Anyone Happy With Their Genuine Top Case?

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:23 am

Usually when I hear someone talking about the Genuine top case made for the buddy it is something negative. Is there anyone out there who has one and is loving it???

Post by **jmazza** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:32 am

I can't say I love love love mine- all the reports are right about it feeling a bit flimsy.

But I have zero complaints about it- it holds my stuff (and I cram a LOT in there), stays locked, and does what it's supposed to do.

I put important things in the pet carrier- the top box just holds rain gear, a towel and some tools.

I like that it matches the scooter, and I'd buy it again. I guess I'd look at the Givi topcases if I needed to carry more important stuff in it.

redcass · Post by **redcass** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:48 am

jmazza wrote:I can't say I love love love mine- all the reports are right about it feeling a bit flimsy.

I like that it matches the scooter, and I'd buy it again.

I agree. I would not like a black case on my olive green scoot. The case did pop open once while I was riding, but nothing fell out. It has more space than under the seat, and I use it nearly every time I ride.

RedCass

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:56 am

jmazza wrote:I can't say I love love love mine- all the reports are right about it feeling a bit flimsy.

But I have zero complaints about it- it holds my stuff (and I cram a LOT in there), stays locked, and does what it's supposed to do.

I put important things in the pet carrier- the top box just holds rain gear, a towel and some tools.

I like that it matches the scooter, and I'd buy it again. I guess I'd look at the Givi topcases if I needed to carry more important stuff in it.

Thanks for the reply. What's a pet carrier if you don't mind me asking?

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:58 am

I had mine wired so that it acts as a brake light instead of only a reflector. I noticed last night when I got home from work, that the light isn't working right any more. Other than that, I'm pretty happpy with mine. It does hold quite a bit. I can put 2 gallons of milk in it, which is something I regularly have to buy on my way home.
Works for me!

Howard

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:59 am

redcass wrote:
jmazza wrote:I can't say I love love love mine- all the reports are right about it feeling a bit flimsy.

I like that it matches the scooter, and I'd buy it again.
I agree. I would not like a black case on my olive green scoot. The case did pop open once while I was riding, but nothing fell out. It has more space than under the seat, and I use it nearly every time I ride.

RedCass

More space huh? I don't suppose you could fit a laptop in there could you???

Yeah, the black givi's, I don't think they would look right with my SI. I would like either a matching case or a prima or sx appeal vintage looking tan bag.

Popped open huh? That's pretty serious!!!

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:02 am

Howardr wrote:I had mine wired so that it acts as a brake light instead of only a reflector. I noticed last night when I got home from work, that the light isn't working right any more. Other than that, I'm pretty happpy with mine. It does hold quite a bit. I can put 2 gallons of milk in it, which is something I regularly have to buy on my way home.
Works for me!

Howard

May I ask how you got it wired that way? Was it hard or expensive to do? I want to do that too because I feel the added light would help motorists notice me more when I am breaking. For some reason I thought only the givi's could be rigged with a light, but knowing it can be done with the genuine makes it more appealing to me.

redcass · Post by **redcass** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:04 am

scooterstud wrote:More space huh? I don't suppose you could fit a laptop in there could you???

Popped open huh? That's pretty serious!!!

My laptop does fit in my case, but I haven't yet carried it that way, the flimsy factor deters me. Yeah, I didn't realize it had popped open until I got home.

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:10 am

redcass wrote:
scooterstud wrote:More space huh? I don't suppose you could fit a laptop in there could you???

Popped open huh? That's pretty serious!!!
My laptop does fit in my case, but I haven't yet carried it that way, the flimsy factor deters me. Yeah, I didn't realize it had popped open until I got home.

Reminds me of the time I got home to realize the milk-crate full of groceries I had bungeed on the back had fallen over and was hanging off the back. Miraculously nothing had fallen out. The bungees which went over the top of the case had kept the bags inside the milk-crate even though it was on its side. Talk about lucky!

Christy · Post by **Christy** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:43 am

i don't love mine either. but I DO love that it matches the scooter. there is no black on my scooter, so a black case would look out of place.

I have to manhandle it a little to get it closed (it doesn't line up quite right) but once I get it closed, it stays closed and locked. it holds a lot and i use it every time i ride.

Post by **jmazza** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:48 am

OH yeah- the back "reflectors" are not reflective. I took them off and put some reflective tape under them and they are a little better.

I would not carry a laptop in it (and my 15" Powerbook doesn't fit anyway). Never had mine pop open but they are a bit hard to latch sometime- I always lock mine, maybe that helps?

