Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

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slowpoke
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Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by slowpoke »

Shad says 3 kgs (6.6 lbs) weight limit on some of their top cases. Is this just lawyer speak, or can you put, say, double that weight?
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by homie »

No bowling balls apparently
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by TheMaverick »

My Givi box has the same restriction, although I suspect that most days I probably have close to double that in it. Can't speak for Shad, but I've never had a single issue.

In the last couple of days I've upgraded to the biggest box they make for scooters - 47L I think. The only thing I can think of is the security of the base plate that it connects to - if the box is heavy - and especially if the weight is high then it would probably put a bit of torque on both the mount and it's connectors. Can't say I've ever had an issue. Wouldn't want to put too much more in it, but seems perfectly fine so far.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by slowpoke »

If it's been working for you, then that's good enough for me.

BTW, I see you're from NZ. I spent three years cycling around the world from 2013-2016, and when I was in NZ I decided to see the country by scooter due to being burned out from pedaling. It was the first time I ever rode a scooter. I went to a dealership in Christchurch and bought a used 49cc Suzuki Let's Go. They said it was previously owned by a somewhat famous Kiwi named Mike Pero, who used it for a charity scooter ride across Arthur's Pass. I asked who Mike was, and they wouldn't tell me. They said if I simply rode around the streets, I'll soon find out. Sure enough I did.

Anyhow, I spent 7 weeks scootering 14,000 kilometers (yes, 14,000 KM's in 7 weeks) around the North and South Island. NZ is stunning!!! When I finally cycled home, I decided to get a scooter.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by TheMaverick »

slowpoke wrote:If it's been working for you, then that's good enough for me.
Keeping in mind that Givi might be different than Shad. As I see it, worst that can happen is that it falls off.
BTW, I see you're from NZ. I spent three years cycling around the world from 2013-2016, and when I was in NZ I decided to see the country by scooter due to being burned out from pedaling. It was the first time I ever rode a scooter. I went to a dealership in Christchurch and bought a used 49cc Suzuki Let's Go. They said it was previously owned by a somewhat famous Kiwi named Mike Pero, who used it for a charity scooter ride across Arthur's Pass. I asked who Mike was, and they wouldn't tell me. They said if I simply rode around the streets, I'll soon find out. Sure enough I did.

Anyhow, I spent 7 weeks scootering 14,000 kilometers (yes, 14,000 KM's in 7 weeks) around the North and South Island. NZ is stunning!!! When I finally cycled home, I decided to get a scooter.
Yeah - the Mike Pero name is fairly well known over here. He was in TV ads a lot promoting his mortgages franchise, and of more recent, Real Estate franchise. Also dabbled in the airline business, simulator business, and a bit of motorsport. Heard MOSTLY good things about him. He always wore a suit well.

The 49cc scooter was probably quite relaxing (and slower) compared to a bicycle! Quite some distance to cover in 7 weeks - takes me about a year to do that on the PCX. You must have been riding 6 or 7 hours a day?

A lot of people say NZ is stunning - just seems "normal" to me :) You might like to take a look at my feeble attempts to document some of my region photographically (top of the South Island mostly) - http://www.pbase.com/cjsouthern/scenery
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by xixon »

slowpoke wrote:Shad says 3 kgs (6.6 lbs) weight limit on some of their top cases. Is this just lawyer speak, or can you put, say, double that weight?
My Honda top case has the exact weight limits and only recently did I learn that I exceed the limit quite often

A standard 12 oz tin of beer is about 372 grams x a dozen = 4.464 KGS (9.84 LBS) but I often buy a box of 15 which = 5.58 KGS (12.3 LBS)

So the stated weight limit would limit me to 8 beers, which is just not enough for a good piss up.

I've had no issue doubling the weight limit, but maybe I'm just getting lucky....for now
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by Mel46 »

First of all I would like to remind anyone who has not done so yet, please make sure that you do not have one of those Honda recalled base plates.

Next, I don't think you should carry a bowling ball, but otherwise I think what you carry in the box will depend on two things: weight distribution, and the baseplate itself.
On the first, even if you put a bowling ball in the top box, it would probably be OK unless it started rolling around. That would then change the weight distribution enough that there would probably be an accident. If the bowling ball was kept against the hinge wall, rather than farther out on the platform, it should be fine because the CG is still within limits.
On the second, some of the base plates are aluminum while others are steel. Obviously aluminum can not hold as much weight as steel, especially if the weight is farther out on the platform.
Whenever you put an overly heavy item in the box it will change your upper CG, just like a passenger will. You will have to take corners with more caution, and you will have a greater stopping distance. You could probably get away with putting heavy items in that top box sometimes, but I wouldn't make it a habit.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by TheMaverick »

Mel46 wrote: Whenever you put an overly heavy item in the box it will change your upper CG, just like a passenger will. You will have to take corners with more caution, and you will have a greater stopping distance.
If the turn is balanced then the additional weight doesn't really have any effect (I've sometimes forgotten that my 90kg daughter is on the back) - it jut makes the job of balancing a turn slightly harder (but even 10kg in a top box shouldn't be noticeable) (if someone did a blind test with me as to whether the load was in the top box or not I wouldn't be able to tell).

