Why aren't luggage racks a standard option on sportsbikes?

[Esceptico]

Maybe I am in a minority but I want the option of having a topbox on my bike so that I can ride it into town and get some shopping or just leave my helmet and gloves with the bike. My current Givi is great as it only takes a second to lock or unlock it from the bike.

Because I use the bike all year around and for all purposes,
does that mean I shouldn't have a sportsbike or super naked? Just a bit irritated (nothing unusual with that!). Rode the S 1000 R yesterday and it blew me away. There are much more sensible options and it looks like BMW are helping the Angels as there is no factory fit luggage rack attachment (like there is with the R 1200 R). How hard can it be to make this an option when you design a bike?

Yes top boxes are a bit ugly and spoil the look of sportsbikes but I'd rather have the bike I like riding and put up with an aesthetic compromise than have to buy a touring bike just because it is easy to fit luggage.

[Esceptico]

terry tibbs said:

there are some bmw soft luggage options, i was shown one the other week on an s1000r - £235 tail pack holds a helmet fastens near the rear foot pegs and around the tail, waterproof

I've seen that option but don't think it locks to the bike so wouldn't be able to leave anything on the bike without worrying it would be stolen.

[Esceptico]

roboxm3 said:

I think it all comes down to what the bikes intended purpose is.

You could argue that sports bikes are intended for track work and being used as the basis for race bikes.

To design, manufacture and fit luggage capability on a sports bike will just add cost, that the majority of buyers / owners won't want or need.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth...

I would hazard a guess that 95% of road-registered sportsbikes spend at least 95% of their time on the road and not the track so having an option of making them more practical would be appreciated by some potential buyers. People do fit top boxes to sportsbikes but you to rely on after market solutions.

I am not an engineer so don't know the difficulties of designing it but given how successful they are in creating monster performance, amazing handling and brakes and great reliability I have faith they could do so if they wanted. But perhaps you are right that there is not a big enough market.

My real beef is less with full-on sportsbikes but rather naked bikes like the S 1000 R that are supposed to be a bit less focused and more usable.

[Esceptico]

LoonR1 said:

Just because you've buessed at 95% of sports bikes not going near a track or being hooned on everywhere, doesn't mean that those 95% want luggage racks fitting. If you want a bike with a luggage option as a permanent fixture than get a bike that has that available. Most of the Ports turners will have this alomg with performance / handling to possibly destroy, or at least match any sportsbike that's more than 5 years older than it.

As per my post above my complaint is aimed much more at super nakeds than full on sportsbikes. At least with a sportsbike the manufacturer can claim they are race focused but it is annoying that something like the S 1000 R (which is in reality a sportsbike with less fairing and high bars) is touted by BMW in their own brochures to be an all rounder and fine for touring yet the luggage options are restricted to strap on bags.


I think it would be interesting to do a poll to see how many performance bike riders (fully faired superbikes but also super nakeds) would like the option of being able to carry luggage - by that I mean a factory supported modification that is optional and doesn't impact how the base bike looks. Judging from the responses to this thread there are some that would be interested.

Personally I never use the pillion seat and carrying another person seems like a much bigger drag on the performance and handling of a bike (there isn't any two-up racing or track days). I wouldn't criticise people that do carry pillions on their superbikes though (nor support deletion of the pillion seat as standard).

Having done a bit of research it seems that top boxes can be added to almost anything,
which means it is probably easier to add luggage to a bike you want than make a bike with a luggage rack into one you do want by tweaking the handling and power.

[Esceptico]

Mr2Mike said:

What's wrong with this? The Ventura luggage system for the S1000RR also fits the S1000R.

I did see that but I read it was only suitable for soft luggage and shouldn't be used for a top box.

Currently thinking that if I get the S 1000 R I could get the strap on bag available from BMW plus a helmet lock and bag so can leave the helmet with the bike. As eloquently suggested by MTB will invest in a better rucksack too.

[Esceptico]

Had a local bike shop come up with this solution for the soft box on my S 1000 R. Yes it is not going to stop a proper thief but should prevent opportunist thief from just unclicking the bag from the bike or unzipping the lid! I tend to only park the bike on a busy street with constant stream of pedestrians so hoping this will work (only leaving my lid and gloves in it).