And 'pet carrier' is just a term for the underseat storage on a scooter. Not sure what the history of it is- I think that Vespas have a warning label to not put pets in that compartment, maybe that's it.

redcass · Post by **redcass** » Fri May 23, 2008 2:09 am

jmazza wrote:OH yeah- the back "reflectors" are not reflective. I took them off and put some reflective tape under them and they are a little better.

I would not carry a laptop in it (and my 15" Powerbook doesn't fit anyway). Never had mine pop open but they are a bit hard to latch sometime- I always lock mine, maybe that helps?

I put reflective tape on my case too. Seems a good idea for all of us.

Locking it BEFORE driving!?! {smacks forehead} Um, yeah. I should try that.

Post by **illnoise** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:06 am

jmazza wrote:sure what the history of it is- I think that Vespas have a warning label to not put pets in that compartment, maybe that's it.

Yep, that's it exactly. They have a little icon of a kitten with a (/) around it.

Penguinboy · Post by **Penguinboy** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:04 pm

Soooooooo..... how do you wire up the top case with a brake light?

scooterstud · Post by **scooterstud** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:50 pm

Christy wrote:i don't love mine either. but I DO love that it matches the scooter. there is no black on my scooter, so a black case would look out of place.

I have to manhandle it a little to get it closed (it doesn't line up quite right) but once I get it closed, it stays closed and locked. it holds a lot and i use it every time i ride.

I know! I wish Genuine would just step up and make a better matching top case for the buddy. Scoots just look so great with a matching top case!

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:13 pm

illnoise wrote:
jmazza wrote:sure what the history of it is- I think that Vespas have a warning label to not put pets in that compartment, maybe that's it.
Yep, that's it exactly. They have a little icon of a kitten with a (/) around it.

NoHo Scooters sells t-shirts with that on it.

Post by **jmazza** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:24 pm

ericalm wrote:
illnoise wrote:
jmazza wrote:sure what the history of it is- I think that Vespas have a warning label to not put pets in that compartment, maybe that's it.
Yep, that's it exactly. They have a little icon of a kitten with a (/) around it.

NoHo Scooters sells t-shirts with that on it.

So when did that start? The sticker came first and then the nickname was given? It always cracks me up. Especially when I am talking about the underseat storage to someone who knows nothing about scooters and I say that- I always get a look like, "wait... are you serious? you can put PETS in there?!?!?"

Eddy Merckx · Post by **Eddy Merckx** » Sun May 25, 2008 1:39 am

It works fine, rattles a little during warm ups, and the lock works fine, mostly because I used a bit of teflon lube on the mechanism and in the key slot, its been water tight at 55 mph so I gotta say it's just fine.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Sun May 25, 2008 1:50 am

Eddy Merckx wrote:It works fine, rattles a little during warm ups, and the lock works fine, mostly because I used a bit of teflon lube on the mechanism and in the key slot, its been water tight at 55 mph so I gotta say it's just fine.

Glad to see that someone has something good to say about them since I ordered one just before this thread started.

Dennis

Pita1963 · Post by **Pita1963** » Sun May 25, 2008 8:40 pm

Like mine also - was a pain in the @ss to install though. All I have in it right now is my cable lock, rain gear and a bucket hat for those sunny days when I am out and about. I was thinking about swaping it out with a prima case.... thinking it might look kinda cool on my Pamplona.

Robb

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:27 pm

Re: wiring. You can wire is as a running light or as a brake light. The bulb, I believe, is already in place. There is a "knock out" noy sure of the term, but right in the middle of the floor of the case is a circular piece that can be knocked out to allow passage of wiring. Splice into the the brake light line and viola'. I didn't do my personally, the dealer did it for me, but it only took them about 15 min. I don't remember how much they charged for the kit, since I got it when I bought the scoot.
(Spend $3400 for a top box and get a scooter for free!

)

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:51 pm

Oops, forgot to mention, I have a GIVI Micro 2 topbox. NOT a genuine. Sorry for any confusion.

Howard

heavypetting · Post by **heavypetting** » Mon May 26, 2008 2:28 am

In a word, no.

MonsterGirl · Post by **MonsterGirl** » Mon May 26, 2008 4:46 pm

I have a Givi Monolock case that I just love. It's big, I put my backback in there with my laptop in it, shoes, purse, sometimes a bag of groceries, and it all fits great. It's quick to detatch with the press of a button if I don't need it (the regular Genuine case doesn't do that) and locks securely so I don't worry about my laptop getting stolen when I run into a store or something.

The little Genuine cases were just a bit too small for what I needed. My company gives us gigantic laptops and I needed somewhere secure to store it. It did pretty well in my crash, my rear rack is a little crooked and the case is scratched up, but everything inside was fine and it still works great without any issues.

ryder1 · Post by **ryder1** » Mon May 26, 2008 9:51 pm

What GIVI model do you have?

