Depends what purpose you had in mind
 

As the title of this thread is specific about alloy panniers I'll keep to them. If you want the best get metal mules no questions. No other alloy pannier has the same build quality and design.

BMW and touratech alloy, made of soft aluminium and don't have over lapping lids, so when it drops it bends (read squashes) and then leaks.

Trax/sw motech same but even less robust

Jesses built like a tank but the mounting system flawed, perfect for cruising the highway but forget it you are going off road Forget it.

Stalkoffer not experienced but at least have overlapping lid from what I have seen, unsure of mounting system

Ardcases, tried my best to destroy one of these and failed, great value for money

Happy Trails, did what they say on the tin, survived 8 RTW with at least 1 crash and a few drops.

For anyone thinking of buying alu panniers first decide are the for highway use only, if so any will do, or will you be roughing it, gravel roads, potholes, boulders, bike drops, remember the mounting system is as important as the pannier, how precious will your cargo be? Do you want it strewn all over the road when the lid falls off or it collapses in a minor off. You probably won't mind if it leaks if only used at weekends or a week in the alps, might get a bit annoying on a RTW.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

pannier repairs
 

As you can see you don't need much of a workshop to fix them ,these are touratech and as I posted before they saved me and the bike.:hammer:
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...p/IMG_0498.jpg

Panniers
 

I think Panniers are a personal choice, I have noticed a lot of brave people putting a lot of effort in to geting there opinion across as to which is best Soft or Hard, someone even mentioned a few people who use soft ones but I could name another 50 people who use hard cases. I personally use both but depends on where & what trip I am on, if I am on a relatively short one ie: 4 weeks or less I would use the soft ones, but any longer I prefer the hard panniers as I like to carry things on top of them like chairs & food etc. The biggest issue that I have seen on serious travel is not the panniers being hard or soft but the size of the bike ! At least 1/2 the people I come across have fallen prey to an image rather than reality, & really struggle with there bikes regardless of what panniers they have. bier
Cheers
Paul

If you can't find suitable panniers you can always make them yourself.

I've had Triumph Scrambler for five years. It's a rather uncommon bike in Finland and to find panniers is difficult. Three years ago I made them myself. I made also the rack for them.

Hard work but the result has been quite decent. I've made many long trips with these panniers. They are completely waterproof.

If racks are the weak point then who makes good racks?

Short answer: no one makes good racks for all bikes as bikes, riding styles and loads vary.

IMO racks become a weak point because they get overstressed for the conditions encountered (too much weight and /or too rough roads). Most easily solved by taking less, using light gear and slowing down, but of course that is easy to say.
Problem is, a weak point can also include a bike's rear subframe which is part of the rack's structure and on some bikes is rather skimpy. My last bike was like this but had a rather ingenious rack that took the weight right off the subframe.

The best subframe is one that is intelligently designed for the bike and intended use - such a thing will not always be a one-size-fits-all off the shelf, but overall I think the two designs below are a good start (L: OTShelf; R: handmade).

There's also a good HUBB discussion with lots of ideas here.

Ch

I agree that with hard cases rounded corners are a good idea (a mate who left his spleen in the Western Desert would agree, but back then we could only DIY box-shaped alu boxes).

I've not heard that Jesse racks are weak but I've never used his rack and hard case set up for long and hard enough. Some options like the Quick Click are hardly racks at all, but chunky milled plate clamps on which the cases are suspended from sturdy lockable mounts.

I happen to know Al J as a mate and that 'ingenious rack' I mentioned in the previous post was a soft baggage prototype of his I used last year. I get the impression he puts in a lot more thought into the engineering of hard motorcycle luggage and what a travelling rider actually needs than some - for example wrt slimness, proper locks that can't get knocked off with a rock, or the ability to securely slide a case forward on the rack when riding solo (better CoG - Odyssey system). So many racks I see have the box permanently fixed way back, even behind the spindle, to accommodate pillions. That must be done I suppose but most adv touring is undertaken solo where tight CoG has real benefits on bike handling.

Also, JL sticks to one thing: hard motorcycle luggage. Just because AM is currently all the rage they haven't used the brand to diversify into monogrammed handlebar muffs, overpriced bags to slip into their cases and so on. That milled oil filter wrench is the only exception, afaik.

I just had a look at the Jesse XT1200Z page; Odyssey system looks pretty solid to me and I assume the 12's subframe is solid too (XT660Zs certainly are).
I am sure you'll find some Jesse Luggage/XT1200Z users' opinions on advrider.

Ch

I too am a Jesse fan and friend. But more than 10 years ago following the
Silk Road with friends, was T - boned in the Jesse. Bent the outer metal into
The inner, ie. touching. Knocked me 180 degrees. 2up. Not one bit of rack damage
Solid. On a gsa 1150 adv.
Also on a Dakar Elefant...crashed so many times the Jesse corners got rounder!!
Never a rack problem. I probably have 300,000 miles or more with them and
Never an issue. They are bullitproof, so to speak.
Allen.
(Hi Chris.)

Thanks for the info and advice guys, most appreciated.

I outfitted my GS with Jesse panniers; a year and almost 50,000 miles later, I am disappointed that the lids are cracking at the corners. Talked to Jesse about that, I was even more disappointed to hear them say they would repair them or better yet, just buy new lids (at $75 a piece). I have asked two riders with Jesses if they have had any problems with theirs, upon checking, they were both very surprised to find their lids were cracked through too. The Jesses have been good for my situation, but if they leak and the company doesn't stand behind them, I really don't have as much need for them as I thought I might.

