Luggage system for KLR650e
 

Hi everybody,

I bought a Kawasaki KLR 650e in Anchorage for my trip from Anchorage to Orlando (8 months or more) and I'm currently trying to work out which luggage system suits my situation best.

I'm looking for hard cases (side and top) that can handle light off roads and are easy to (dis)mount as I intend to unload the panniers a lot (I only want to ride with the panniers as I'm moving from one hostel to another and than leave the bags in the hostel while exploring the area). And it seems a lot better if you can pack the bags as regular suitcase and not only from the top.

So far I looked at Pelican cases, Trax Evo, Micatech and Happy trails. Has anyone have some advice for me? Especially regarding the price, because it all seems pretty expensive......

Thanks!

Annemieke

Pelicans
 

A friend of mine has the Caribou quick release Pelican system on his bike and it works pretty slick, on and off the bike in seconds: Kawasaki KLR 650 35 Liter Pelican Side Luggage Pannier System, 2008 & Later

I run Pelicans on my 640 and quite like them for their durability and security.. Unlike my friends quick release on his KLR, I have mine bolted on to the racks so it takes a few minutes to remove the boxes {2 bolts per side}... I use 2 large net cargo liner http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Hiking...nizer-sack.jsp bags per side to stow the gear in and some retention straps which keep things from falling out when I open them in the upright position... I rigged the doors with drawbridge cords that keep them level so you can use them as a gear sorting shelf when you open them on the bike... For security I use 4 keyed alike padlocks {2 per case} in the provided lock tabs... The Caribou system provides a single cam style case lock that gets installed into each case ...

Price wise I think the Caribou system undercuts some of the others by a fair margin {$795}... For my installation I picked up a set of 35 L cases from a computer store and rigged them myself to my HB frames, Total cost including frames was $300-$400

Hope this helps..