Sounds like a nice to be able to carry all that.

Do you have the new design rear rack on the Buddy?

I have the Givi 370 and have no complaints; well constructed, locks securely, case comes off easily if you want to take the entire case with you while the mounting plate/bracket stays attached to the rear rack.

sargelee71 · Post by **sargelee71** » Tue May 27, 2008 5:22 am

So far, have no complaints about my genuine topcase for my SI. I always lock it before pulling my key out. Today, I put my first six-pack of long necks in there, and then decided to put it in my pet carrier instead, because there was still too much room, and didn't want to chance it sloshing around in there.

KCScooterDude · Post by **KCScooterDude** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:17 am

MonsterGirl wrote:I have a Givi Monolock case that I just love. It's big, I put my backback in there with my laptop in it, shoes, purse, sometimes a bag of groceries, and it all fits great. It's quick to detatch with the press of a button if I don't need it (the regular Genuine case doesn't do that) and locks securely so I don't worry about my laptop getting stolen when I run into a store or something.

The little Genuine cases were just a bit too small for what I needed. My company gives us gigantic laptops and I needed somewhere secure to store it. It did pretty well in my crash, my rear rack is a little crooked and the case is scratched up, but everything inside was fine and it still works great without any issues.

I, too, love my Givi. I thought I'd post this story for anyone who needs a top box.

I installed my Givi Monolock myself and the first time I took it out I didn't realize I hadn't locked the box down correctly. About half a block from my house I hear this huge boom. Yep - box fell off. Thanfully it was empty. I picked it up, carried it home and went off riding, figuring I'd just wasted $100+. This was at night, by the way.

When I got back home I looked at the box and could not tell where it made an impact with the ground. Looking very carefully, I noticed two scuff marks - very light - that I basically rubbed off with my fingernails. Put it back on the scooter, made sure it was looked down tight - no problems since. Perfect.

This is a quality product.

Hipnerd · Post by **Hipnerd** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:45 pm

According to UPS, I'll get the case tomorrow. I'll let everyone know what I think after I get it installed.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:25 pm

FWIW, I have been very happy with my Genuine Top Case. Never a problem, never a rattle, and I use it all the time. It even survived my scooter being knocked over by a cabbie (grrrrr) with only a relatively small scratch – didn't even break open the locked case.

For installation I recommend getting a sheet of some rubber gasket from your local hardware store (really cheap, mine is about an 1/8" thick black rubber and cost $1.25 for a 12" x12" square), cut the appropriate sized pieces, and put the rubber between the top case mounting plate and your rear rack where metal meets metal. It will give you a better, more secure seal and dampen any vibration.

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:37 pm

So we have three Buddy scooters and ALL three have the Genuine top case and they all three work great!

Two of them get used every day a lot, the "V3GAN" doesn’t get used as much, mostly for helmet storage when she is in school or working, although when in school it is used to carry books and/or lunch stuff.

We are in McKinney and ride all over the place!

digital-entropy · Post by **digital-entropy** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 11:35 pm

sargelee71 wrote:So far, have no complaints about my genuine topcase for my SI. I always lock it before pulling my key out. Today, I put my first six-pack of long necks in there, and then decided to put it in my pet carrier instead, because there was still too much room, and didn't want to chance it sloshing around in there.

Ha! I brought some homebrew into work one day, had six in the pet carrier and six in the top case (which is a Givi, but that's beside the point). By the time I got into work 3 of the ones in the topcase had erupted! Fortunately, there was a homeless man chilling out close to where I park, so I left them behind. When I came back that evening they were gone.

Dean F · Post by **Dean F** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:38 am

I have a Genuine top case and I love it. Three sugestions I do have.
1. Put a drop of super glue on the end of the hinge pins. They will walk out on you. If you do loose one, an aluminum 10 penny nail with the head cut off works great.
2. Don't over stuff it. If there is pressure on the cover when you hit a bump, it could pop open.
3. It is not "water proof" it is water resistant. I got about a teaspoon of water in it when it was outside during a huge storm. Never during a light rain however.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:57 am

Dean F wrote:1. Put a drop of super glue on the end of the hinge pins. They will walk out on you. If you do loose one, an aluminum 10 penny nail with the head cut off works great.
2. Don't over stuff it. If there is pressure on the cover when you hit a bump, it could pop open.
3. It is not "water proof" it is water resistant. I got about a teaspoon of water in it when it was outside during a huge storm. Never during a light rain however.

+1 on #1. I lost one of my hinge pegs. It was an easy fix though. I just bought a 1/8" metal dowl (or whatever size it was, can't remember exactly), cut it to the right length and pushed it in. Think it cost 50¢. It's a better fit than what was there before.

