► Hard luggage--panniers and topboxes

[swolf]

HELP, can't make up my mind. Which panniers to buy???

Okay, so I have the TT 41/41 special in my garage (I can return them, no problem) feel guilty as they are sooo expensive. The welds are okay. They look great when held up to the bike, BUT i do think a good "get off" will destroy them OR at minimal, make them ugly.

Now I'm liking the Jessie cases BUT wondering if the mounted lid will be problematic due to other wider luggage mounted over them on the back seat. If you have Jessie boxes has this been a problem? I leaning toward the Jessie 90L boxes at only around 940mm wide.http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt330/ONEEYEMIKE/GS2Jessie.jpg

I can't hep but notice on many forums that everyone looks like they own the BMW adventure boxes. Why? They really do look nice, they are wide and there have been a few post about their welds

The Happy Trails do look nice but a friend had them and said they have rough edges that cut into his girlfriend. Also said they rattle. + no locks, paddle locks would rattle and questionable build for off road.

Then their are the Zega pro boxes from TT due out around late May. They look nice, still pricey and I think measure in around 1060mm wide.

What do do?

Come-on, give me some hard advice!!!

 

[freeloader]

HELP, can't make up my mind. Which panniers to buy???

...

I'm liking the Jessie cases BUT wondering if the mounted lid will be problematic due to other wider luggage mounted over them on the back seat. If you have Jessie boxes has this been a problem? I leaning toward the Jessie 90L boxes at only around 940mm wide.http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt330/ONEEYEMIKE/GS2Jessie.jpg

I can't hep but notice on many forums that everyone looks like they own the BMW adventure boxes. Why? They really do look nice, they are wide and there have been a few post about their welds

The Happy Trails do look nice but a friend had them and said they have rough edges that cut into his girlfriend. Also said they rattle. + no locks, paddle locks would rattle and questionable build for off road.

Then their are the Zega pro boxes from TT due out around late May. They look nice, still pricey and I think measure in around 1060mm wide.

What do do?

Come-on, give me some hard advice!!!

I didn't look at Jesse cases for my F800 since I'd seen photos of them on another bike and thought they looked ungainly, and I hadn't even heard of Happy Trails.

I'd considered the Trax kit, but in the end went for BMW's own aluminium cases, for the following reasons; I like the look of them, the right pannier will take my Tour-X, but a big plus was that I could have them use the bike's key to lock them (and no flappy padlocks). And they're cut away to sit slightly closer to the bike, and give the illusion that they're equal width - which they are, but only down to slightly below the lid. They could have been fitted closer to the bike's sides, but I'm nitpicking there.

Oh yes, and they were the only type of panniers I could buy locally. Everything else I looked at was mail order; maybe a small point, but important to me, anyway.

Can't tell you about pillion comfort since I never carry one, but I've just returned from a 1000 mile trip and so far, I've no complaints about them. And if they rattle, I can't hear them (although the left one will move slightly when it's locked in place, but is still secure).

Hope that helps!

 

[grandru]

these are mine,
comming from http://www.rms-rogers.de/

small

42 and 35L

 

[Stop Stop]

Which panniers...?

I am looking to buy a topbox and set of panniers but not sure what to get.
I collect my new F650GS this coming weekend and would like to get some luggage as soon as possible for a tour around Scotland in the coming months.

Could anyboby give me some advice and where the best place to buy them from. Also, if anyone has a set for sale.

Cheers

 

[KeeF650]

Have you read through the "Hard Luggage - Panniers and Top Boxes" thread in this forum?

 

[Diamaduk]

top box

Just fitted a peli case adapted to be a top box, Ideal for commuting, holds wallet, phone, ipod and lunch etc, the box is the peli 1200 model which is small enough to be discreet and large enough for the commute. It is no also plumbed for all autocom connections, music/phone/two way. I also added a splash of black 3m reflective.

All for the sum of £38 ebay delivered.


Jimmy

 

[Wildcat]

1200GS topbox on 650/800 GS

I'm sure it could be made to fit. I don't know how the box fits to the 1200GSA, but I kept the Vario topbox from my 1200GS and now use it on my 800; I know it uses completely different fittings, but if someone gave me one then I could make it fit.

And I suspect most folk could as well...

Hi - Grateful for some advice! For the avoidance of doubt before I order a vario top box mounting plate for my new 650 GS, can you confirm that an ex-1200GS vario box will fit it. The dealer can only tell me that the box specified for the 650/800 has a different part number to that for the 1200 - but this could just be down to the cosmetic details and not affect the actual mounting lugs etc.

Cheers
Paul

 

[freeloader]

Hi - Grateful for some advice! For the avoidance of doubt before I order a vario top box mounting plate for my new 650 GS, can you confirm that an ex-1200GS vario box will fit it. The dealer can only tell me that the box specified for the 650/800 has a different part number to that for the 1200 - but this could just be down to the cosmetic details and not affect the actual mounting lugs etc.

