[SavingFuel]

I signed up for this forum just so I could add to this thread. My two luggage rack questions are at the bottom, but first I have some comments...

I don't normally join forums, but sometimes end up on them when Googling a specific subject. Today's subject happened to be luggage racks for a GZ250. Reading the subject line, I thought I had struck gold. Unfortunately, Google took me to p. 2, the first posting of which referred to 6-year-olds spiking food with ExLax and hiding toilet paper. Huh? I scrolled down only to find a bunch of whiny messages having nothing to do with the GZ250 let alone luggage racks. I navigated to the top of page 1 to find the first posting which did indeed ask a question related to the subject of interest and which was answered by at least one person fairly soon afterwards.

However, the fact that this thread goes on for 3 pages (most of which is off-subject) really reduces the usefulness of the posting. Who wants to scroll through that much text when at least 75% of the postings relate to spelling, grammar, and posting etiquette in the hopes of picking up a few more tips on luggage racks?

As a new forum member and first-time poster, I still have this idea that all postings in a thread should relate to the original question asked. It would seem logical to invite people to a new thread if you want to bicker about or otherwise discuss off-subject issues. People who have better things to do than chat online will soon find other ways to get their questions answered than using this forum. You will drive away potentially helpful members if you spend too much time off-subject (like I'm doing now... but this thread is already pretty messed up!).

In principle, I LOVE the idea of a forum specific to my exact bike. I will give this a try with fingers crossed that it helps more than annoys. You - I mean we - all have the potential to make this site a valuable asset to many GZ250 riders. I hope to be more impressed by future visits to this forum.

Here are my two questions about racks and storage...

1. Isn't there a better option than cutting the backrest off a $300 sissy bar/rack combo just to mount a useable trunk? My previous ride was a cheap Chinese scooter that came with a backrest/rack combo and a trunk that had a lid that hinged a few inches behind the backrest, so it opened without having to modify anything. Can anyone suggest a specific trunk mfr/model of that style that works with an unmodified Suzuki OEM sissy bar/rack? I'm kind-of wishing I had kept that trunk!

2. Although that OEM rack looks sturdy, the paperwork that came with mine says it's limited to 4 # load. I know that's just their liability thing, but can any of you give me examples of how much weight you really carry on your OEM racks without apparent stress on the rack or the bike?

Thank you!