I'm picking up my new Ninja (a candy lime 2014) in a few days. This one already has the dealer installed factory panniers. Personally, I think they look infinitely better than the GIVI V35s, and are probably the best looking bag integration I've seen on a bike.
However, there are several downsides to the factory bags. The most glaring has been discussed numerous times, and that's the lack of a factory or GIVI (or most other) option for a top box. While I think Kawasaki did a great job of integrating the brackets compared to standard brackets (like the GIVI or the BMW S1000XR), I do still prefer the cleaner lines of the standard grab rails over the bag version.
My questions, does anyone have experience with both the 14+ Factory Bags and the GIVI version with the quick/Zeus disconnect? Would it be a pain somewhat regularly removing the GIVI brackets for a clean, factory look? While the GIVI bags look worse on, I think the bike looks better with them off in this configuration, and they offer much more capacity/versatility when paired with the top box.
I'm considering selling the factory bags and having the buyer swap the grab bars and uncut lower fender. Thanks for your feedback!
However, there are several downsides to the factory bags. The most glaring has been discussed numerous times, and that's the lack of a factory or GIVI (or most other) option for a top box. While I think Kawasaki did a great job of integrating the brackets compared to standard brackets (like the GIVI or the BMW S1000XR), I do still prefer the cleaner lines of the standard grab rails over the bag version.
My questions, does anyone have experience with both the 14+ Factory Bags and the GIVI version with the quick/Zeus disconnect? Would it be a pain somewhat regularly removing the GIVI brackets for a clean, factory look? While the GIVI bags look worse on, I think the bike looks better with them off in this configuration, and they offer much more capacity/versatility when paired with the top box.
I'm considering selling the factory bags and having the buyer swap the grab bars and uncut lower fender. Thanks for your feedback!