GIVI Magazine - Novembre 2017

ENGLISH TEXT Alessandro Botturi THE ENTHUSIAST At the end of September, Alessandro dropped by and staff from the MAG convinced him to leave with a stock of Gravel-T bags, asking him to test them during the transfer stages of his end-of- season races in Africa. Alessandro sent us some fantastic photos, one of them has even ended up on the cover. The smile made us feel optimistic and the feeling of opti- mism was confirmed by the answers Alessandro gave to our questions. Alessandro, did you manage to mount the Gra- vel-T bags to your official WFR450? “Of course! I did several tests. “ They are designed for the small / mediumsized Enduro. Are they compatible? Do you think that the attachment works well? “Yes, they are really great bags ... quick to fix and have a really good fit. I tried them on sloped and narrow tracks and they stayed in place.” The set you used included a tank bag, backpack, pouch and gear for the rear fender. What did you appreciate most? I found the pouch really good and extremely practical thanks to the two zippered pockets, which can be used to store small objects. The waterproofing was tested during a race and my cell phone was well protected. With the full Eun- duro kit, whoever wants to go on a tour for a few days can take all the essentials, including some clothes for leisure time. The range of Gravel-T soft bags has undergo- ne a further upgrade and at EICMA we are also introducing a pair of side bags and a second fastening bag. Have we forgotten something? Will the evolved Enduro rider who intends to travel away from the usual paths for a few days find everything they need in this range? “I would say yes. There are many Enduro riders who plan tours covering a few days and the solu- tions offered by the Gravel-T range allow you to bring along the necessary equipment, including some caps for leisure time.” Putting the subject of bags to one side, can you tell us about your end-of-season commit- ments? “I have participated in several very challenging races such as Panafrica and the Oilibya Rally, both held in Morocco. Unfortunately, I was unlu- cky .... but I always experienced great days with the leader of the pack and the same competitors I will encounter at Dakar. The 2018 programme will start with this race which is the most important for us. The rest of the programme has not yet been planned. I will see you at EICMA: I cannot miss such an important event and I feel totally at home on the GIVI stand! “ Mitja Gustincic THE SKEPTIC Mitja is an expert Slovenian journalist and biker. He has had hundreds of articles published in this sector, including a number of books / guides for motorists. For luggage transportation, even for short journeys, our colleague uses rigid luggage and has never hidden his aversion to soft bags. What better opportunity to try and change his mind? We sent him a travel set, begging him to break the rule and here’s what happened. Mitja, how did you travel without your beloved rigid su- itcases? I find side cases, made of plastic or aluminium, the best choice. True, they widen the width of the motorcycle but when I think of the protection (even in bad weather) of- fered to the travelling equipment, they are better. To be honest after this I reflected further: a “rigid box” is a “rigid box” and as such you cannot squeeze inside more than the form allows. And I would add that with the set you sent me, I tried the least safe roads (mud, dirt, slopes) and I found riding was less “heavy”. In your ownwordswe can see you are opening up ... Whe- re did you try the bags? Knowing you, we do not believe that you simply “went around the block”. Indeed. I took a picturesque tour, which later became an article for my newspaper. From Slovenia it brought me to Albania, Greece and Macedonia. I started with a Suzu- ki V-Strom 650 with GIVI UT808 soft side bags mounted on PL3112 frames, the UT806 saddle bag and the XS308 tanklock tank bag. Did you experience any difficulties in assembly and use? Of course you need to do things carefully. Everything must be well positioned and carefully secured to the mo- torcycle, paying attention to the exhaust terminal. If you do your homework well, you will not experience problems on the road. I started with a half-empty sad- dle bag and during the trip I put all sorts of things in it, including a plastic box full of Greek onions (excel- lent for making salads) and some melon! I also had my raincoat and a couple of sweaters. I ap- preciated the kind of material with which the bags are made as it eliminates the “solar collector” effect rigid cases often have. After this experience I guess you also have some criticism / advice for the company. Is that correct? My soft bags would be perfect with a couple of grooves or fixing points to “grab” the top tube of the subframe. This would ensure that the bag does not move downward with the risk of the base co- ming into contact with the discharge terminal. Du- ring this trip I travelled about 3,700km with tempe- ratures often over 30 degrees. In these cases, it is important to be able to store a plastic water bottle (0.5 to 1 litre). There was no ad hoc space available in the bags but I was informed that the new “soft” lines GIVI is introducing at EICMA have been de- signed with the M.O.L.L.E. for hooking up various accessories. I found the tank bag useful and I’m still using it for everyday needs. I still follow the road using paper maps and I would prefer a larger transparent window to avoid ruining them. This is a subjective requirement of course. Whoever uses a tablet will love it. GIVI Magazine Novembre 2017 - Tech 43