What's stopping me...Vario luggage.

wrinkleyowlie · Mar 10, 2013

I've now had a week to mull over and consider the new 1200 it's a cracking bike and as the week has gone on my desire for one has intensified somewhat.

The biggest hurdle for me now is getting my head around the luggage.
I've always been a big fan of alloy luggage,not to bothered about the top box but definitely the panniers,but I only use them for around 30 days a year and the rest of the time they sit in the shed.

Touratech are doing them but the're getting on for £1100 which is just a little bit to rich.
So my alternative at the moment is to go with the Vario panniers,I've never lived with them or used them.

Any feed back from folks who have used both would be greatly appreciated,and are the varios as crappy as they look or in the real world are they OK ?

Steve

Nutty · Mar 10, 2013

I ordered varios with mine, then Vines emailed to say they could source the Touratech luggage. I mulled it over, and went with the varios, as I'd had them before, and like that the bike won't be covered in scaffolding, spoiling the lines of the bike for the 11 months of the year I ride without luggage. :rob

And I like that the varios can be expanded depending on how much you need to pack

sutty · Mar 10, 2013

varios

hello,i have had 2 gs 1200 05/08 40,000 miles on the 05 and at the moment 39,000 on the 08 all with the same original panniers on most of the time,they have never leaked and we have ridden in some atrocious weather in france(last year 1,000 plus miles in a biblical storm) they have been knocked and banged all over europe and they still work,a credit to the build quality. :beerjug:

jonnyp · Mar 10, 2013

I have varios, would have loved ally boxes but can't justify the extra cost for the use I would get from them, much like yourself.

Compared to the older ones the new ones for the LC look and feel stronger. The new locking mechanism is better and they anchor off the rear foot rest hangers as well.

The BM blurb says, they are designed for off road so, should be better.

I think the ally boxes suit the GSA's but on std 1200...narr!

Buz · Mar 10, 2013

I had alluminium ones on my 650 twin and now varios on my 1200 (06) vario's will be in the for sale section soon and i'll be sourcing some more ally ones.
I find the vario ones awkward when used with ice as a Cider fridge :beerjug:

Seriously, i'd rather have top loading rather than side loading you get with the vario's.

JohnnyBoxer · Mar 10, 2013

jonnyp said:
Compared to the older ones the new ones for the LC look and feel stronger. The new locking mechanism is better and they anchor off the rear foot rest hangers as well.

Just like previous BMW system panniers on 11/1150 GS bikes

Good to see BMW know what works best in the past & when they got it right

Perhaps the new LC Vario topbox won't fly off of its own accord too

Mad_Accountant · Mar 10, 2013

The Nutty GSER said:
I ordered varios with mine, then Vines emailed to say they could source the Touratech luggage. I mulled it over, and went with the varios, as I'd had them before, and like that the bike won't be covered in scaffolding, spoiling the lines of the bike for the 11 months of the year I ride without luggage. And I like that the varios can be expanded depending on how much you need to pack

I understand your view but the Touratech frames work for me as rear crash bars when the boxes are off. The new vario top box is both bigger and stronger than the Hexhead one and the mounting is better. So I feel the answer is to start with the vario top box and use that daily then save up for the Touratech panniers in time for your next "Long Way Round" tour

Having said all that there's not much wrong with the vario panniers if you can live with side loading, for me that would mean pannier liners (at around £85 each! )

Nutty · Mar 10, 2013

jonnyp said:
I have varios, would have loved ally boxes but can't justify the extra cost for the use I would get from them, much like yourself.

Compared to the older ones the new ones for the LC look and feel stronger. The new locking mechanism is better and they anchor off the rear foot rest hangers as well.

The BM blurb says, they are designed for off road so, should be better.

I think the ally boxes suit the GSA's but on std 1200...narr!

Agreed

The fittings are much more secure :beerjug:

Nutty · Mar 10, 2013

Mad_Accountant said:
I understand your view but the Touratech frames work for me as rear crash bars when the boxes are off. The new vario top box is both bigger and stronger than the Hexhead one and the mounting is better. So I feel the answer is to start with the vario top box and use that daily then save up for the Touratech panniers in time for your next "Long Way Round" tour

Having said all that there's not much wrong with the vario panniers if you can live with side loading, for me that would mean pannier liners (at around £85 each! )

On the LC, the pillion footrests do a much better job of protecting the back of the bike, and go right over the exhaust. As they are removable, in the event of a drop, you can just replace them

Mad_Accountant · Mar 10, 2013

The Nutty GSER said:
On the LC, the pillion footrests do a much better job of protecting the back of the bike, and go right over the exhaust. As they are removable, in the event of a drop, you can just replace them

Yes, good point.

