Multistrada 950
set for touring duties
ave you ever tried to build flat-pack furniture from a well-known Swedish furniture-maker while suffering from a hangover? When I took the instructions out of the three large boxes that arrived containing my new SW-Motech Trax (Trax Adventure pannier system £824.99 and top case £451.99, both including VAT), I feared just such a headache. On paper the sheer amount of parts looks daunting, to say the least. Like most things, it’s all about the preparation, I collected all the tools together that I needed for the assembly process and laid out all of the parts for the first job and then started calmly. ‘I noticed a slight lack of power in a head-on wind with the luggage fitted’ First up, the top case mountingplate – a great way to start and also it helped me get used to how the SW-Motech put their instructions together. After that life became much easier. Before I knew it the Alu Rack top case adaptor plate was on and the top case almost falls into position on the plate before locking into place. Talking of locks, all of the cases can be locked or removed using the same key – not only very useful but also quick and easy to fit. The side case luggage racks are attached to brackets that use existing threaded holes on the bike, others attach by replacing the existing footrest mounting bolts with longer one to accept the additional brackets. With everything bolted up and the cases slipped into place, I am really pleased with the result, especially the quality of the manufacture and finish
of all the SW-Motech components. The best bit though, is the fact that the cases and the main frames can be removed in seconds, taking the bike back to its slim and nimble self. During my first ride on the fully loaded Multistrada, I completely forgot that they were attached – it wasn’t until I hit the motorway that I noticed a slight lack of power in a head-on wind. The boxes had compromised the aerodynamics a tad and I could almost feel a parachute effect from the rear of the bike slowing me down slightly. With the additional weight of the cases, associated frameworks and predicted load of clothes and kit that will be packed into them, I have added some additional preload on the rear shock as it was quite noticeable from the start that the back end had begun to sag a little. Now I am all geared up, I am going to plan a big trip! Time to get the maps out…