Motorcycle luggage options

[auxilary]

So, I decided to get some type of hard luggage. Downside? I have a ninja 650r, which kind of limits my options on manufacturers. So, my current options are these:

 

sw-motech top rack - $150 + 35 for adapter plate (coocase, givi monolock or monokey, etc):

 

pros: sturdy, bars double as passenger grab handles, meaning I can sell my grab handles for about $60 or so. Allows for use of other brands like coocase, givi, etc.

 

 

the other is Givi top rack, with monokey baseplate, $135.

 

pros: low profile, allows to keep factory grab handles. directly matched to luggage. There's a guy on a forum selling the TOP rack AND side racks for $200. normally combined cost is $305.

 

 

 

so, the issue with the givi is that I have to obviously use givi cases only, and cases are expensive. Smallish cases cost $200. I don't really need side panniers, so I could sell the side racks for maybe $80-100. The downside is that the side racks cannot be installed without the top rack. So even if I wanted side racks only, I still need the top rack installed. Or I ghetto rig ammo cans or marine storage boxes as cheap panniers (the side rails are made for givi v35 cases, pair of which costs $500 new)

 

I am also tempted to get the sw-motech rack and a cheap ebay top case, which I realize will probably fail soon, but $400-500 minimum for a hard luggage setup is really expensive.

 

Bike in question pictured below, and as you can see, fabricating my own is probably not worth it due to plastics and limited mounting points. I also want to opt for hard luggage so my girlfriend can use it as a backrest.

 

 

What are your thoughts?