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15 Jan 2010
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Hard v soft....re-think....maybe
Thanks for all the feedback people keep it coming please.
I have used soft luggage before on a 3 month trip round Europe,my problem with it was its lack of waterproofing,I now know I should have put everything in waterproof bags but this made packing far more problematic. I also just had throwovers which ended up rubbing on the rear tyre so a rack would solve that.
Also the security thing was not a huge issue as anything valuable I took with me,however I now regularly have a pillion so was thinking of the Alu boxes for extra security & peace of mind for her valuables too.
My next `big` trip is going to be mostly road based out to the Stans in a big loop via Scandinavia,Russia etc & coming back along the Med coast so off road durability is not a huge issue.
I have taken on board the weight issue,maybe soft bags would be better as already taking extra luggage (pillion) 
Does anyone have feedback on the Wolfman panniers??? 
Back to the drawing board for a re-think,as I said please keep the suggestions coming they are very helpful 
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Andy L
From the midnight sun to the silk & rhubarb roads, 2014 
I am not an adventure rider, just a biker that has adventures.
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16 Jan 2010
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I found a 2nd hand Hepco & Becker rack online for cheap, and added a new set of Alu Standard boxes of the same brand. I use the slightly narrower 38 liter on the exhaust side, 45 liter on the other side, and am now perfectly symmetrical  . Yes, the boxes definitely are heavy, but it's good for something. I haven't crashed hard, but I have laid the bike on its side a few times (Patagonian crosswinds); the setup doesn't give an inch and actually ends up protecting the bike. I have compensated the weight by installing a heavy duty shock/spring combo. Quick lock system is very convenient, but I have no illusions about safety when the wrong person with a flathead screwdriver and bad intentions walks by. Waterproof has held up through torrential rains and then some.
So far the bike and I have done 36,000 km 80/20 through the Americas. As a bonus, the boxes serve as a good surface to put those cool trophy stickers on.
Good luck choosing your kit,
Vincent
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www.vincentkemp.nl 2009-2010 Prudhoe Bay to Ushuaia on a red '00 Honda Transalp
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16 Jan 2010
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Wolfman make grate gear I do have there panniers so I can not talk about them. I like the tank bags they make and will get there tank panniers one day, helps with the DL650 buffiting as well.
On the DL650 the side with out the can, can be filled with a "soft rack" I have used a yard stick made out of aluminum bent it to bump out the spot I need. Here is place to get some ideas My V-Strom Accessories and Motorcycle Memories
also vsrtom forums may be help as well. V-Strom Riders International - Index and DL650 Specific! The Wee Strom! - Stromtrooper.com
Packsafe also makes nets that you can use to help people not getting in to the bags.
Hard boxes are not the best off road it will eat at the box. The vibes at speed drives me nuts.
Other options are using the rack for a hard box and then adding a frame to them to better hold the soft bags. This will let you hold the bags down better. I was thinking some thing like the old hard frame from a back pack. Or any thing is better than some bags I have used.
People like the box because they look the part. I have seen and read that people start to travel with soft bags go hard box then go back to soft. I am in the hard box stage and will till my boxes go bad. They have 40,000 miles on them and still work there a bit bent and have hurt my self more than a few times on them.
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16 Jan 2010
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I had the Givi on my Ducati and managed to lose one at speed on tarmac. Went back and picked it up, all working A1, came off like a space capsule and just a few scratches. For my DL650 i am thinking Givi or Carabou.
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16 Jan 2010
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Hard bags allow one to carry a lot of gear. Perhaps more than we really need? So good in one way, as all your junk fits in. But bad in another way as the weight adds up quickly making the bike hard to manage off road.
In reading many RTW reports here and other forums I notice a very common problem seems to be with cracked or broken pannier frames. Guys end up building them up with more and more steel bracing until they must weigh 12 kgs. each!
Even Ted Simon jettisoned his hard panniers and top box after his Africa crash on his last big RTW ride. Went back to soft bags on his R80GS.
Ted's point about the false sense of security is very true. Most hard panniers are pretty easy to break into. And once they are tweaked a bit they leak. Most good soft panniers are waterproof or have rain covers.
Givi make some nice soft bags, as do Tourmaster and several others. I use clear, zippered plastic comforter bags to put my stuff in. (you get these when you buy bedding and such)
So what's the truth here? Do guys end up with hard panniers because of the stickers?  You could always sew Flag cloth patches onto yer soffties, no? 
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16 Jan 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary D
like a space capsule
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Easily the quote of the day.
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16 Jan 2010
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I took metal mules with me to Africa. The left one on my AT was large enough to fit passengers in, much to the annoyance of hitchhikers that I passed en route.