In terms of stopping distance - in theory "yes" (just like in theory the interconnected oceans of the oceans rise if I throw in a stone), but in practice, the extra weight of something in a top box is negligible compared to the overall weight of rider and bike.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by homie »

Mel46 wrote:On the first, even if you put a bowling ball in the top box, it would probably be OK unless it started rolling around. That would then change the weight distribution enough that there would probably be an accident. If the bowling ball was kept against the hinge wall, rather than farther out on the platform, it should be fine because the CG is still within limits.
Does anyone actually Bowl anymore? They all went out of business trying to run the air conditioner :lol: the ones that are still afloat turned into a freak show with blacklights, lava lamps and a crack dealer out front. Bowling alleys creep me out and smell funny o_O
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by you you »

homie wrote:
Mel46 wrote:On the first, even if you put a bowling ball in the top box, it would probably be OK unless it started rolling around. That would then change the weight distribution enough that there would probably be an accident. If the bowling ball was kept against the hinge wall, rather than farther out on the platform, it should be fine because the CG is still within limits.
Does anyone actually Bowl anymore? They all went out of business trying to run the air conditioner :lol: the ones that are still afloat turned into a freak show with blacklights, lava lamps and a crack dealer out front. Bowling alleys creep me out and smell funny o_O

Just used for kids parties over here.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

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TheMaverick wrote:
Mel46 wrote: Whenever you put an overly heavy item in the box it will change your upper CG, just like a passenger will. You will have to take corners with more caution, and you will have a greater stopping distance.
If the turn is balanced then the additional weight doesn't really have any effect (I've sometimes forgotten that my 90kg daughter is on the back) - it jut makes the job of balancing a turn slightly harder (but even 10kg in a top box shouldn't be noticeable) (if someone did a blind test with me as to whether the load was in the top box or not I wouldn't be able to tell).

In terms of stopping distance - in theory "yes" (just like in theory the interconnected oceans of the oceans rise if I throw in a stone), but in practice, the extra weight of something in a top box is negligible compared to the overall weight of rider and bike.

What about a bowling ball in the interconnected oceans of the oceans?
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by xixon »

Mel46 wrote:First of all I would like to remind anyone who has not done so yet, please make sure that you do not have one of those Honda recalled base plates.
I went to the Honda website and found the recall notice (K45 / April 2016).

quote: "Honda Motor Co. has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in the Honda Genuine
Accessory rear trunk base installed on certain 2013 and 2015-2016 model year Honda PCX150 scooters."

Do you know how I could identify if mine falls into the "certain 2013" defective category or not?

.......or do I have no choice but to take it to the Honda dealer?
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by xixon »

I dropped by the Honda dealership....they just looked up my VIN and said yes it qualifies for the recall

They had to order in the part, so will be next week
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by Mel46 »

I am glad that my reminder help at least one rider. I would hate to hear about a rider losing their top box and whatever was in it because they were not aware of the recall. I admire the look of the Honda base plate because it looks like flat loads could be carried on it if the box were removed.
I have a Givi base plate and top box. They work well and are very secure. However, if I wish to remove the box and carry something flat on the base plate it has a part that sticks up, which would require me to find something flat to level it out with prior to attaching the flat load. I haven't had to use it in that manner yet, so I do not know what I would use. It looks like if I had the Honda base plate I would not have this problem.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by slowpoke »

I ended up getting the Givi B360 instead of the Shad. The price with the PCX-specific rack was only a few more dollars than the Shad. Never having used either brand, I'm not sure if one is noticeably better than the other.

Maverick, incredible photos. Brings back memories. It's interesting you say the landscapes in NZ seems normal. I met other Kiwis who said the same thing, they're just so used to it. To me, scootering around NZ was like one big IMAX movie. The best parts were Twizel to Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki and from Queenstown to Glenorchy. All the roads in NZ were AWESOME - some more so than others. NZ and Chile were the two most beautiful countries in my entire trip. It was easy scootering for hours on end, considering I was on the bicycle for two years up to that point.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by TheMaverick »

Cool stuff. For what it's worth, I just upgraded to the 47L Givi box - loving it. Car's broken at the moment, but managed to get 3 grocery shopping bags into the new Givi - 2 more under the seat - and didn't even need the pack on my back.

I hope you stopped and took a photo of the Church of the Good Shepherd and "that tree" (we see so many photos of them anyone would think it was the law to take one!). I used to do a lot of bicycling in my youth ... in later years the rolling resistance seems to have increased considerably, and a darn headwind follows me around everywhere! I've got a few friends who still cycle - I try to convince then to get a scooter - I tell them that it's just like cycling except you don't have to pedal and it feels like you're coasting downhill all the time!
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by slowpoke »

I had considered a bigger top case, but I wasn't sure if the size would be too wide and effect gas mileage (I used a Kathmandu backpack on my trip. BTW, I heard you could spot a Kiwi by how much Kathmandu gear they're wearing). Yup, I did the whole tourist routine and took a million pictures of the Good Shepard next to Lake Tekapo. Also did the astronomy thing at Mount John. Is NZ the best country in the world to live in? There have been many studies proclaiming it amongst the very best. I don't doubt it.

BTW, I tried going up Baldwin Street in Dunedin on the scooter. It was POURING rain, WINDY, and I barely made it. Folks, Baldwin is the steepest street in the world.
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Re: Real world weight limit on Shad cases?

Post by TheMaverick »

I went from a 34L to a 47L case - haven't noticed any change to the economy (I think I probably shield it from most of the wind anyway). For me, the extra space has been great; the old case held most things, but I struggled to get extras like lunch and a jacket in there - but it's only 1/2 full on the new one.

The other things that give Kiwi's away in big cities are (1) the Air NZ bags over their shoulders and (2) how we walk around with our heads looking upwards at all the skyscrapers! In a world of increasing terrorism and threat of war I really can't think of any place I'd rather be though, although from day-to-day it does have it's challenges for things that don't impact larger countries in the same way (like freight -- few things frustrate me more than finally finding something online that I've wanted - great price - register an account - go to checkout - then discover that they only ship Fedex and it's $100 USD for a $10 item.

I've been to Dunedin, but haven't tackled that St yet. Got a not-too-dissimilar one here in Nelson - PCX makes it up with daugher on the back, but is far from enthusiastic about doing it. The CVT earned it's money that day.
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