Chris,

There are some really interesting cases coming out of Bulgaria and Turkey these days, which does not look like to be poor quality.

Casper

More on suzuki oem panniers etc
 

I've used both soft luggage (Oxford) and Suzuki's own on a K7. An outright preference is hard to pin down but I'd say hard luggage if you're camping (the boxes have a lot of uses other than being panniers) and soft panniers if you're not. I think a top box is too useful as a secure 'holdall' to dump/swap out for a bag.

FYI total capacity of the Suzuki panniers + top box is 115 litres (c2007). The box is 48 litres and the panniers are 32 and 35 litres. If you put the tent on the seat (in a pacsafe for security) then 115 litres is plenty for several weeks away.

On making your bike + soft luggage more secure just throw a lightweight bike cover over it.

Like others here I've been surprised at how heavy alu boxes are. If off-road bike touring is any way similar to mountain bike touring then extra dead weight on the frame is best avoided.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...on%20DL650.jpg

Mule Pack
 

I'm researching panniers for my DR650 and still undecided. The pros and cons of soft vs hard luggage have been discussed, but I haven't seen much about the plastic Mule Pack panniers. They seem to be a good alternative with some advantages over aluminum boxes. Anyone have experience with these?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u87XmcFlRig

I use these. Couldn't be happier:
Super Deluxe SaddlePacks

Don't expect Paul to comment. He doesn't answer e-mails unless it's "new buyers". Also had problems with top box not fitting "replacement" rear rack. Was told to just reposition feet attachment. When that didn't work, never again got a reply from MM. In the end had to come up with my own solution.

Everything MM is overpriced, after sales service is rubbish but the boxes alone are robust and (imho) functionally designed better than Touratech's best offering.

For anyone starting new, best to pair Touratech racks and Metal Mule pannier frames.

Holan Pannier company ripped me off
 

Don't use the Holan company. Very good product but I got really ripped off by this company. Before paying they were great. Once I paid they stopped communicating with me, took 8 wks to deliver not he 10 days they said! Not all was in the delivery and then they would not give me a full refund for the product not delivered.
sad as the product is well mand. Just appear to lack customer service (once you have paid) or ethics.

Just reading this section with interest as I got clattered off my gsa 1200lc a couple of weeks ago by a "u" turner who "didn't see me"... anyway..she hit me hard on the left and sent me skating down the road on the left side of the bike...I had a touratech soft bag on my front frame with my disk lock in...that was torn to pieces but absorbed some of the impact and I had bmw alloy panniers..all 3.. the photos show the damage to the pannier which took a huge whack and a long slide down a pot holed road..... sadly the 14 plate bike is a write off but the pannier will straighten and live to tell more stories.....panniers have done 62000 miles on all terrain...need I say more.....

There is always this option.....all colours available.....

Now that's a COOL idea! Nice job. I'll do this when I mount mine.
Thanks.


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I bought a used pair of Happy trails denali panniers off of ebay. They worked great on my DL 650 on my ride through South America to Brazil. They were water tight and were welded nicely together.
If I hadn't gotten such a good deal on these panniers I was planning on buy a pair of those chinese panniers (Tusk). They are cheap and I think would have gotten the job done too on a budget.

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panniers and topbox
 

seen all kinds and i am purchasing a new bike next year 850 bmw
my current bike is a f700gs with motorrad panniers and givi 42 outback trecker top box all is fine but i don't expand the side panniers for a lot of reasons drag is one ,beyond the handlebars is another, i live and ride in Colombia and you have to watch your 6 all the time its a pain in the ass.
Givi 40 l waterproof bag is the answer on the back seat for long hauls i keep all my clothing in this bag 2 bungees and secure and many more options to secure stuff to the givi outback
all being said i think it is personal preference what is right for you
The new 750 / 850 bmw has a different frame and the exhaust is on the rh side so i a sure bmw has panniers for the beast and they probably look nice and fit nice, but i am going to build my own
I am a aviation sheetmetal tech and have a lot of experience with carbon fibre composites, yes this is the real deal 2024 T3 aluminium alloy is incredibly strong and fairly easy to work with if you have the right tooling and lots of experience
all the aluminium panniers available on the market use commercial aluminium and by nature is commercial it is not Aeronautical it is easy to bend easy to fix but is not strong, for example thickness .040 2024 t3 is twice as strong as .080 5056 commercial aluminium and half the weight . aeronautical aluminium become stronger when it is bent or formed in a stressed skin or monocoque design,there are tricks to the trade, stronger lighter its aerospace and its not cheap But i work in the trade so it is for me
Now the final frontier carbon composites stronger than all of the above and lighter but you need special tooling to make it happen
I am waiting for the bike to come to the market in Colombia and will start my process on making luggage

I'll second the sentiments about Holan. Paid in full and was told production would start in a few days, took weeks and weeks to deliver. I sent emails and was told they would be dispatched the next dayt. Lies. After well over two months of either making promises they didn't keep or just ignoring my emails completely I threatened to get a credit card refund, by which time they finally dispatched the panniers. Product is really nice quality and no complaints on the kit, but the company need a rocket up their posteriors.