Metal boxes on a GSA - three questions...

[OscarIndia]

Grateful for some advice please. Three things (I'm new to this GS lark):

1. Inner bags for metal panniers/topbox. My used GSA came with the boxes but various people have told me they leak. Not sure if that's right, but I checked the prices of the bags and from BMW they're (unsurprisingly) the cost of a small country's army. Is there an aftermarket alternative, other than bin bags?

2. Boxes themselves: been told they get utterly destroyed by salt. ACF50 the answer? Anyone tried it there?

3. Want to pop some reflective tape on the box edges to aid cage drivers. Don't really want the huge striped stuff I've seen about but is there something which stays on, doesn't look too silly and is reflective at night and visible during the day?

Appreciate the benefit of your collective experience, please.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Hi OI,

1. My BMW alloy boxes only leak a 'wee' bit, my Touratech ones were worse. I use the BMW waterproof bags and think they're great(got them free with the bike)

2. Haven't used ACF50 yet but I do use GT85 or Scotoil 365 and no corrosion on the boxes at all but they are getting a bit oily....!

3. I'm going to order some of 2 wheel Humvee's very tasteful reflective chevron stickers, white for the front and red for the rear I don't think they shout 'cop wannabe' but do look good and do the job......!

That's my thoughts, enjoy the GS.

FP.

Grateful for some advice please. Three things (I'm new to this GS lark):

1. Inner bags for metal panniers/topbox. My used GSA came with the boxes but various people have told me they leak. Not sure if that's right, but I checked the prices of the bags and from BMW they're (unsurprisingly) the cost of a small country's army. Is there an aftermarket alternative, other than bin bags?

2. Boxes themselves: been told they get utterly destroyed by salt. ACF50 the answer? Anyone tried it there?

3. Want to pop some reflective tape on the box edges to aid cage drivers. Don't really want the huge striped stuff I've seen about but is there something which stays on, doesn't look too silly and is reflective at night and visible during the day?

Appreciate the benefit of your collective experience, please.

 

[Simon_h]

you can get black and white chevrons that aren't as 'shouty' as the red/white reflective.

 

[Goose]

How about a set of these Bags


With regards to the Alu boxes - I have just done mine in a strong "Clear Vinyl" - looks great and protects the boxes!

 

[2 wheel humvee]

Grateful for some advice please. Three things (I'm new to this GS lark):

1. Inner bags for metal panniers/topbox. My used GSA came with the boxes but various people have told me they leak. Not sure if that's right, but I checked the prices of the bags and from BMW they're (unsurprisingly) the cost of a small country's army. Is there an aftermarket alternative, other than bin bags?

2. Boxes themselves: been told they get utterly destroyed by salt. ACF50 the answer? Anyone tried it there?

3. Want to pop some reflective tape on the box edges to aid cage drivers. Don't really want the huge striped stuff I've seen about but is there something which stays on, doesn't look too silly and is reflective at night and visible during the day?

Appreciate the benefit of your collective experience, please.

Hi O I

Inner bags are easier and lighter to manage than lifting the panniers off the bike at hotels etc.
Re; Leaking, it's pot luck some do and some don't, but untrated aluminium will turn whatever you're carrying in the panniers black over time.

No significant corrosion on my 2 year old panniers but they only see light of day half a dozen times a year I just wash them with soapy water and dry them with a chamois leather cloth-job done

Thanks for the heads up from Farmer Palmer and Simon regarding the chevrons, click on the link in my signature line in my post and browse my website.

Goose, they are great looking bags, if I didn't already have the BMW bags I'd be after some of those, am I right in thinking you make and sell them? If so what's the ordering procedure-via pm's or do you have a website?

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[OscarIndia]

Hi OI,

1. My BMW alloy boxes only leak a 'wee' bit, my Touratech ones were worse. I use the BMW waterproof bags and think they're great(got them free with the bike)

2. Haven't used ACF50 yet but I do use GT85 or Scotoil 365 and no corrosion on the boxes at all but they are getting a bit oily....!

3. I'm going to order some of 2 wheel Humvee's very tasteful reflective chevron stickers, white for the front and red for the rear I don't think they shout 'cop wannabe' but do look good and do the job......!

That's my thoughts, enjoy the GS.

FP.

Thanks for that, and the good wishes.
I'm gonna take a look at Goose's stuff below, which looks great to me, and I'll take a gander at Humvee's place too.
In the meantime, I've just done the bike with ACF50 as I would have done anyway, and included the boxes in that, so we'll see. IT's always served me well on other bikes so I see no reason why it won't do the job on these.
Fella who works at North Oxford where I bought it told me they lent a GSA with bozes to a customer in Jan for a long weekend and when it came back they had to chuck the side panniers - salt, battered on, had basically run down and eaten the things. Thus my question (I ride all year round).

 

[OscarIndia]

Hi O I

Thanks for the heads up from Farmer Palmer and Simon regarding the chevrons, click on the link in my signature line in my post and browse my website.

.

Been on your website for a good 45 seconds now - seen 15 things I want!

What a fantastic line of products!

 

[Toad]

I'm not going to post on this thread, as I haven't got anything to sell you

 

[Toad]

I'm not going to post on this thread, as I haven't got anything to sell you

Actually - scrap that

I've got some genuine BMW pannier bags I'm no longer using, and I'm only just North of Oxfordshire

 

[OscarIndia]

Hi O I

Thanks for the heads up from Farmer Palmer and Simon regarding the chevrons, click on the link in my signature line in my post and browse my website.

Just got off your website - you're now considerably wealthier....

 

[2 wheel humvee]

Just got off your website - you're now considerably wealthier....

Thank you kindly Sir

 

[OscarIndia]

Actually - scrap that

I've got some genuine BMW pannier bags I'm no longer using, and I'm only just North of Oxfordshire

Fab, thank you - would you like to PM me what you'd like for them?

 

[Steptoe]

Water proof bags - [URL="http://www.traveldriplus.com/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=41"]HERE'S[/URL] what a lot of people use Good choice of [URL="http://www.traveldriplus.com/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=40"]SIZES[/URL], so you can vary your pannier inner bags and not have to lug everything into hotels with you when you only need a small amount