Heat resistance of soft panniers?
 

Hi all,
I am considering the option of soft throwover panniers for my XL650 Transalp. My only concern is the heat resistance against the exhaust.

Some of the panniers state that they have a heat resistant panel on the bottom or side but how effective are these heat resistant panels on days riding?

I like the trowover type because i do not need a frame with them.

I am considering this type of pannier due to the low cost and because with a top box and roll bag I will have plenty of luggage room for my short tours without the need for large hard panniers. Also my travelling is done 'on road'.

I have looked at the Cargo Endurance pannier which retails at about £90.00 for the pair, these seem preety well made.

If any body has any advice or opinions on this type of pannier system I would like to hear them.


Many thanks

Lee

Hi Lee,

To keep the throwovers from the high exhaust of my XR honda I riveted a metal tray to the back of the right side pannier. I found a cheap tray for baking at the thrift store for a dollar. Any piece of metal will work I imagine. Others may have better ideas. It does rub the paint off the side cover when pounding around, but that is of little concern to me.

Best,
John

I bought Metal Mule alu panniers and rack for my XT. Since then i've now got a pillion for my big trip! So i've 'thrown' Andystrapz canvas panniers over the seat. They're protected from the exhaust.

Furthermore, I've found that with the rack I can strap them tightly to the pannier rack and the bike handles brilliantly. Much better than when they're flapping around, as you can guess.

I'd strongly recommend a rack to avoid the exhaust(s) and for improved handling. The weight saving is of course enormous over alu panniers.

Mike

The cooking model
 

No matter how heat resistant the pannier .. the stuff inside will still not like heat .. I melted a jumper inside a pannier once! .... You will need to keep the pannier off the exhaust .. and keep it reasonably cool. Unless you want to cook dinner inside it? :)

I did something similar with some aluminium sheet but pop-riveted a heat resitance soldering mat ontop to stop conduction. Worked fine.

On my 600 Transalp I have a heatshield on the exhaust made from a piece of aluminium and two bits of threaded bar.It's not very stylish but it keeps the panniers off the exhaust.

i got a set of these MOTO-DETAIL 40L Side Bag Set which do the job, although the items inside do get hot. i had some spray grease that i threw into my sisters garden as soon as i opend the pannier up, thought it was gonna blow! i learned to put non explosive materials in that other side.

Heatproofing soft luggage
 

I've not tried it myself ( yet ) but you can get heat mats from DIY/Plumbing shops, which would be a good way to protect soft luggage from hot exhausts etc. They are inexpensive, designed to take a direct flame from a Gas Torch, and fairly soft and flexible.
If they can take that amount of heat ( i use them in my work, and they do protect the surface behind ) then a hot exhaust should be no problem.
Just a thought.

Lots of easy solutions to this .... but your bags will catch fire if they touch
the pipe/muffler.

Thats a very good idea, thank you to everyone for your advice.

Lee

I tried an oven mitten and it was no good...

Heat resistance of soft panniers?
 

I would suggest that these plumber's mats are primarily flame resistant rather than insulating. Like the oven mit idea, they will insulate a bit, for a short while, but then heat will travel through, damage the pannier fabric, and cook the contents.
I use Andystrapz, but on an ex-army Armstrong MT500 which has excellent tubular steel pannier support frames, that fit these bags well. The frames have an ally panel at the back, and crucially, a space between that and the exhaust.
I love these bags, they are on the bike every day, cope with shopping when I'm at home, and all the gear when I'm away. 2 years old now and no deterioration.

Givi do a case holder for soft luggage, the one for the Trans Alp is T213.Retail at about £40 or so if you don't fancy making your own:

Buster

Motorbikes and Parts

I wouldn't really recommend Motorbikes and Parts, ordered a Givi top plate from them for the GF's BMW F650 GS a couple of weeks ago and I am still waiting for it, they are a pain to get in touch with too, especially via e-mail.

Can you post some pics of these bags and the frames?

Heat resistance of soft panniers?
 

Patrick, sorry but I do struggle with posting pictures. However, Andy Strapz - Motorbike Bags, Straps, Panniers, Over Gloves - Australian Made will get you detailed pics etc of the bags.
For a glimps of the Armstrong MT 500's pannier frame you could have a look around our club's forum, MT Riders Club Forum If you can find the "mods & fixes" section you'll find pics of my bike with the bags, bottom of the first page, maybe top of the second.
The Armstrong was the forunner of the Harley MT350 army bike. The Harley did not have these pannier frames and even in the UK, they are in short supply.