Lone Rider Semi Rigid Pannier Asessment (theoretical).
 

I have my eyes on the Lone Rider MotoBags (semi rigid panniers). I've never seen them in person - but they seem to be the best compromize for me out there - if it wasn't for the fact that they don't have a quick on/off solution.

https://www.lonerider-motorcycle.com...ctions/luggage


Pros

• Less risk of personal injury. When you take a spill, the probability of having your leg thrown into the panniers or even getting it trapped underneath is quite big - and it will hurt a lot less than if the panniers were made of rigid aluminium. This is for me the greatest benefit of these bags over aluminium panniers
• Less risk of damaged panniers or racks in case of it getting snagged or when taking a spill - the second greatest benefit of these bags (my opinion)
• Easy to repair - simply glue on a patch - though it seems like monster insurance as they seem so robust. Still, more piece of mind compared to aluminium panniers
• Collapsible - i.e. when you ride with stuff in one direction only, or if you only need them for storing riding gear when off the bike. This is the third greatest benefit over the aluminium panniers in my opinion. I often do lane splitting and would like a more narrow bike - also offroad, and I also often find that I need to do some shopping on my way home, or a place to store my riding gear while I'm out exploring, etc. I think it is an awesome asset allways having bags on hand, but never having them in your way when you don't use them.
• The M.O.L.L.Y. system which gives you literally thousands of tailored options to expand on your luggage and ways to carry your gear
• Lockable and fairly secure from theft of bags or having them broken into - I think they score about even with aluminium panniers
• Superior waterproofness (both inne and outer bag) - I've never had a problem with alumium panniers, though I've heard several claims that aluminium panniers sometimes leak

Cons

• Expensive
• Lacks quick solution to take them on and off. While you can allways go for a Motech Evo rack (or similar), with quick detachment, it means having to carry both bags attached to the rack, and then finding a good place to stre them - it is very cumbersome and inconvenient and not an option that I would likely use. Being able to take the bags inside over night is the only secure means to reduce risk of prying eyes and itchy hands off the bike and luggage - except for hiding the bike. With the bags being more inviting to thieves that think they are easier to deal with than aluminium panniers - more will try - some will succeed, others will brake things
• Slightly more inconvenient to get your stuff in and out of the bag
• Couldn't use the bag as a chair even if it could quickly be detached from the bike - need to carry a separate stool (which I allways do anyways)
• No universal key for the locks - not a very big deal
• Can't put your stickers on them - not a big deal
• Lack the overlanding look of aluminium panniers - for those who care about the image
• Using the molly system means that the bags are no longer collapsible. It is not a design flaw - it simply means that you will loose the collapsible feature when you load the bags with molly gear. Also, since the bags don't come on and off easy, it means that you will have to take off all your molly attached gear when you want to take your stuff off the bike - very inconvenient. It is far more convenient to be able to bring your whole pannier with you - which is not an option.

Now, if they could come with a soltion that made taking the bags on and off the bike, I would think them to be the best option for me (cost set aside). Without it, it might just be a deal braker for me. I read somewhere in 2018 that they were going to come out with such a solution, but I'm yet to see it. I just wrote them to ask if and when - I'll let you know what their reply is if and when they reply.

What are your thoughts?

They look pretty good to me, having had my aluminium boxes bump into the back of my legs a few times, usually when paddling through soft sand I understand your reservations about them and these are on par if not slightly cheaper than many aluminium set ups, worth a closer look.

I've been using a kind of primitive pannier set that I bought back in the 70's (and forgot about for 25yrs) which on their definition would probably qualify as semi rigid. Can't say I've ever given much thought to considering whether they'd be better harder or softer but they work well enough. They've never broken in (many) falls and when the bike does go over they don't clank as loudly as metal ones. You also tend to bounce off when you hit a car (or the car sideswipes you). Having said that their replacements will be soft because you can take them off.

That they're non (easily) removable is a deal breaker for me (if I ever operated in the lofty heights of the bikes they list anyway). I've rolled up at hotels on a bike with fixed panniers and had to carry laundry bags full of dirty washing through reception to get to my room. I've been in tents where getting something from the panniers means going out into the rain in the middle of the night, and, even empty, I've wondered whether someone's going to force the locks when the bike's left, just to see what's in there (and had it happen once). They've got to be secure on the bike and come off in seconds when required for me.

I have had my eye on these for awhile now for RTW travel. They seem to offer most of the best features of both aluminum panniers.

Some comments:

Expensive? Not for an RTW trip. My luggage is effectively my home and I'm going to invest in good quality.


No quick release? As these bags have a removable waterproof liner, I don't see that as a big issue. I've also found quick release systems prone to failure. Not a problem at home, but can be very problematic on an RTW trip. When empty (waterproof liner removed) they seem to collapse down to a size that I wouldn't mind they staying on for city riding and day trips.

The big drawback for me: 6kg each. 12kg for the set. This is the same weight as my hard bags I started my trip with on my KLR650 (Pelican bags). I switched to soft bags which weighed about 2kg for the set. It was such a joy to lighten my load that much.

