Solar panels on the panniers - works for me. Just have to come up with some covers to keep the crap off. :rolleyes2: Probably best to go for the Irish ones - charge 'em by night :rofl:

I am indeed. As long as they don’t interfere with the solar panels.

Alpos Panniers Homemade Mounting
 

See attachments for Alpos panniers on a R1200GS. Panniers are commercial but racks were Givi Triumph items modified to suit and mountings homemade. Works OK - secure and reasonably theft proof. If thumbscrews are mounted near the top of the pannier, no need to empty pannier to remove from rack. Should be self explanatory from attached photos.

Ignore the welding quality and focus on the simple design of using a wedge effect and loading principle https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a26b31d493.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c5efca8de6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f86adf574b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...99730b202a.jpg

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Mez, thanks for posting the pictures.

That looks very secure - I shouldn't think there is any movement which must be essential with what look to be quite heavy cases. Is the velcro on the catch for wet gloves?

Tell me that's aluminium cheque plate and not steel !!:eek3:

Velcro is to hold the padlock secure whilst on the move..

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Anyone who builds steel chequerplate panniers would definitely require sectioning and kept away from road users..!!! There not heavy at all believe me...

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Met, Thank you for that - an elegant solution. Well, apart from the the welding!

One quick question that I cannot figure out - it may be just me, it normally is. The clamp / clip to hold the pannier to the frame is pulling the pannier towards the narrow end of the wedge - is there a reason for having it that way rather than pulling it to the widening wedge that would, to my mind at least, have pulled it in tighter.

It is particularly good as I will still be able to fit solar panels ;)

It's a head screw, difficult to work out, the clasp is stopping the whole job from moving down the wedge as well as keeping it firmly locked in place. It is, simplicity at play and works

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Took me some time to work out what the catch was actually doing....

It pulls the pannier forward...

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I've seen it......

Remember those Steel Ammo boxes that were popular as panniers in the naughties. I remember moving one around in a hostel somewhere or another. . I thought "What the hell is in these panniers. They weight a ton".

I later found out they were empty...

Yes, I bought a couple of them from my local army surplus store back when I first started thinking about overlanding panniers. Didn’t take me long to figure out they were way too heavy and they ended up as tool storage chests in my garage. One of them is still there to remind me not to believe everything you read in magazines (it was pre internet).

Did get me thinking about what was really needed though and between myself and a couple of friends who also dabble in this stuff we’ve probably made 10 or 15 sets for various bikes - some successful, some not, some abandoned half way through.

Well my hand is starting to be forced as one of my ancient BMW plastic panniers has developed a split - it is still useable but if there is one split then it is likely that there are more on their way, but they can't be seen at the moment.

As it happens I have a pair of panniers built, but for the lids and will now be sorting out the fixings to the bike rack probably very similar to Mez's design.