GSA Panniers/Top Box Liners

Jacal

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Does anyone else think that the BMW liner bags are grossly overpriced !! £240 for plastic coated bags that you can't access without taking them out of the cases and on the new ones apparently you don't get shoulder straps, which I'm sure I did on the last lot I bought. Now I know that they're supposedly for that round the world adventure but to be honest I wouldn't trust them for more than a couple of camping trips :blast

When I got the new GSA I didn't want to go down the same "Loads o Money BMW route" so looked for alternatives (I'd sold the last lot when I went to the RT) and after a lot of looking and reading on the big WWW, I settled on the following....I know there's alternatives and hope people will tell us there solution.

I settled for the Givi T511 for the top box, find it better designed than the BMW one, with a valve to release air when you close it, making it more compact, water proof and also has a shoulder strap for carrying which the new BMW ones don't have, you still can't access the contents without taking the bag out if you fasten it up, like the BMW one, but at £45 it's a lot cheaper and IMO better.

For the side panniers I have a Kriega KS40, a superb bag that keeps all your clothes crease free and opens like a suit case when you get to your hotel, it expands so will fit both panniers, you can also use it as a flight bag. A superb bag that does everything it says on the tin, I had 2 but it was overkill so sold one. For the other pannier I use a cool bag that I can open from the top to get at stuff without having to take the bag out of the pannier, handy for when your at the side of the road and want something out of it, it was on the bargain shelf at Tesco's and at a £5, I thought I'd give it a try, seems like a bargain to me but still on the look out for something stronger.

The Givi and Kriega fit perfectly in the cases and the Kriega will fit the exhaust side or you can expanded it to 40Ltr for the other. IMO these bags are far better than the BMW one's (maybe even the cool bag ;) )
 
You make a lot of sense Jacal. I completely agree. Great post, might save another GSer some pain...

I love the, admittedly fragile plastic, BMW varios (because I'm very keen on "filtering " through traffic).
But; the BMW vario liners are arguably expensive crap. They take up so much space themselves that there is little left for your luggage!
(You might just fit a toothbrush and a paperback since they are so tiny)
 
I've just bought a Givi T511 bag for my Trekker top box. Looks like you can access the items to me. Just unzip the top.
Anyway they are a great item.
 
Just one small correction to the OPs first post, the BMW pannier and top box liners do all have shoulder straps. They are expensive but fit perfectly and are water proof.
 
Another vote for the Kriega KS40 here, superb bags which as the OP has said pack like a suitcase and fit the GSA panniers a treat, the OEM BMW liner bags are quite bulky and take up a lot of space even in their empty state.
 
I've been using a set of 3 bags from greatbikersgear-gbg from ebay for the past 4 years.

They are well made and can unzip to pack flat and fit in a draw when not in use.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOP-BOX-P...hash=item2a52bf27b0:m:mxid9VIgz8rbZgmlFx-GTIQ

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PANNIER-L...hash=item2808669e5f:m:mM93_g3lvToE3E9IyakBF1w

I think I got my GS Vario pannier inners from there. Well pleased. Zips to expand them, bit on back of RH liner to fill the area above the exhaust.
 
I have a set of those as well. Great value for money.

Sent using hocus pocus........... boo!
 


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