can swap the adapter kits as your needs change.
There are adapter kits for Givi, Kappa, Krauser and Shad, plus SW-Motech’s own range of top boxes and panniers.
You can even fit an SW-Motech tank bag ring to the Adventure Rack and clip your Evo tank bag to the rack, although that one did strike me as flexibility gone slightly knutz.
And if you wish to strap a roll bag onto the rack, there are plenty of places to pass straps through.
If you prefer soft luggage, SW-Motech manufactures a top plate called the Street Rack that has a few extra flourishes designed to secure soft luggage. If that is your thing, it is well worth checking out.
Fitting
Other than paying someone else to fit the SW-Motech Adventure Rack, I can’t think of how it could be any simpler.
Even allowing for the unusual activity of reading the one-page instructions – OK, I looked at the pictures and glanced at the parts list – fitting the rack took 20 minutes.
Add on another 10 minutes for fixing the Givi adapter kit and another 10 for putting tools away and tidying up afterwards, and after that, I struggled to find reasons not to leave the garage.
I’m sure you could make the job look more complex if you want to avoid being given domestic duties to perform. Though, in reality, fitting the SW-Motech Adventure Rack to a Yamaha Tracer 9 is going to take less than an hour.
The Bits You Need
The parts vary from bike to bike, but as this is about the Yamaha Tracer 9 & Tracer 9 GT, here are the links to the parts you need.
The Adventure Rack includes the rack plate and the bike-specific fixing kit. For the Yamaha Tracer 9 & Tracer, 9 GT is a GPT.06.921.19000/B
Add to that the adapter kit for Givi top boxes which is a GPT.00.152.35400/B, and you are good to go.
The links will take you to the UK SW-Motech website. For international orders, you may wish to search SW-Motech.com
Panniers and Search Tips
The SW-Motech website can be a bit of a pain to navigate, but with a little perseverance, it is a rich source of adapters and parts to make things fit.
There was – I’m sure of it – a set of pannier rails for the Yamaha Tracer 9 that would allow me to fit my Givi Dolomiti panniers. The problem I’m having is I can’t find the page on the website.
I suspect that SW-Motech removes items from their website if they are not in stock or on long lead times.
If you are searching for Tracer 9 GT parts, then it is worth searching for Tracer 9 as well. Some parts are only listed for either the Tracer 9 or the Tracer 9 GT, but not both.
Clarity
Everything mentioned here we bought and paid for with our own money.
2 responses
For frame sliders (Bobbins) you might try talking to MSG Engineering – https://mgspe.co.uk/ – He is an old school engineer
That big black adventure box looks the business. Practical, durable and with 58 liters of regular-shaped luggage space you can use it for anything. Useful write-up for the fitting, too.
I have a soft spot for SW Motech. Their stuff always worked great on my bikes. Now that I plan to upgrade to a Hayabusa 3rd gen, I obviously looked around for accessories. There is precious few to be had – hard case, for example, only from Ventura – and those available charge an outrageous premium (looking at you, R&G racing frame sliders for £258). I contacted quite a lot of manufacturers, many of them simply told me to sod off, they’re not making anything, like Givi, Rizoma and Shad. LSL, Hepco&Becker may. Others didn’t respond. SW Motech, on the other hand, is indeed working the make it work for that not-so-traditionally-built bike. Their representative went out of his way to walk me through the process and timeline. Kudos to them.