This week on EV Rider we’re looking at one of the more inexpensive motorcycle top box storage options out there: the Minting LED Universal Top Box. Can it compete with the GIVI and SHAD big name brands? Let’s find out.
Post your questions or comments about the Mingting here.
GIVI and SHAD are two of the biggest hard luggage providers. In fact SHAD is the original equipment manufacturer for the Zero Motorcycles SR/F that is in the video at the top of this post.
Many motorcyclists are going to stick with OEM brands – and for good reason – the mounting hardware and sometimes the luggage itself is custom made for a particular brand or bike.
But that often means paying a premium. Which is where universal top boxes come in.
I recently bought a Mingting 47 litre hard luggage case with built-in LED lighting and back rest pad on Amazon. At the time of this video’s posting it cost $161.
Comparing it to the SHAD SH39 in the video at the top of this post, Revzilla was asking $340.97 for the version that includes the brake light and backrest pad.
You can find the SHAD cheaper than that if you look around but the point is if you want one with the LED light kit and backrest you’re going to spend significantly more than you will with the Mingting. The same is true with the GIVIs.
So, how does the Mingting, which is also known as the Adlo, compare? Pretty well.
The Mingting is rated at 41 litres of storage while the SHAD is rated at 39. But raw storage capacity doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Mingting is wider, so depending on the size of your helmets you might be able to squeeze in two across.
On the other hand, the SHAD is just a bit taller so it can swallow a full face HJC RPHA 70 Carbon standing up, where as with the Mingting I have to lay the HJC on its side and remove my Sena 50c in order to fully close the lid.
The locking mechanism on the Mingting is also more finicky than the SHAD’s. In terms of the plastics, they feel pretty comparable.
Moving to the LED lighting, the Mingting is plenty bright at night. You can either wire it as a running light or brake light, but not both since it only comes with positive and negative wires. It does include a pinhole at the bottom of the case to run the wiring through the case to the bike.
In my case I decided I didn’t want to see any exposed wiring so I instead wired it to a rechargeable battery pack that I mounted with velcro inside the box. I used a Qteatak 12v AA battery box with on/off switch ($6.99) and an 8-pack of rechargeable EBL batteries with an included charger ($25.49).
I decided on a battery pack so I could also quickly disconnect the top box without worrying about remembering to disconnect a wire plug when I want to carry the topbox indoors.
The universal mount has plenty of hole locations so it should fit most mounting brackets but I do have to ding the Mingting for its ridiculously long bolts. You can see just how long they are in the video review at the top of this post.
So far I’ve ridden about a thousand miles with the Mingting. It seems sturdy. My gear did remain dry after a rainstorm but if I find it gives me any trouble over time, I’ll add an update in the comments.
Assuming it doesn’t then the Mingting has certainly accomplished its mission of coming up with an affordable universal top box and one of the few to also include LED lighting at a price that undercuts most – or maybe even all – of its competition in its size category.
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