Givi Maxia 4 vs. Shad SH50 Topcase Review

[FJRPittsburgh]

First of all, I have to say that I've only had Givi (pronounced Jee-Vee) topcases on my bikes for the last 25 years. I point out the pronunciation of Givi because I hear it pronounced so many different ways and was unsure of the proper pronunciation. For those of you keeping score, Sena is pronounced Senna and not See-na which is another pet peeve of mine.

Anyway, The Givi Maxia 4 - 56 liter topcase is the bomb. I had a Maxia 3 previously and I found that the lid on the 3 isn't reinforced like the lid on the Maxia 4. You can load quite a bit of stuff in the 56 liter case for sure. Admore Lighting makes a light kit for pretty much all the Givi topcases. On my Maxia 4, I actually cut out the bezel under the lens of the case to install a little brighter light kit from Admore. As far as Givi goes, the Maxia 4 is the bomb as I've mentioned earlier.

I have to be honest that I was always under the impression that Shad manufactures a lower quality topcase than Givi. I couldn't have been more wrong. I recently inherited a Shad SH50 topcase on the new to me 2013 FJR. SH50 as in 50 liters of storage. The Shad is designed and manufactured every bit as well as the Givi products.

Both the Givi and Shad topcases I own are keyed for security. The Shad case however goes one step further. You can open and close the case without the use of a key. Yes it has a key and you can lock it for security, but it will still open and close securely if you choose not to lock it. That is so much more convenient for me not to have to grab a key every time I want to get into the case. The 50 liter case is a nice size and Admore Lighting also makes a light kit it.

Givi makes a high quality SR357 mounting kit for the FJR. You can install that mounting kit and still use a mounting plate from Shad if you'd like.

Over all, you get more bang for the buck with Shad as they are priced a little lower. If I was buying a new topcase for a bike now, it would be a Shad for sure. Now I see that Shad is making an expandable topcase. You can adjust it from a smaller size to a larger size when needed. Check out the video if you haven't seen it yet:

https://youtu.be/W9ZiGZY6Lvs

[extrememarine]

Good info.

I'm a Givi fan.

I've had the OEM Yamaha FJR top box (on my 2004) and the Givi E52. The primary feature of the E52 at time of purchase was the ability to add lighting as supplemental tail / brake / turn signals - I have the kit from Admore. The E52 I have today was purchased new in 2009. It survived the crash I had in 2012 that involved the bike sliding and bouncing off another vehicle on the expressway - think "motorcycle ping-pong" - the rear subframe was sheared off between the side bag mounting points. The E52 did not disconnect from the base plate or tail section during the collision. The top box is scared, but has been on the current bike since 2012 - through many frog-stranglers and never leaked or failed in any manner.

I've seen many bikes with SHAD boxes on them and I'm sure they're a solid product.