Hepco and Becker Metal Panniers
 

After asking around in another forum which metal panniers to go for for a trip to africa i was given 2 names. Metal Mule and Hepco and becker. After some researching a found loads on Metal Mules being great and all that but then found out for the XT660R the bike i plan to do africa on you need to fit there special single exhaust can (£350).

Deciding to stop looking at MM i looked more in the direction of HandB. I have heard a few good reviews but not as in the same masses as the MM panniers. At the moment i am looking at the expedition type and will probably go for the 38ltr size as this should be enough. The prices are cheaper than MM and a total of £460 some thing for a rack and 2 panniers is cheaper than the full on £1100 some thing of MM (thats plus the exhaust as well)

So anyone done any really hardcore off roading with these boxs on? or even got this box? What do you think of them, build qualtiy, attachments etc? Any info or picture please would be great :thumbup1:

hepco becker user
 

Hi ive got a set of Hepco Becker Gobi Boxes and they are very good. The one thing that most people worry about when doing off road riding with the Hepco range is the system they use to secure the boxes to the framework isnt as strong as what Metal Mule or Touratech Use dont get me wrong the Hepco system isnt bad but i would be worried that after a fair few spills the locking system would not ingage.Plus the tube that Hepco use to make there pannier frames is 15mm thick.Metal Mule and Touratech use 18mm Tube.
Before you buy have a look at the Gobi Range that Hepco do as they have a water tank in the side wall great for camping and the like.The best people to talk to regarding hepco is Motobins they are a BMW Parts place but are also the uk supplier to Hepco and more often than not have the unit you want instock for most bikes.Also Hepco Becker luggage is what ktm Offer with the Adventurer just badged up with a KTM logo hope this helps a bit?????

If if you can stretch your budget to the MM setup then this would be my first choice. I've taken a close look at them and they're the best constructed metal boxes I've seen. More expensive than the Touratech setup, but in a different class in terms of quality of construction.
I've used the H&B Gobi plastic cases on my KTM and wouldn't recommend any of the H&B range for a trip like the one you're planning. They all use the same aluminium locking clamps to secure the box to the pannier frame. This makes them very convenient to mount and dismount, but they will bend and break after you've dropped the bike a few times.

Cheers for the replys there. Thats the first i have heard about H&B using 15mm frames and there attachment system not being great. At the moment i will not be able to nor think i will be able to stretch to MM panniers unless they bring out a new frame that you dont need the exhausts changed with.

I might have to look into this a bit more via a few emails and photos from people but i dont understand how they could design an attachment system that wouldnt be up to the job. So any photos would be great. Anyway i dont intend on going that mega fast or coming off. :helpsmilie:

About the plastic panniers they do. Are they really up to the job and are they as good as the metal panniers?? Not sure of the prices think there are cheapers, but i always thought that metal panniers for a trip like Africa are always gonna be better due to you being able to fix them better, being stronger, possibly slightly lighter!!!! better to look at, can be used as seats tables steps!!.

Me and the hubby have MM's on our XT600's and I can't tell you how good they are. You have to see the damage that has been done to them having dropped the bikes several times, being shunted from the rear and having an altercation with an Armco barrier - you probably wouldn't notice the scratches unless they were pointed out to you.

I've seen several threads about the exhaust having to be replaced for the 660's, but has anybody actually asked MM why you have to do this or if there is an alternative option? If MM can't supply a frame you need to fit MM's, there must be somebody out there who can fabricate one for you.

If you want photos of MM's you can see them here Picasa Web Albums - Dakota - Metal Mules

The reason for needing the MM exhaust when getting there frame and panniers is cause the exhaust is a 2 into 1 and that means there is no exhaust on the left and side of the bike (gear lever side), this means there frame is now right up in where the oe exhaust would have been. I cant understand why they just didnt design 2 different types of frames. One for oe can/ twin cans set up or MM/2into1 can set up. Or even design it so you could modify the left side if you ever did get a 2into1 exhaust system.

I have been talking to alot of people on the XT660.com forum and alot of people havent bought MM pannier because of needing the exhaust. They are loosing out on alot of sales this way:nono: .

I emailed Stuart at Metal Mule this morning asking for advice/options. Since there are loads of threads about different panniers, I posted his reply here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...377#post150898

Cheers for that info Dakota. I have been doing a little searching around the idea of GIVI frame + 2 MM givi adaptors. At the moment i only found a few places that sell the givi frame and both are £102. This is cheaper than the MM standard frame but you have to add 2 adaptors which will probably cost around £30-£50 each. So this could possibly be £200 for a frame that can take MM panniers. Each pannier costs (38ltr size) £220 so £440 for 2 panniers. Therefore a grand total of around £640 +P&P so this could be £700.

Better price than going for the 2into1 exhaust and all that but still £700 is about £200 more than i would have to spend on getting the H&B panniers. Also i dont think that the givi frame was ever designed to do any type of off roading in mind, therefore it could possibly have more breaks, problems, fixes etc.

This has brought a big problems back to me now as the difference in price is smaller but going the MM route means more fixing/connections therefore more to go wrong but better panniers OR the H&B side less fixing/connections less to go wrong but possibly not as good panniers.

Anymore info or help is very much welcome, it might even sway my mind.

for what its worth....
 

well - for what its worth my husband and I have been on the road (well actaully more off -road!) for 4 and half years.....

for all of this time (and a few years previous to our trip) we have used the Touratech Zega panniers.. the same ones are still on.

We have found them to be very robust...and when they suffer a bash -they are easy to bash out and repair...this is what you need. if the panniers are too strong and robust when you go over they will pass the damage onto the frame of the bike. its the pannier and the pannier frames that need to 'give' not the bike itself. ours have been rivitted and re-rivetted...have now suffered re: their 'waterproofness' but a good lining on rubber paint - you know they stuff used in the back of pick-up trucks - solves that problem.

there are also lots of little adaptations that can be done to these panniers.....go see our site 2ridetheworld.com and you will see ...
we have also strengthend them in little ways - we have placed an additional metal plate on the back of the pannier, have some additional 'puks' for the attatchments (a guy in Florida makes these) and so on...

anyway - I think that 4 and half years aren't a bad recommendation..
cheers
Lisa