Fully loaded: Best motorcycle luggage racks

This luggage bridge from German manufacturer Hepco & Becker is not cheap but it is well made and is available for a massive range of motorcycles, including BMW's retro R nineT, as shown here. It's formed in tubular steel, is powder-coated in black and is designed to support soft luggage, as opposed to mounting a topbox.

Ventura has come up with an interesting way to add luggage to bikes that would not normally be able to accept it. Its system uses a pair of bike-specific L-brackets, in this case, for the Aprilia RSV4, which fit to the bike in a similar way to pillion grab-handles (in fact, they can be used for that too).

British firm Renntec has a massive range of luggage racks, such as this one for a Yamaha XJ900F. The racks are designed to allow a range of soft luggage to be carried on the bike, such as roll bags and it includes a pillion grab rail for added security for passengers. It's made in 19mm steel tube and finished in a polyester powder coat and mounts to standard bike fitting points.

Luggage giant SW-Motech offers a simple, bolt-on tubular-steel luggage rack for a range of off-road motorcycles, such as this one for the Yamaha XT600. It uses existing mounting points on the motorcycle and comes with the necessary hardware to fit to the bike, offering a useful space to mount luggage or spares and tools.

Givi is another huge luggage manufacturer that produces racks to hold its range of topboxes. This example is for the Honda CBF125 and is designed to accept the brand's adapter plates so a rigid topbox can also be fitted. However, even without the plate and the topbox, it's still a very useful rack for soft luggage. It's formed in tubular steel and mounts to existing points on the bike with supplied hardware.

This rack is designed to fit the rear fender of a Harley Davidson XL Sportster and is available in black powder-coat or the high-gloss chrome you see here. It is curved to fit the fender perfectly and uses existing holes to mount. It is available in two lengths; 180mm and 280mm for even more carrying capacity.

This rack has it all going on; mounting brackets, luggage rack and backrest for a pillion passenger. This example is for the Honda Rebel CMX300 cruiser and the side panels fit to the bike with the backrest and luggage rack fitting to the panels.

This odd-looking rack from Siebenrock is designed to work with the company's Solo seat on the BMW R80GS, effectively replacing the pillion seat with this rack to offer additional carrying capacity. It's made from tubular steel and is painted for protection.