#2. I find always locking it helps stop this.

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:10 am

digital-entropy wrote:Ha! I brought some homebrew into work one day, had six in the pet carrier and six in the top case (which is a Givi, but that's beside the point). By the time I got into work 3 of the ones in the topcase had erupted! Fortunately, there was a homeless man chilling out close to where I park, so I left them behind. When I came back that evening they were gone.

Hint - Drink the homebrew - then ride - no more spills inside the top case!

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:18 am

I don't know that I'd say that there is anything especially great about our Genuine topcase. On the other hand, it does match the scoot and, after 3 years, it still does the job. I suppose that is all we ever really expected it to do.

C2 · Post by C2 » Sat Jun 19, 2010 3:39 am

Dean F wrote:Put a drop of super glue on the end of the hinge pins. They will walk out on you.

A related issue that I have is the pin that the brass latch pivots on keeps working it's way loose. It looks like it was meant to have a Cotter Ring(?) on it to keep it in place. Maybe mine has gone walkabout?

As far as carrying a laptop... I use to carry my work laptop (Lenovo ThinkPad T60) in the case all the time. But, I also have a Timbuk2 sleeve that I would rest it on - it's too big to fit in the sleeve and IN the topcase.

I also just came back from BevMo with a bottle of Skyy Infusions Ginger vodka and a bottle of Cabo Wabo Reposado tequila and had no problems.

...other than wanting to get home fast and break into the tequila.

C2

Dr. Rock · Post by **Dr. Rock** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:08 am

LOVE My Top Case!!!!!!!!!

myras_girls · Post by **myras_girls** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 4:28 pm

Someone in my scooter club has a Givi topcase that she painted to match her scoot.

rajron · Post by **rajron** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:33 pm

I am very happy with my top case, it is identical to the Genuine Scooter case but it has a different mfg name on it, and I got it for around $50.00 new at Amazon. I don’t use it often, only on long trips where I need the extra space.
One thing I did was spray the inside with a texture paint giving it a thicker, denser sound and feel without any rattles.

Here it is attached my other scooter – the blk case is a perfect match to my Buddy and this scooter – I guess shiny black is shiny black.

firecat · Post by **firecat** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:53 pm

Howardr wrote:Re: wiring. You can wire is as a running light or as a brake light. The bulb, I believe, is already in place. There is a "knock out" noy sure of the term, but right in the middle of the floor of the case is a circular piece that can be knocked out to allow passage of wiring. Splice into the the brake light line and viola'. I didn't do my personally, the dealer did it for me, but it only took them about 15 min. I don't remember how much they charged for the kit, since I got it when I bought the scoot.
(Spend $3400 for a top box and get a scooter for free! )

I have a black Givi on my Pamplona and I really like it. My complaint is with the rack. This is second one I have that has broken in a strategic place.

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 8:14 pm

Now that this thread has been resurrected -- are the newer generation of Genuine cases better? I had a red one to match my 125 and it leaked like crazy even though it was under a carport and got minimal rain, ruining a lovely bird field guide and a few other things as well. I have a Shad now and love it (thanks for selling it, Scoot Lemont!), and it matches my Psycho just fine, but I'm still curious about the new cases. Aren't they black on the bottom and color matched on the top?

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 4:36 am

We still have the original Genuine case from 2007. It has now given 6 years of good service.

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 10:12 pm

I have the original olive topcase for my Italia and so far so good. I had to replace the screws that came with the topcase - the original ones worked themselves out during the ride. The ones I got seem to work better. I do check and tighten them as part of pre-ride inspection. I am about to remove the topcase for the winter because the very nice cover I got does not allow for a topcase. Otherwise It covers the bike beautifully

libwitch · Post by **libwitch** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:17 pm

I am resurrecting this thread in a sense. I got my Buddy last summer and rode it - mostly to and from work quite a bit. And top case that I bought with it drove me nuts, and I am trying to decide if it is worth splurging on a new one before I start taking the bike out again or not.

Essentially, if I lock it - which is pretty much needed to do so it will latch down if I have anything in it when I riding - there is not any certainly that I am not going to get it back open again with an ease. Its not a matter of anything not turning -- the latch turns just fine - but it won't just always release. And this happens even if I lock it and its empty, so I am know its not that I am overstuffing it and the latch is getting caught on something.

..as you could imagine, this is frustrating.

Is this a common problem with these top cases, and there is a trick that I am not getting?

soakland · Post by **soakland** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:36 am

Just to chime in. I have had Shad top cases on my scoots for a few years now and have no problems with them. They're affordable too.

Modern Buddy

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