For that alone, I would probably restrict these bags to a more road focused trip on a bigger bike. I would never mount these bags on something like my KLR650, but might consider them ideal on a GS1200.

Sure, but those big solid corner bumpers with their sharp edges give me pause.

Sure - though having crashed at speed with a pair of Kappa K33s, I'm a lot more impressed with the real-life solidity of plastic bumpers.

For both of these points though, might as well go with much cheaper full-soft luggage.

You can definitely tear these things or rip off a part about as easily as an aluminium pannier - and you can't beat these back out with a rock...

For occasional shopping, a compressable backpack that lives under your seat or in your topbox is a cheap and very effective solution. ;) How narrow you really need your bike to be for lanesplitting is a personal thing of course - if the gap I'm going for is too narrow to fit with panniers, I personally might just wait for the next green light...

Hands up, how many people have actually used that system on their luggage in a serious way? (Yes, I own multiple items with the compatible straps.)

Whether they are de-facto as secure as hard panniers is debatable, but the fact is, a soft pannier will give petty criminals the idea that they might be able to slice it open. Whereas an aluminium or hard-plastic pannier looks like a locked box.

As for practical safety, you'd be surprised how sturdy and slice-resistant a cheap HDPE roll-top bag can be. Mine cost me 19.99 EUR from a German online superstore, and carried my camping stuff from Estonia to Slovenia and back, strapped to the pillion.

This is waterproof with an internal drybag. You can put an internal drybag (or a trashbag) into an aluminium pannier and it will be even more waterproof. ;)

Indeed - and an easy way to get your luggage into your hotel room in one trip. This is the downside of any strap-based system.

My thoughts are that these are not worth a one-thousand-euro premium over a pair of . Every technical advantage they give over generic softbags can be resolved much more cheaply.

I agree with the comments above regarding inner dry bag. It is a convenient way to get your luggage inside without bringing the panniers. For alu cases I've allways had an inner bag - not only for the convenience, but also to prevent alu to rub of on items.

I would still like the opportunity to bring the LR panniers inside though, as I believe they could bring the wrong attention if left on the bike - even in its collapsed state. Also, it would so sometimes be more convenient to bring the whole thing rather than taking the inner bag in and out, and also have to collapse and rerig the panniers.

As for comments regarding weight, I compare them with alu, so not a big deal. But I agree, they are heavy compared to other options.

As for comments regarding beating alu back into shape. The soft panniers can be taped while waiting to glue on a patch - like on a zodiac dinghy.

As for price for RTW, I agree, not a huge investment. And compared to alu, not so bad in any case.

As for molly, I love the stuff. I could very easy see me strap on my first aid kit (velcro on molly - simply tear off). And, if I had to expand on bag size, it would be easy. But since I can't bring the whole pannier inside, the molly would either he left with the panniers (stolen) or having to go throught the hassle of taking it on and off - which is a greater pain that it sounds. Put on top of that that the collapsible feature would be rendered useless, the whole molly thing becomes a gimmick on this pannier.

The collapsible feature is a great benefit for a bike kept at home or used for commutes, not needing luggage full time. For an RTW I would much rather prefer to be able to take the bags off. The best would of course to get both options.

For an RTW the only real benefits then is personal safety as well as robustness. But, without the quick release feature, in totality, they are an inferior option to both alu, soft and other semi rigid options.

Give me the quick release and I will fork over the money. If they won't, I will pass.

lone rider paniers are they worth the asking price
 

I own the famous lone rider paniers. I also have a pair of Givi Trekker outback that I bought 10 years. The givi paniers were oustanding. I never had any problems with them, I droped my bike off road so many, they remaine square, and waterproof.

I'm planing to ride off road from Canada to South America and I thought the lone rider would lower risk of injuries and downsize from 48 l to 38 l.

These things weight a ton. Lone rider website omit to include the weight of the thick alluminium plates on their website. A pair of 2 38l with the plate sums up to 35 pounds. They are heavier than the givi, and because of the very heavy thick aluminium plate the total width is wider than the givi panier is wider 12 inches than the 9,5 inches lone rider one.

The seams suddenly broke open, I contacted lone and I was replied that the 2 years waranty was over, no offer to fix them. I taped them.

I order a pair of tusk pilote to replace them. I bought a chineese ktm knock off in Mexico and I team the ''taped'' lone rider paniers to it and I send a picture of it to lone rider.

lone rider targets the big GS. Look at their website. Finally they cut off with me when I told them I will do my own quick release and post it on youtube.

Lone rider on big GS will not see any serious offroad. Simi rigid panier will unlikely help to avoid any injuries.

I order a pair of tusk pilote to replace them. I bought a chineese ktm knock off in Mexico and I team the ''taped'' lone rider paniers to it and I send a photo of it to lone rider.

The top of the lone rider panier is very flimsy, and It can opened instantly easily with any key.

On the other hand their overlander top case is top quality, and is very versatile and contrary to the pabiers, the closure is also made of hypalon which is extremely tough to cut open. I have 3 of them, one on each bike and I swear by them.