Ally Panniers
- Thread starter Hexme
- Start date
I swapped Varios for Ally and thought they looked massive but I've not found any problem filtering yet.
They're only marginally wider than the Bars, if at all.
That said, I don't do City Riding so it might be a different proposition in London for example.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
They're only marginally wider than the Bars, if at all.
That said, I don't do City Riding so it might be a different proposition in London for example.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I did the same. IIRC the GSA LH (exhaust side) ally pannier has the same volume as a RH vario in its extended position! Also much prefer the top loading. I retained the vario top box which is "just" big enough for my day-to-day riding and means I don't use the ally boxes unless on an extended trip, if I needed more space on a daily basis I'd go for a bigger top box, eg. Givi Outback.
My last 2 GSA's had ally panniers, but that was a while ago, I'm just getting old and forgetful 
Think I'll go for the ally panniers, just needed a bit of thinking time, cheers for the help
Just need to source a pair now thats not too expensive!
Think I'll go for the ally panniers, just needed a bit of thinking time, cheers for the help
Just need to source a pair now thats not too expensive!
Bendy toy
Registered user
The GSA handlebars are slightly wider than the Ally side cases. Just avoid sharp turn around the back of a standing car in case (sic) you catch a bumper.
Rocketman
Registered user
My last 2 GSA's had ally panniers, but that was a while ago, I'm just getting old and forgetful
Think I'll go for the ally panniers, just needed a bit of thinking time, cheers for the help
Just need to source a pair now thats not too expensive!
Take a look at the holan nomada ally cases ,had mine 18 mths now build qauliyt spot on and half price of Touratwat
Bumot panniers get good feedback.
If you want to check out a set of alloy BMW panniers on a Hex head GSA you can pop over to my place and I'll fit mine.
Having owned both a GS with plastic varios and a GSA with alloy boxes, I'd choose alloy boxes every time (especially after having dropped the bike.)
Having owned both a GS with plastic varios and a GSA with alloy boxes, I'd choose alloy boxes every time (especially after having dropped the bike.)
I've now got BMW ally panniers on my GS. before that I had stahlkoffer boxes which were really good. When I bought the bike it had varios and I found varios really irritating in use. It's much easier to load a top opening box. My handlebars are wider than the boxes so filtering is easy. Oddly, I still use a vario topbox though. I find it a good piece of kit because of the collapsing mechanism. So. it looks a bit odd but it all works well.
I think the fact that panniers are no wider than handlebars could mislead people into thinking filtering is not a problem. A lot of filtering is between rows of cars and the gap at handlebar height is quite a bit bigger than the gap at pannier height. Take care.
mmm. only if you're filtering through rows of sports cars...GS/A mirrors are closer to Van / fat big 4x4 mirrors than panniers get...
Mad_Accountant
Registered user
l have had both,I really dislike the varios, they are a reverse Tardis, big on the outside and tiny on the inside AND very awkward to load as they don't have internal elastics (as with the older touring cases). I did not realise that I could combine the ally cases with the vario top box, I was repeatedly told by my dealer that was not possible, so I am confused. That for me would certainly be the ideal combination. Info on how this can be done would be gratefully received. Thx.
As long as your bike is a hex head and not an LC it's pretty straightforward ... pillion grab handles/vario rack from the GS combined with the steel pannier frames from the GSA. You can't do it the other way round though, i.e. Vario cases with ally top box.
Thanks Adam, My last 2 GSA's had ally panniers, just couldn't remember how wide they were! Its an age thing I think lol. Decided to get the ally ones now so the hunt is on
For your own safety get ally panniers - a bike chucked down the road with ally panniers will keep the bike off you - the varios will fly off and you will be in direct contact with the road with the bike on top of you - they are as tuff as fcuk
There's a couple of sets on eBay ...
They won't do much when you hoon into a tree, a wall, a lorry or trundle over the edge of a gorge. Empty, they might help you float when you somehow hurtle into a lake.
Similar threads
