Tank bag and Tank Pannier security
 

I have been giving this a lot of thought. We mostly use hard panniers on the back and when asked; most of us say that for one reason is for the increased security (among other reasons).

Then most of us use soft tank bags and tank panniers (in fact I only of Grant J. who has hard fronts). So I have been thinking about the hard front pannier thing. the only ones that you can buy are overland solutions and they are small and 800£. so that is not worth it to me. So what does every one else do. I decided I dont like the idea of a hard tank bag/box.. the sharp edge in my chest in case of a sudden stop is a bit scary. The Pac-safe (tank bag) one seems okay but is very exxy and this still leaves the the front bags unprotected. I know nothing will stop a pro-thief it is really just the opportunistic grab and run guy (which i reckon is the most likely kind to encounter too). I have not discounted the idea of hard front panniers and will make em if need be. but i was just interested in others opinions.
Cheers all
X

Look here:

Pacsafe Anti-Theft Bags & Travel Security Products

BarPack Mapcase (080-0030) from Touratech-USA

I used one of these, you'll just fill a tankbag with more stuff and more stuff=more weight.
I could get my camera and wallet in it plus other odds and sods like ear plugs etc. I also used it to charge my camera battery or MP3 player as I had a socket on the handlebars. When arriving at a town to look for accommodation, it just unclips from the bars and I could stuff it in my helmet while walking about looking for a hotel etc. It has a good size window for displaying your map too.

Maybe it's just a Latin American thing, but nobody has ever shown the slightest interest in running off with my luggage. By the way, I just use soft panniers slung over the saddle or a dry sack strapped to the rear carrier. I remove the tank bag, (which contains my most prized possessions), when the bike is out of sight.

I've been using roll-top panniers in front, slung over my tank and bungied to my crash bars. It looks properly Mad Max, but I do worry about them being slit open or vanishing altogether. The problem is most pronounced when I arrive someplace after dark and have to park and dismount to look for directions, lodging, food, etc.

I just ordered a pair of smallish top-loading Pelican cases and will u-bolt them to the crash bars on my other bike. With a little padlock on each they'll be as secure as my rear panniers (Happy Trails) and topbox (Pelican), and I hope to make them easy to load and unload or attach and detach. We'll see.

enjoy,

Mark

Only been to Argentina thus far but people keep heaps more distance than anywhere else I've been. Freaky almost but refreshing.

here's the go.
 

think of a few low-value, easily-replaced items that also fit the bill for light-weight and bulk, and keep them in your tank panniers. a few such items:

• pasta, rice, other food;
• bog roll;
• oil;
• $2 chinese sprayjacket and umbrella;
• half-empty tin of boot treatment;
• dirty socks and jocks.

leave the bags themselves unlocked, with the stuff in plastic bags for waterproofness. this also helps when you have to dig out the items on the bottom. maybe keep stuff like the bog roll or an oily rag on top, just to discourage any opportunist that makes it that far.

we also kept hundreds of dollars worth of goretex liners for riding gear at the bottom of ours. noone ever showed interest, even with the bike parked out of sight, sometimes all day. no drama.

cheers,
andy.

South America is one thing but Russia is way different, so is Mongolia. In Russia stealing is an art form.

Buy a bag that comes off easily. Keep the hard bags locked, when you stop put the GPS in your jacket pocket,

You just have to.
Never put your wallet in your tank bag. In mongolia I saw 15 kids open a rider's tank bag, take his wallet and run...he was sitting on the bike.
b

Totally agree. In Asia they don't care what it is. You have it and they want it. Had my map case nicked of my handle bars in Georgia. The usual really. Surrounded by heaps of onlookers while tring to sort out a hotel. Someone was always on the bike.