anyone with leaky 1200GSA BMW panniers?

[Tim Cullis]

I've spent this afternoon taping lengths of loo roll to the inside of my panniers and then playing water over them. My neighbours think I'm mad.

I've tracked down the worst of the leaks to a loose seal on the lid of the pannier. It seems to be a design flaw, and I'm interested in case others are about to have the same problem.

When you open the lid, it pivots on the other end. Just as you fully open the lid, the lock mechanism on the pivot end fouls the lid, and encourages the plastic seal to the lid to move slightly. With many repeated opens over the last eight months, all four of my pivot points are showing gouges in the plastic, and an external gap has developed between the lid and the seal.

In the photo below, I've circled the gouge marks. These are caused by the corners of the lock ( marked with __|__ symbol)

The arrows point to the failed seal. I'm able to move this away from the lid with my fingernail.

Can others with BMW panniers please check and post whether they have gouge marks, and if so on how many of the four pivot points. Also whether there is any sign of the seal going.

Tim

 

[cookie]

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111457&highlight=leaky+panniers

not noticed the gouges, but i'll just check.

edit: i do have a couple of marks on one lid. it is a result of letting the lid flop back on the hinge without using the strain relief wire to hold the lid open. as the connector for this has a habit of popping off at the lid end, i imagine that's what happened.

 

[Wapping]

...... as the connector for this has a habit of popping off at the lid end, i imagine that's what happened.

Crimp the eyelet very slightly when it is on the 'post' it pivots on. This will stop the damned thing coming of every time the lids are opened or closed.

Crimp it very gently as it is only very soft metal. A tiny bit of pressure with some long nosed pliars is asll that is required. It will then still be able to pivot around. Do not crimp the eyelet before it is over the post or it's real basted to get on. Guess how I know that.

Will check my seals.

 

[Kenny Rodkiss]

seal

But is that seal not same height on the inside of the pannier as well, not saying it can't leak but it must make water ingress very difficult.

I have the marks where the lock mech has hit the plastic, pos when the strain wire has unhooked it's self.
Not as pronounced as yours but there all the same.

The plastic seal still seems tight to the box though and unable to slip a finger nail in.

Panniers have remained waterproof for over a year.

 

[Gog yn y De]

I've spent this afternoon taping lengths of loo roll to the inside of my panniers and then playing water over them. My neighbours think I'm mad.

I've tracked down the worst of the leaks to a loose seal on the lid of the pannier. It seems to be a design flaw, and I'm interested in case others are about to have the same problem.

When you open the lid, it pivots on the other end. Just as you fully open the lid, the lock mechanism on the pivot end fouls the lid, and encourages the plastic seal to the lid to move slightly. With many repeated opens over the last eight months, all four of my pivot points are showing gouges in the plastic, and an external gap has developed between the lid and the seal.

In the photo below, I've circled the gouge marks. These are caused by the corners of the lock ( marked with __|__ symbol)

The arrows point to the failed seal. I'm able to move this away from the lid with my fingernail.

Can others with BMW panniers please check and post whether they have gouge marks, and if so on how many of the four pivot points. Also whether there is any sign of the seal going.

Tim

Tim, you'll never get the members of this forum to admit that these panniers leak, even though they do.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Non leaking panniers

Erm, I beg to differ. My panniers have not leaked a drop even in this torrential rain and believe me, I`ve been out in some serious down pours. The only thing I have done as a precaution was to smear a little vaseline around the seal but they didn`t leak before hand so I don`t know if that helped.

My old 1150 ADV ones were a different story though......

I have checked all the seals today and there is no evidence of damage of crimping.

 

[cookie]

Tim, you'll never get the members of this forum to admit that these panniers leak, even though they do.

admit it? i started a thread drawing attention to the problem

 

[(RIP) Shenzi]

Mine don't leak either but to be honest they have only been in the rain once but it was a good storm.
Dunno if it makes a difference but I always completely remove the lids when packing etc, don't have any choice as I have a Givi Maxia fitted. What I did notice last week on the N260 and in the French Pyrenees that a vacuum formed making it difficult to get the lids off.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Airtight

Shenzi

Have the same problem when up high and can`t open the panniers because the seal is so good. Had to use a tyre lever once to open the bloody things!

Given the seal is so good, not a drop of the wet stuff has ever got in so maybe cookie and Tim have an issue with the infamous B*W warranty department!!.

 

[1Rider]

Water tight - not for long

The problem of water ingress in the BMW GS panniers is a known problem. (search Adventure Rider). I believe my experience is quite typical. 07 GSA with panniers and about 18 000 miles - mainly from a major roundtrip to Mexico. Started out with three water tight boxes. Well actually air tight and due to the heat and changes in elevation this made it at times even difficult to open the boxes. Well bottom line now down to one water tight box – the top box. However, some believe it helps the side panniers if you only open them from the rear – and make sure you do it carefully and not overly…

 

[Beeman]

I to have had water geting in to the offside pannier, also got the gouge marks but so far the leeft hand one and top box are still water tight

 

[pikeydave]

RH pannier had about a tablespoon full and a vacuum(?) fit after being parked for 3 days in the rain. Top box and LH both fine, no suction and no water.

(I've got enough warranty stuff going on with the GT to start another episode so I'm going to pretend I've imagined it for the time being)

 

[Tim Cullis]

I am pleased to say that both the panniers were replaced today under warranty. New lock mechanisms were also fitted, rather than transferring the old ones over.

Tim