Weather Imagery

When I bought my 2005 BMW 650 GS Dakar, I quickly realized I was going to need a top case for carrying some of my gear. The question was, do I go with the BMW case that is made for the bike or do I go with a 3rd party case? After speaking with some co-workers who have BMW motorcycles, none of them had many good things to say about the BMW top case. The two biggest complaints I heard were it was very compartmentalized which made storing larger items difficult and that it sometimes leaked water. That latter surprised me.

So instead of taking a chance on the BMW top case, I decided on the Givi v46 Monokey top case which had rave reviews. It actually turned out to be a bit less than the BMW case (no surprise there), looks nicer and was a little bigger. These cases won’t mount on the BMW 650 GS out of the box so you have to also buy the universal mounting bracket (part#: SR685) which is very easy to install. I had the case mounted on the bike in 15 minutes.

The top case can hold my XL Scorpion full face helmet, rain gear and a few other small things like a tinted visor, second pair of gloves and bungee cords. It’s very solid, easy to use, has a key lock, and forms a nice air tight seal which I know won’t leak water. I could of gone with a bigger case which might of held my jacket as well, but I was afraid it would have looked too big on the back of the 650 GS Dakar. You can also add a rack that mounts on top of the case for added storage or a 3rd brake light. I’m very pleased with the case and have no complaints.