Luggage lists.
- Thread starter Gargy
- Start date
sven
Registered user
Worked perfectly on my old GS, although they only went to Sainburys and the Alps, and I just used panniers liners rather than lugging the whole pannier up to my hotel room.
The downside was SWMBO managed to fill up the exhaust side pannier with three paperback books and a box of Tampax - I've now bought her a tablet and plan holidays around non-rag weeks to free up space
Waitrose?
Bugger I have been seen
I will go to Sainsbury in future as no one has mentioned them
I have to ask as I've been using varios on several bikes, with no issues, how did you both break them? Were the bikes dropped off road? If they were broken due to mechanical failure, did BMW repair/ replace under warranty? I'm intrigued.
My Varios were still serviceable even after they were thrown down the road at approx 30-40mph, attached to a sliding and rolling 1200GS (non watercooled, vanilla version). True, one of them got ripped off the bike, but what was inside the pannier stayed inside, and what was outside the pannier stayed outside. In fact, the panniers fared better then the bike which was written off. I still have the panniers as they now sport some fantastic adventurous scratches. I wasn't on my way to any supermarket at the time. The Givi topbox stayed in place, and it was the gouges on the TOP of it that confirmed to me that the bike had flipped over upsidedown whilst on it's journey to destruction. I still use the topbox but have left the gouges in place. It annoys my OCD mate 
Somewhere on here is a write up of someone going to Morocco, off road, with varios and they had no problems whatsoever. I think they are supposed to move about a bit. In fact, Triumph designed their panniers so they WOULD flex about, so putting less strain on the subframe.
VERN's are waterproof, but not quickly detacheable. If I were in the market for some oversized spam tins for my GS, then it would most likely be Vern's. But then you have the problem of what size you'd like, whether to have low, medium or high lids, and what colour to have them. I think the extra choices would be too much for you (they would be for me too)...
Have you considered Givi, Kappa or Nonfango panniers??
Somewhere on here is a write up of someone going to Morocco, off road, with varios and they had no problems whatsoever. I think they are supposed to move about a bit. In fact, Triumph designed their panniers so they WOULD flex about, so putting less strain on the subframe.
VERN's are waterproof, but not quickly detacheable. If I were in the market for some oversized spam tins for my GS, then it would most likely be Vern's. But then you have the problem of what size you'd like, whether to have low, medium or high lids, and what colour to have them. I think the extra choices would be too much for you (they would be for me too)...
Have you considered Givi, Kappa or Nonfango panniers??
Stahlkoffer or some of Civil's (CD cases, optional)
Metal Mule
Someone is bound to like these, or think them shite.
Metal Mule
Someone is bound to like these, or think them shite.
I have always had the BMW Ali cases but when I bought the LC with trepidation I bought the Varios.
Loading the cases I was not quite happy as the lids flexed quite a lot. To be fair maybe I was trying to put too much in them but it did not seem a lot.
In Arnham tried to get the boxes off the bike and no way would they move. The mechanism was broken and had split the box in the process. This pissed me off completely as it caused other problems with access etc..
They could have been repaired under warranty but I took the opportunity to replace as to me they were not up to the job.
Bike never dropped.
The setup I have now is perfect for all scenarios as I have three different sized boxes and can choose what sizes I need for where I am going and for how long and what I have to take with me.
Unfortunately my job dictates that I have to take some other crap with me.
jackd
Registered user
The Trax system gets my vote.
All the advantages of Ali boxes and none of the dis-advantages of the resident scaffolding
All the advantages of Ali boxes and none of the dis-advantages of the resident scaffolding
I wish someone had told me how fragile vario's were.
I would not have dropped it so often on a little jaunt to The Gambia, no problem then and still hanging on somehow.
I would not have dropped it so often
on a little jaunt to The Gambia, no problem then and still hanging on somehow.
Fanum
Toubab
For every moaner like you - BMW will have a 100 gullible users of Vario panniers who thought that the whole package deal was good value, before they had read up on the subject and found out how shyte they actually are for anything OTHER than the weekly Waitrose trip
Fixed
Find the most expensive panniers you possibly can....add every single hook, loop, mount, reflective sticker (stealth, obviously
) and rear facing LED lights that you can, and sit back smugly, knowing that you've fully and totally joined the ranks of the cliterati 
Gargy
Registered user
Final decision...................
After much reading, debating, trying to mix and match things to suit my needs, all the pro's and con's have been weighed up.
The best compromise seems to be the system I didn't originally want.
Going to put my money into the full BMW Vario system.
Thanks for all the input, it certainly helped with the final choice.
After much reading, debating, trying to mix and match things to suit my needs, all the pro's and con's have been weighed up.
The best compromise seems to be the system I didn't originally want.
Going to put my money into the full BMW Vario system.
Thanks for all the input, it certainly helped with the final choice.
Phew.
STUBBS
undead
british made stahlkoffer 
the local dealership had to give out vouchers for a discount against the Vario panniers for the GSLC because nobody wanted them.
incidentally , the voucher is still with me and the Globe Scouts are on the bike.
.
incidentally , the voucher is still with me and the Globe Scouts are on the bike.
.
Lunepilot
Registered user
I have Varios on my 2011 gs and I've only managed to get a Helmet in the R/H Pannier certainly doesn't fit in the top box or L/H Pannier. Unless I'm doing something wrong,however I do like them so +1 here.
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Little-Brit
Registered user
The panniers on the new LC/GS are slightly bigger than the previous GS but I can't find the evidence to support that claim! The new top-box is significantly bigger than the old one because it swallows my Schubert C3 with oodles of room to spare where as it only just squeezed into the old one. In fact it is nearly as big in it's minimum size as the old box expanded. And yet searching for Vario volumes on Google suggest that nothing has changed from 2009 to 2013/14, Grrr.
Gargy
Registered user
My dealer stated that the new boxes had been 'beefed' up and made larger with better fixings onto the bike.
Having never had a GS before, I have to take his word for it.
Lunepilot
Registered user
We'll I've tried my c3 in top box in various ways on its side upright etc still no joy. How did you fit yours in the old box.
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