Japanese market rear carrier, side box, and decals

[Low-gear]

Was shipping really that cheap?

 

[dmonkey]

That's what it says it will let me check out with right now. I have about $8.45 of Webike points that it might be applying to the shipping, can't tell without placing an order and not going to buy it again... All Webike prices are based on JPY, so if your payment method charges a JPY to USD conversion fee that will add to the cost. Travel oriented credit cards sometimes don't charge those foreign transaction or currency exchange fees. Because the price is based on JPY, if you add something to your cart and go to check out the next day it might display a different USD price due to the exchange rate fluctuation.

 

[John2]

What made you opt for the Honda box rather than a soft pannier?

And now that you've had some time with the box, how do you like it?

 

[dmonkey]

Short answers:
I wanted locking hard storage.
Overall, I like the Honda side box.

Long answers:
I wanted dedicated, lockable, and weather resistant tool storage that I could leave on the motorcycle all the time. Though I usually prefer the look of soft panniers, a hard case seemed better suited for these conditions. There aren't great options for locking a soft bag, heavy items can cause excessive seam wear if the load isn't distributed well, and weather resistance often degrades with wear. If I were packing a varying amount of contents and removing them from the motorcycle, I would have gone with a soft pannier. Likely the OEM Honda nylon saddle bag (large),

Saddlebag Support 08L78-K2E-J11 and Saddlebag (Large) 08L05-K87-A31

For semi-permanent locking tool storage, the other hard cases I considered were:
Givi S250 tool box. I've used these before but having just one of them wouldn't have fit my touring tool kit. Mounting position depends on which side rack you pair it with.
https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/sp-takegawa-rack-and-givi-s250-toolbox-mounted.1205/


Touratech toolbox for CT125. This tucks in tight under the rear carrier which is nice, decent capacity, but the attachment bracket only uses the two OEM toolbox attachment points and one on the license plate bracket. I was concerned that this would break with the weight of tools inside it.


Here are some of my observations after 4k+ miles of riding with the OEM Honda side box:

Pros:

• Locking storage
• Lock doubles as a helmet lock (I haven't really used it as one, I prefer locking my helmet on the top box where it's less likely to get bumped into)
• Doesn't require an extra key, one less key to carry and worry about
• Fits the CT125 well and matches some of the black accents such as the air filter cover and snorkel duct
• Large volume, made possible by it tucking in under the rear carrier a bit
• Hasn't let any rain in yet
• Has a dedicated spot for owner's manual and/or paperwork
• Hefty side box mounting bracket that distributes the weight across multiple contact points
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Looks a bit like cheap plastic luggage for transporting a volleyball, or more realistically a half helmet
• Side opens, so contents may fall down when opening it
• The latch handle is clunky and takes some getting used to
• The side box mounting bracket is heavy
• The shelf that the owner's manual is meant to sit below droops a bit in the center if items are loaded on top of it without anything below it
• Sticks out from under the rear carrier adding some width, and making it a contact point if the motorcycle falls over (could be good or bad)
• One of the more expensive options, even more so being fitted to a US model CT125

Helmet lock



The width at the side box is narrower than the handlebars which are my visual gauge for where the CT can fit for trail riding and lane filtering, though the side box is lower in height than the handlebars. I have an exhaust crash guard on the right side of the motorcycle which protrudes around the same width beyond the rear carrier, so clearance is similar on both sides at that height.




The side box is well suited to the CT125 and my particular use case. I feel like someone with more artistic ability than myself could likely come up with a decent CT-themed decal set to apply to the side box that would break up the black plastic box look.

 

[dirty side down]

Short answers:
I wanted locking hard storage.
Overall, I like the Honda side box.

Long answers:
I wanted dedicated, lockable, and weather resistant tool storage that I could leave on the motorcycle all the time. Though I usually prefer the look of soft panniers, a hard case seemed better suited for these conditions. There aren't great options for locking a soft bag, heavy items can cause excessive seam wear if the load isn't distributed well, and weather resistance often degrades with wear. If I were packing a varying amount of contents and removing them from the motorcycle, I would have gone with a soft pannier. Likely the OEM Honda nylon saddle bag (large),
View attachment 8302
Saddlebag Support 08L78-K2E-J11 and Saddlebag (Large) 08L05-K87-A31

For semi-permanent locking tool storage, the other hard cases I considered were:
Givi S250 tool box. I've used these before but having just one of them wouldn't have fit my touring tool kit. Mounting position depends on which side rack you pair it with.
https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/sp-takegawa-rack-and-givi-s250-toolbox-mounted.1205/
View attachment 8304

Touratech toolbox for CT125. This tucks in tight under the rear carrier which is nice, decent capacity, but the attachment bracket only uses the two OEM toolbox attachment points and one on the license plate bracket. I was concerned that this would break with the weight of tools inside it.
View attachment 8303

Here are some of my observations after 4k+ miles of riding with the OEM Honda side box:

Pros:

• Locking storage
• Lock doubles as a helmet lock (I haven't really used it as one, I prefer locking my helmet on the top box where it's less likely to get bumped into)
• Doesn't require an extra key, one less key to carry and worry about
• Fits the CT125 well and matches some of the black accents such as the air filter cover and snorkel duct
• Large volume, made possible by it tucking in under the rear carrier a bit
• Hasn't let any rain in yet
• Has a dedicated spot for owner's manual and/or paperwork
• Hefty side box mounting bracket that distributes the weight across multiple contact points
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Looks a bit like cheap plastic luggage for transporting a volleyball, or more realistically a half helmet
• Side opens, so contents may fall down when opening it
• The latch handle is clunky and takes some getting used to
• The side box mounting bracket is heavy
• The shelf that the owner's manual is meant to sit below droops a bit in the center if items are loaded on top of it without anything below it
• Sticks out from under the rear carrier adding some width, and making it a contact point if the motorcycle falls over (could be good or bad)
• One of the more expensive options, even more so being fitted to a US model CT125

Helmet lock
View attachment 8305


The width at the side box is narrower than the handlebars which are my visual gauge for where the CT can fit for trail riding and lane filtering, though the side box is lower in height than the handlebars. I have an exhaust crash guard on the right side of the motorcycle which protrudes around the same width beyond the rear carrier, so clearance is similar on both sides at that height.


View attachment 8306

The side box is well suited to the CT125 and my particular use case. I feel like someone with more artistic ability than myself could likely come up with a decent CT-themed decal set to apply to the side box that would break up the black plastic box look.

Dmonkey - thanks for the post and pics. It's decided. I'm going with the OEM box. Could i trouble you for the info on the exhaust crash guard? Seems like a good idea.... Thx.

 

[dmonkey]

This is the exhaust crash guard that's mounted on my CT125:

Motion J Exhaust Crash Guard Honda CT125 Trail 125 – Beezdeals

beezdeals.com

Motion J : Exhaust Guard CT125 [CT-012]