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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #1  
Old 25 Aug 2009
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Narrowest plastic panniers
Colleagues,
I am trying to turn one of my bikes into sporttourer and in parallel sorting out problem with my dualsport, and here is what I stuck with...
Which are narrowest plastic panniers in range of 25-35 liters size? Including old old old style cases etc. - any sizes you can post will be of great use for me.

If you interested to know why - well, bike is Honda Firestorm, I got tired of soft luggage on long trips and want hard cases. But Firestorm is famously narrow so that traffic jams are breathe. I want it not to turn into integalactic liner wide vehicle and going to cut rear plastic for tighter fit. Still need to do best I can to keep it narrow.
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Old 26 Aug 2009
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Bicycle Panniers / Bike Bags
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Old 26 Aug 2009
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Something to consider perhaps are tank panniers... I like having the widest part of the bike in front of me so that I can navigate easier in tight spots... just an idea (see pic below).
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  #4  
Old 29 Aug 2009
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givi/kappa 21ltr are the narrowest plastic panniers, but they are quite small. corbin do beetle bags that are neat, but small and expensive. and you will have a hard time finding any for a firestorm/superhawk.
you will be better off with a large topbox, even a 52ltr will be narrower on the bike than any panniers and be more practical with room for two helmets.
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Old 29 Aug 2009
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Yep, I looked at E21s...I mean those Givi/Kappa cases with top load.
In fact I am just few hours ago back from Givi shop...
Here is perhaps useful for somebody info.
There is new model of universal side case/topbox called B36N. Same width with E21s (marginally wider, about 7 mm) and 36 liters of capacity.
Tried them on my DR800 - niiiice! Expensive a bit, but nice.

I looked at Corbin Beetle Bags - well, sourceable but by God Superhawk with them looks like joke and they are not really large in capacity. And expensive.

Since Nonfango basically compatible with Givie (you just have to flip over top mount) I am going with either E21s or that new B36N. Nothing else seems to fit the bill...
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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Originally Posted by Dodger View Post

Has anyone seen these in the flesh? If so, what do they look like?, they look ideal for anyone touring on a small cc motorcycle.
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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they look ok but i would have to ask myself, seeing them in the flesh;
1. how do they mount? a bicycle doesnt put the same strain on things a motorbike would, what are the mounting points like on the box itself? and can it be easily mounted on a motorbike?
2. what are the lid seals like? of course they would be waterproof up to a point, for a bicycle, but rain driven by 100mph wind is something else.
3. security? is there a lock or provision for one? and i dont mean a padlock shackle, even a small padlock thrashing around will soon eat through a plastic box.
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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Yes , I've seen them in the flesh .
They would be ideal for a small capacity bike ,but you'd have to rig up your own mounting frame or adapt the cycle mountings .
They probably aren't as tough as a Givi but they have locks that would deter an opportunist thief .
I saw some on sale for $35 recently [half price ] .

The simplest way to mount them would be to bolt them straight on ,with a backiing plate made of aluminum .
The lid might need some work to make it waterproof at speed ,or you could do what I did with my old craven panniers and just place a plastic bag over the top of the pannier and shut the lid down on it .

They are just a plastic box really and something that you could adapt to your needs,with a little ingenuity for little cost , they are not a Givi like ready made accessory [which might cost 10 times as much ].
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  #9  
Old 30 Aug 2009
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The old style Craven fibreglass panniers are quite narrow.The ones that the police used to use or you see on Brit bikes sometimes.
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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Originally Posted by trophydave View Post
The old style Craven fibreglass panniers are quite narrow.The ones that the police used to use or you see on Brit bikes sometimes.
I'd love to find Cravens, I find them not only suitable but good looking too (I love old style ) but seems they really hard to find at reasonable price. I would be very grateful if anyone would point me to such place in UK or anywhere else in Europe.
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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I'd love to find Cravens, I find them not only suitable but good looking too (I love old style ) but seems they really hard to find at reasonable price. I would be very grateful if anyone would point me to such place in UK or anywhere else in Europe.
About three years ago I sold a tatty set of Cravens for,I think,£30.No locks/keys,no frames just a few bits of bent metal.They would have needed some work to get them nice.They come up on ebay from time to time.

I would like some slim boxes for my Africa Twin but I am too mean to go out and buy a new set,so will probably stick with soft luggage for now.
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Old 30 Aug 2009
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About three years ago I sold a tatty set of Cravens for,I think,£30.No locks/keys,no frames just a few bits of bent metal.They would have needed some work to get them nice.They come up on ebay from time to time.

I would like some slim boxes for my Africa Twin but I am too mean to go out and buy a new set,so will probably stick with soft luggage for now.

Hunt is on Put an eBay watcher on
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Old 31 Aug 2009
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for an @T you should be able to find some 2nd hand metal jobs for good money? summers over so people are coming home from their big trips. they would look pants on a firestorm tho
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Old 31 Aug 2009
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hi

im looking for panniers for my f800gs, i cant decide on what i want but also i think its easy to buy something then for it to turn out 2000km later to be a pain in the arse, can anyone who has travelled point me in the right direction? there is the possibility that we will be 2 up
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Old 31 Aug 2009
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Originally Posted by doosey View Post
hi

there is the possibility that we will be 2 up
so its a pannier for shoes, a pannier for clothes and a topbox for makeup, leaving you with a tankbag?
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