Having spanked a load of cash on them (they were cheap then too!), and lovely to behold they most certainly are, I wept when I grazed the first one in a campsite fall on day1 in Morocco. I then dented it significantly on day2 when a policeman jumped out into the road and caused me to drop the bike. I could feel myself getting poorer by the day, and that was just the cumulative damage to these lovely shiny boxes. Burkina Faso ripped the first one off, Angola day2 the second one and finally Angola day3 I almost squashed it flat and had to hammer it back into shape.
The point is, anyone saying that they won't be taking them offroad is deluding themselves. If you ride a motorcycle all day everyday for 6months you WILL drop it and, in my case, the metal mules racks (or just racks in general) are the weak point.
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16 Jan 2010
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Steel Pony??
Cheers for the link Redboots, I had already checked the Steel Pony site out,the Andy Strapz one too,I must admit I am tempted by the Gascoyne bags from Steel Pony with maybe also the Simpson bags as tank panniers,I may be able to adapt the Suzuki pannier rack I already have on the bike to support these bags,would save me a FORTUNE too compared to Alu boxes.
I have no illusions about the bike being dropped,I know it will happen again (dropped it leaving an Orthodox monastery in east Poland last year but no panniers on at the time)
Keep the ideas coming,its great to get real life feedback from people who have been there & done it.
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Andy L
From the midnight sun to the silk & rhubarb roads, 2014
I am not an adventure rider, just a biker that has adventures.
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19 Jan 2010
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I’ve used Jesse Luggage.
The rack and a few other details are crap but the boxes itself are pretty good.
With a custom-build rack and some other tweaks it looks like this (2-up mode):
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19 Jan 2010
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im not sure how much my racks weigh exactly, about 5kg i imagine. i weighed my racks, boxes with 7liters of water in, and all of my camping gear, clothes and a load of other travelling things in a 89l ortileb roll bag, just before i left for a small trip through europe this year and it came in at 45kg, which i was more than happy with.
I understand what you say about the alloy ones bending or breaking in a crash but surely with soft ones then the contents gets wrecked in a crash?!
cheers
chris
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28 Feb 2013
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I have order from those guys atlaspanniers very good quality,good price for welding alouminium panniers no holes no bolts no nothing....
When i put them in my varadero i willpost some pics!!
Last edited by zandesiro; 19 Jan 2014 at 20:24.
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2 Apr 2010
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First of all... I can't believe it. After only two years I'm really writing in the HUBB again. Isn't that great.
Ok. I've to admit that I read only the first page of the answers, wanted to reply a lot but I leave it short.
There are a good couple of things to say against Tesch and his products but I really have to admit that the boxes are working.
Have them on my Africa Twin and I've beaten the shit out of them. the shape is basic, no fancy shit on them, so they are easy to repair. I had to in fact. Welding, bending... the whole thing.
Compared to known systems like Touratech, which wouldn't be waterproof after the bike tipped over standing still. Or, just for instance TedMagnums MetalMules, which needed a bike-lift and a BMW on top to bend them back into shape... and they still weren't.
BTW... the Tesch-design is easy enough to rebuild it, need just some aluminium and a guy who knows how to tread it.
So long,
Sebastian... still in argentina
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2 Apr 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tauradan
First of all... I can't believe it. After only two years I'm really writing in the HUBB again. Isn't that great.
Ok. I've to admit that I read only the first page of the answers, wanted to reply a lot but I leave it short.
There are a good couple of things to say against Tesch and his products but I really have to admit that the boxes are working.
Have them on my Africa Twin and I've beaten the shit out of them. the shape is basic, no fancy shit on them, so they are easy to repair. I had to in fact. Welding, bending... the whole thing.
Compared to known systems like Touratech, which wouldn't be waterproof after the bike tipped over standing still. Or, just for instance TedMagnums MetalMules, which needed a bike-lift and a BMW on top to bend them back into shape... and they still weren't.
BTW... the Tesch-design is easy enough to rebuild it, need just some aluminium and a guy who knows how to tread it.
So long,
Sebastian... still in argentina
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SEEEBAAASTIAAAN !! Welcome back ! Yes, funny times indeed. Dropping Shauns BMW on a bike lift onto my Metal Mules to try and straighten them hahahaha ! Dakar Motos is a fun place.
BTW, love your signiture. I feel responsible
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Did some trips.
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Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.
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1 Mar 2012
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crash test
Dont know what the others say but Ive got a set of touratech panniers ,on ther 4th bike now ,a few years back they slid down a gravel road in the snowy mountains uner a 650 bmw then went over the edge with it landing about 50 m down .Not only did they save the bike and my leg but were still usable.A bit of straightening with a log of wood on a stump that night in camp and finished the rest of the trip.
Fixed properly in my workshop back home in about 2 hrs.Still using them.
Great product.
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6 May 2013
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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.
Last edited by Chris Scott; 31 Dec 2013 at 14:18.
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