This bike just keeps getting better :bounce1

Hammam · Mar 10, 2013

I had changed the Varios on my old GS for the GSA's alu panniers. I dont' agree that they don't suit the lines of the GS. I think they do, as well as the GSA's. Of course, it was mainly for the bigger capacity, the top-loading and the «long-way around» style. But it was more a whim than anything else. The Vario are okay. I like their lines and the fact that you can keep them narrow in town. As fas as side-opening is concerned, it's not that bad, as long as no one park their bike right alongside yours when you want to open that side's pannier. After all, RT owners (I was one of them until very recently) cope very well with side opening, and they have no other choice.

The only thing with the Varios is that you have to do some maintenance with the inside mechanism. Dust will get in there over time time and make the system a bit roug and harder to operate. Time for some water spraying and WD-40.

I have considered the Touratech panniers too, but since they were not immediately available, I went with the Varios.

Little-Brit · Mar 10, 2013

wrinkleyowlie said:
I've now had a week to mull over and consider the new 1200 it's a cracking bike and as the week has gone on my desire for one has intensified somewhat.

The biggest hurdle for me now is getting my head around the luggage.
I've always been a big fan of alloy luggage,not to bothered about the top box but definitely the panniers,but I only use them for around 30 days a year and the rest of the time they sit in the shed.

Touratech are doing them but the're getting on for £1100 which is just a little bit to rich.
So my alternative at the moment is to go with the Vario panniers,I've never lived with them or used them.

Any feed back from folks who have used both would be greatly appreciated,and are the varios as crappy as they look or in the real world are they OK ?

Steve

Probably the best made and adaptable luggage equipment available for my money. The modified mounting system (which reverts to a similar arrangement as the original R1100/850s) removes the only weekness from the Varios fitted to my old 2006 and current 2009 GSs. Used with liner bags they have proved to be perfect for the best part of a dozen continental trips.

If my forthcoming test ride is favourable my next GS will have a full kit of varios - no thinking required!

sven · Mar 10, 2013

For me, the big advantage of Vario panniers is that they don't act as an air brake or hinder filtering when unexpanded, unlike ali boxes, so are more suited to day-to-day use :thumb2

alp · Mar 10, 2013

Varios are not only practical and compact until you actually need the extra volume and only take seconds to expand if you do but they are also the best looking on the market.
Aluminium crates hanging off the side of bikes look grim. Sorry, but it has to be said.
The new GS is too good looking to think of putting anything else on it!

jonnyp · Mar 10, 2013

alp said:
Varios are not only practical and compact until you actually need the extra volume and only take seconds to expand if you do but they are also the best looking on the market.
Aluminium crates hanging off the side of bikes look grim. Sorry, but it has to be said.
The new GS is too good looking to think of putting anything else on it!

+1

Wizard · Mar 10, 2013

If you're only going to use them one week a year, why bother? Save yourself hundreds and get dry bags and PacSafes. Anything else is down to personal taste/gut instinct, and if you are persuaded by a thread on a forum, you'll probably regret it.

V2 TRV · Mar 10, 2013

Givi Trekkers are well made and significantly cheaper :thumb2

stick · Mar 10, 2013

The Nutty GSER said:
I ordered varios with mine, then Vines emailed to say they could source the Touratech luggage. I mulled it over, and went with the varios, as I'd had them before, and like that the bike won't be covered in scaffolding, spoiling the lines of the bike for the 11 months of the year I ride without luggage. And I like that the varios can be expanded depending on how much you need to pack

+1

Little-Brit · Mar 10, 2013

Wizard said:
If you're only going to use them one week a year, why bother? Save yourself hundreds and get dry bags and PacSafes. Anything else is down to personal taste/gut instinct, and if you are persuaded by a thread on a forum, you'll probably regret it.

I may only use the full capacity of the varios a few times a year but I use either the topbox or sidecases every time I go out on the bike. They are the muts nuts

jonnie comet · Mar 10, 2013

Wizard said:
If you're only going to use them one week a year, why bother? Save yourself hundreds and get dry bags and PacSafes. Anything else is down to personal taste/gut instinct, and if you are persuaded by a thread on a forum, you'll probably regret it.

Inclined to agree....

I had Varios on my 1200 and I wouldn’t buy them again. I’m not saying that they were absolute crap, I’m just saying that I would spend my money elsewhere.

I like BMW System panniers. They might be plastic, but they still have a very nice quality feel to their construction....nice locks/hinges etc.

I found varios to be bloody heavy with a nasty plasticky construction. I found the expander system gimmicky....I always thought that I was going to break something, either the mechanism or the locks or whatever. They certainly didn’t have ‘Robust’ written all over them. However I did use them on a number of Euro trips and DIDN’T break them..... :clap

If I KNEW that I really did want panniers every now and then, I would buy some that I could shift from bike to bike, as and when.....Like Givi....

What's stopping me...Vario luggage.

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