Cheers
Paul

I don't know. I suspect you're correct, and that an ex-1200GS Vario box would fit the 650/800 plate, but haven't had the chance to try it. I kept the plate from my 1200 and mounted that to my 800.

Having said that, there's bound to be someone on this forum who's done it (or failed to). And the only other person I've met with an 800 and 800-specific Varios might only have the panniers, and lives too far from me to just pop round anyway, unfortunately (John O'Groats, so a bit far for you too...).

 

[Wildcat]

I don't know. I suspect you're correct, and that an ex-1200GS Vario box would fit the 650/800 plate, but haven't had the chance to try it. I kept the plate from my 1200 and mounted that to my 800.

Having said that, there's bound to be someone on this forum who's done it (or failed to). And the only other person I've met with an 800 and 800-specific Varios might only have the panniers, and lives too far from me to just pop round anyway, unfortunately (John O'Groats, so a bit far for you too...).

Thanks for the update - I'll see if anyone else responds before throwing the question in as a new post. I looked at transferring the 1200 plate but it didn't look that simple to devise a mounting arrangement .. so it is currently on ebay!

 

[santrix]

Stahlkoffer Panniers

Finally they are ready, i believe mine is the first set, fitting tomorrow morrow morning, will post pics when done.... Should be ok since my bike was the one they used to design them..

 

[nikp]

Stahlkoffer Panniers

Finally they are ready, i believe mine is the first set, fitting tomorrow morrow morning, will post pics when done.... Should be ok since my bike was the one they used to design them..

Getting mine fitted on Monday Afternoon / Evening

Bernie assures me they're worth the wait

 

[santrix]

Stahlkoffer Panniers and Frames

Had mine fitted today 399 plus VAT which personally i think is a bargain including frames and 2 locks. Fitted for 25 quid. They measure 975mm (1 inch under a meter) across the rear, which i think is about 25mm bigger than the handlebars with BMW hand guards fitted.
Pics as promised. I think they look rather nice in the grey to match the bike.

 

[nikp]

Got my Stahlkoffers fitted today.







Got them in black so they'd go with the bumble bee a bit better. I was going to get them in yellow & black but as bernie @ Stahlkoffer pointed out I may have got mistaken for the AA man

Anyway, good product at the right price.

Did a few hundred miles with them on today and forgot they were there after the first couple of miles (not always ideal when filtering at speed)

Loads of room to keep me scooby snacks in now

 

[santrix]

Nick you wanna get one of Stahlkoffers rear luggage racks, cheap as chips.. almost, same as TT ones but at a sensible rpice, covers up some of the metalwork at the back too, sets it of a treat. The rear bars on the rack really do make the frames very strong laterally, much less movement on them that other makes ive seen. The 800 really does flex..

 

[nikp]

Nick you wanna get one of Stahlkoffers rear luggage racks, cheap as chips.. almost, same as TT ones but at a sensible rpice, covers up some of the metalwork at the back too, sets it of a treat. The rear bars on the rack really do make the frames very strong laterally, much less movement on them that other makes ive seen. The 800 really does flex..

I've already got the Adventure Spec rack plate, but I need to manufature some new spacers to suit. If it looks like too big of a job then I might just get Bernies plate. Is that the Stahlkoffer plate on your bike?

Also,
I really like the fact that the frames pick up on all 4 'rear rack' fixings. I've seen some frames that fix and take stability off the rear mudguard which just doesn't look strong enough to me... but I'm sure I'll be corrected on that one

 

[freeloader]

Nick you wanna get one of Stahlkoffers rear luggage racks, cheap as chips.. almost, same as TT ones but at a sensible rpice, covers up some of the metalwork at the back too, sets it of a treat. ...

Sounds like what I'm after. What thickness of material is it made of, aluminium or steel, length/width, price?

And as nikp said, is that it on your bike?

Thanks!

 

[santrix]

The one on my bike is a TT, but its more or less identical to the stalhoffer one... I mean very similar...

 

[moody]

santrix/nikp do you have photos of the bike without panniers fitted?
Are they easy to remove?
Thanks x

 

[santrix]

will post a pic as soon as i have a few moments, and yes, they just drop on and are secured by a metal rod, they aint going no where. You dont need to dig inside the pannier like with TT to remove them.

 

[DaveH-F800GS]

Stahlkoffer panniers

Just got my Stahlkoffer panniers fitted too. Had to revert back to the standard backend i.e. no AdventureSpec rack. Panniers feel solid and imo go with the bike really well. At £399 + vat they'll do the job fine. Will probably modify the fit either by removing the grab rails or shortening the down tube element that the bolts go though in an attempt to get it to sit level again. The frames locate under the rear grab rail tilting it which isn't the end of the world but if I am making changes to get the rack back on why not.