I have a BMW 1200 GS Adventure, I have a BMW top box, I am not sure about buying panniers. BMW want £720 for a complete pair inc rack. has anyone fitted the latest Givi luggage to the above bike (silver) if so, do you like them. It would be great if was possible to see a pic.

Tourman

Hi there!

Lots of questions were asked concerning this topic - lots of answers were given.

My personal experience: I am using the Hepco&Becker junior panniers - more than satisfied, even though next time I would go for "top-loaders"! Mine are 100% water-tight, I can fit all the stuff I need in there and the price was good, too, especially since I am living in Japan and something equivalent would have cost me 2 to 3 times as much.

So I ordered my stuff here: MML-Motorradzubehör Gepäcksysteme. Including the airmail fee it still came much cheaper. So, why don't you check out their web-site and see?!?! Again, I am NOT connected to this company, DON'T get any paybacks or other privileges - just trying to help. Still you might want to mention my name when or if you get with them, maybe you can come up with a (minor) discount!?!?!

Safe riding!!!

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Try ::::.ProjectVND.com.:::: absolute work of art huge capacity but small footprint so to speak.

Give Vern a call and you wont look back.

Although Al Jesse is one of my corporate sponsors, I still would recommend Jesse Bags anyway because I believe that they are better than anything else on the market. Several companies have offered me free panniers, including BMW, but because of their solid construction, durability and physical strength, Jesse's are the best. Even after numerous low-speed crashes around the world when those rectangular aluminum boxes became trapezoids, several times, creative body-men pounded mine back into shape.

The top lid folds open to not only provide space for items needed quickly like gloves and cold weather gear--but also serve as useful shelves when organizing contents.

This is now a reliable international network.

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EARTH RIDE!
Understanding the world through adventure travel.
www.strikingviking.net

Thanks for all the information, not sure what to do, but this info will help.

Tourman

Another vote for Vern panniers. Apparently not many people know about those panniers.

I see you're from Scotland - if possible go and visit Vern's workshop personally in UK and see the level of his workmaniship. Tell him about your personal requirements in detail and see what he has to offer whether from the stock or create from the scratch.

Couple of pics of Verns on my 1100:







No welds on the frames - less prone to break down:





Exhaust cut-out making them very narrow per their size - i.e. mine are over 45 liters each (I reckon one is close to 50 liters) and they are 98cm wide - less than a meter.



We've ridden over 26 000km now on our RTW expedition currently in South-America, lot of abuse, vibratons, potholes, corrugations, loads of low speed falls, even couple of high-speed crashes and they're up for the job - simply bomb proof!





From my experiences with them I can highly recommend them.

Ride safe, Margus

Mine's a vote for Andy Strapz panniers.

They will absorb more punishment then hard bags, AND don't pass the shock load to the frame of the bike (and your leg.....) if you have an accident.
Waterproof, very light.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Soft bags definitely have their good side (i.e. I'd use them on a full-offroad oriented bikes)

But couple of things I must point out:


(pic courtesy of Caja Sahel web)

Having done through this 100kph crash, with bike doing saltos and over 400kg bike rolling over me and my girlfriend, I can say with 99% certainty that with soft-, or plastic- or quick-releasable alu bags our leg bones would have been into 10 pieces! Plastic bags would had been simply "waporized" into thousand pieces, quick-relase alu panniers just ripped off and soft bags soft enough to expose our legs to the 100kph approaching ground from the side. It was the sturdy alu bags and boxer cylinders that kept us away from the worst. Right aluminium boxes are very good if not excellent crash shock absorbers from my experiences - the frame of the bike was perfect, only the front forks ripped off and rear toolbox compartment bent which was amazing after such a crash.

Since then I'm only using non-quick release aluminiums with sturdy fixture.

Unfortunately not for long even if you've done a smaller crash into some sharper rocks.

I'd say depends what do you do, how you travel. I'd use soft bags myself if riding solo with some small-light 250-450cc enduro bike, it's relatively pointless to put heavyer alu bags on those small bikes IMHO. But for big loads, huge distances, long term abuse - it's aluminiums for me.

That's a significant decision amigo, soft bags or aluminum cases. The latter being more appropriate for mainly asphalt with occasional security needs and the former, more able to withstand the predictable tumbles while off-road. But aluminum cases do function as crash bars also.

Gobi Desert






Jordan



Forgot the name of this place




Borneo



Jesse luggage can be pounded back into shape many times.



Being waterproof is helpful




And everyone loves what's original!

__________________
EARTH RIDE!
Understanding the world through adventure travel.
www.strikingviking.net

Yes, I owned a bike with Jesse boxes on it for nearly 7 years, and they are really very good, my first choice for sure if I was going to use hard panniers. But I think RTW quality (I hate that really, it should be Around The World), soft bags are often over-looked. I know plenty of people who have changed to soft bags, including Ted Simon on his last trip. As to a sharp rock puncturing Andy Strapz bags, then I suggest the gentleman probably hasn't had a good look at Andy's bags. YMMV, no corporate links, etc..


Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Seconded. We had these for our trip on our R1150GS. Spacious, well thought-through and so sturdy.

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

good stuff

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www.uk2sydney.blogspot.com

Thanks again for all the help & Pics, great site - made great by the people who help each other.

Tourman