Pannier Ideas?

[Dan The Man]

Evening all,

I couldent think where to put this

i'm just wondering about the pannier options when it comes to my next bike (hopefully the F800 GS),, bear with me because this topic is going to make less and less sense as i go on.....


I know there are the Vario Panniars and the Full on Alu Panniers but i'm trying to think of the Pros and cons for both

The Varios are funky looking, and can expand in size but i'm worried about dropping the bike on them and breaking them
The Alu's are still funky, solid as a rock and can be used as a stool to sit on or a steady surface for cooking when camping

I cant decide which would be the better option, i suppose if the Vario's can take my weight then its always an option

but then that brings me onto my next Brain Fart being can the Vario's and Alu's be transferred from bike to bike i.e. F800 to someday the 1200??


OR


Should i stop being fussy and buy one set then eventually buy the other and swap as needed/desired

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Speaking from a 1200gs point of view.....

The Vario's lack space a little, where the expanding mechanism is...


If that makes sense...

 

[mr badger]

Evening all,

I couldent think where to put this

i'm just wondering about the pannier options when it comes to my next bike (hopefully the F800 GS),, bear with me because this topic is going to make less and less sense as i go on.....


I know there are the Vario Panniars and the Full on Alu Panniers but i'm trying to think of the Pros and cons for both

The Varios are funky looking, and can expand in size but i'm worried about dropping the bike on them and breaking them
The Alu's are still funky, solid as a rock and can be used as a stool to sit on or a steady surface for cooking when camping

I cant decide which would be the better option, i suppose if the Vario's can take my weight then its always an option

but then that brings me onto my next Brain Fart being can the Vario's and Alu's be transferred from bike to bike i.e. F800 to someday the 1200??


OR


Should i stop being fussy and buy one set then eventually buy the other and swap as needed/desired

1. I chucked the Varios this year in favour of a custom made set of alu panniers from Ardcase. Well under £500 at the time, including racks.Varios are, as Miff says, tight on usable space. If you use BMW liners there reallly ain't a lot of space at all. They also open sideways so all your stuff falls out ujnless you use a liner or detatch the whole pannier when you unload.

2. F800 Varios don't fit R1200s as far as I know.

3. If you go for some plain (non specific) alu boxes you can fit them on another bike later - you just need a different rack.

4. The biggest issue with the F800 is the ultimate width of the pannier set due to the wide arse section. Madame doesn't use panniers on hers for this reason, preferring the Ventura system. But she does have an attending 'butler bike' for camping and touring.

5. To look at alternatives, check the luggage thread in the F800 section - comprehensive.

 

[Dan The Man]

Ahh thats much better

I think i've figured my mind out and have my heart set on Alu Panniers of some persuasion,, I like being able to use them as a seat

Ta everybody!

 

[Micky]

Best thing about the ally panniers Dan is that with a bit of Touratech bling you can easily have extra carrying capacity

 

[Dan The Man]

OMG its needed!!!!!

 

[Dave Ett]

If you buy a set of Metal Mule, they come with a full Skorpion exhaust system which removes the cat and uses a slim silencer, so the boxes sit cose to the bike on both sides. Not cheap stuff, but excellent quality and mine have survived being crashed on several times.

 

[blues_bleu]

how about vern's pannier?

 

[Goose]

Get the Aluminium panniers mate. Strong and worth the money............... then I can sett you a set of Pannier Bags

 

[Dan The Man]

Sounds like a plan to me mate lol, just might have to wait a while on the bags,,, im thinking sometime in December as a Christmas prezzie or sometime in Jan as a new year wonder

 

[andyclift]

Definitely ali. I had the Varios on my old bike for the first trip and they were a pain in the arse. Sold them and bought Zega after that and new GSA has BMW ali boxes. Would only consider boxes with completely removable lids as that gives the ability to carry stuff that is too long to go inside.

The ali gets a bit tatty looking but its a million times more practical than the Varios and my Zegas have survived bouncing down the road with bike on top a couple of times.

The GSA panniers look like they are the same as the F800 ones and have a sticker inside giving max speed for both 1200 and 800. Have just bought a set for my wife's new f650 and the boxes and mounting system are very different. Only the lids are the same. Despite what dealers try to tell you the 800 panniers do fit the 650.

 

[greg12]

PANNIERS

Varios are going up for sale soon just bought a set of ARDCASES from roger great kit with removable tops tiedown loops powdercoated inside and out so no probs with corrosion on the bare ally as with the bm ones,good kit good price mounting frame solid what more do you want

 

[freeloader]

Just thought I'd stick my oar in, I have a set of genuine BMW aluminium panniers for the F800GS for sale - just follow the first link in my sig...