Lining Aluminium Panniers
 

Hiya,

After looking at Touratech and Tesch Panniers and the associated prices ;-) I've had some ally panniers made for me, but was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for lining them to prevent stuff turning black from rubbing?
I was thinking of adhesive backed thick kitchen foil but can't find any. Any ideas?

Cheers, Steve

Touratech sell inner bags for their panniers, into which your stuff is loaded.

The advantages of this are;
i your stuff doesn't rub on the inside of the panniers
ii it's a convenient way to quickly extract your stuff when heading into a b&b/hotel/auberge
iii it's more convenient when accessing stuff at the bottom of your panniers
iv it limits your capacity for overpacking.

It'd be dead simple for you to make a pair of these to fit your custom built panniers. Put some handles and a shoulder strap on them as well. Have a look at the Touratech website for pictures, etc.

HTH.

Iain

'02 Africa Twin

Another option is to have the panniers anodised

i did the following: at woolworths you can buy clear sticky back plastic, the sort children might cover their school books with...

also good stuff to 'laminate' maps with.

works really well.
ChrisB

I've been wondering about lining my new panniers too. I investigated painting the interior but it seems like successfully painting aluminum is an involved process and may chip. Has anybody successfully painted their aluminum panniers?

I also investigated powder coating the bags which seems like a more promising finish. Powder coating is thicker and more rugged and not as likely to chip. However, powder coating is not cheap.

Instead, I tried the following on my bags. I bought a roll of the thickest (11 mil) white duct tape. I cleaned the interior of the bags and applied the tape to all sides, overlapping slightly. I've finished one bag and it looks good. The white lightens up the interior, and the tape is sticking well. I think the duct tape is strong enough that it won't wear through easily. However, the test will be how it holds up to the constant rubbing from the contents of the bag, and the heat from the road/exhaust.

Story

Hi All

Anodising will stop the black film coming off on your gear. Powdercoating is not as hardwearing as the above.

It costs more but will last alot longer.

Ernie Overland Solutions anodises all panniers, so may be worth giving him a shout to see if he can help you out.

Julio

Thanks for the advice guys.
The panniers I had made are essentially just boxes with lids to which I've fitted locks and bolted them to my luggage rack, so they need some kind of treatment to protect them. How do Touratech etc finish their panniers?
What about aluminium etching primer to create a bonding surface for regular paint?

Steve

Hi,

What about simple cardboard?

Peter

Made some liners for my Zega Cases - Material, piping, zips and straps(heavy duty cotton ribbon) came to about £13 GBP.

Took a bit of designing and time to cut and stitch it all but - even if I do say so myself - they are 'bloomin good. Well worth the effort. Put some cheap mesh inside - to speerate the two sides as they fold open - nicer idea but really need some stronger stuff.

Pros - protects everything from getting covered and can be lifted out if I leave the boxes attached.
Cons - They do bag out a little so putting them into the boxes means a few moments care when packing to get things nice and flat on the outside edges...

Steve,

Below is an answer I got from F650.com (http://www.f650.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=13440) when I was about to buy Touratech panniers. I used "clear sticky back plastic" (for school books), but the constant rubbing of hard items against the plastic has made the plastic develop holes. I plan to remove the plastic and paint it instead.

"Aluminum panniers oxidize and leave black marks on anything placed in them. Based on the advice of a GS Adventurer rider with Touratech panniers, I picked up a spray can of truck bed liner. I cleaned the interior of the new Touratech panniers (premounted - only way to go) with rubbing alcohol and masked with tape around the opening. I removed the threaded tighteners and then sprayed the interior with several light coats at five minute intervals. The spraying is supposed to be at temperatures above 70 deg. F (20 deg. C??) and takes 24 hours to dry.
The result was a nice crackle black hard finish with no paint runs.
One caveat, don't do the spraying anywhere where the fumes can get into living quarters. I'll add additional coats when the weather warms up again. I didn't paint the interior of the lid but used several coats of quality wax instead."

Good luck!

/Spakur

Truck bedliners will leave marks too.

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A.B.

OasisPhoto.com – Images from the Magical Sahara.
ShortWheelbase.com – Jeep preparations.

I sprayed truck bedliner in one of my Touratech panniers and lined the other with cheap carpeting. Both solutions seem OK so far, but I only did this a few weeks ago so it's too early to be sure.

-Lujo
'99 KLR 650

Thanks for all the tips guys.
I've looked into a few of them - can anyone think of a good reason not to use Hammerite inside and exterior too instead of truckbed liner? It seems like the ideal solution to me, even if it might look a bit DIY! ;-)

I've just lined my zega cases with bubblewrap, which I had lying around. I don't expect it to last forever but then its cheap to replace.

Steve,
I wouldn't use it on the outside, because the aluminium surface reflects the sun perfectly, making it not too hot in the pannier. If you go with black (worst case) it will be cocking inside (if it is hot outside).

/Spakur

I got some thin (about 2-3mm)foam from a car boot sale. Ideal for the sides, needed something a bit more robust in the bottom. Similar stuff is sold for putting under laminate flooring - try your local DIY warehouse. Good solution - only marginally dearer than bubblewrap!
Any form of painting is likely to crack when the pannier gets bashed about, in my opinion.
A friend had a set powder coated inside - didn't work out at all well.
Good luck,
Neil

powder coating? its still giving me nightmares. grizzle, growl, mutter, mutter, hate the stuff ;-)
I should never have tried it: it looks rubbish, makes a mess of everything and flakes off when you bash the box. the latest problem is that it has chipped off the top lips of the Touratech boxes and lets water past the seal so I'm having to polish it off to restore the seal. ah well

OK - quick update!:

After a week swanning around France with my newly hammerited (new word!) panniers, I found that every item of clothing reeked of Hammerite.
I decided to strip it all off, polish the outside, and line the inside with adhesive film, as suggested by someone else (Woolworths, currently half price by the way).

It seems to be working fine - the contents don't go black or smell, and its fairly durable.

I suppose time will tell how they hold up in the long run, although the exterior is still untreated. As long as I wash 'em regularly they should be fine...

Just done 3 weeks in Morrocco and Spain with Zega cases that I had anodised before fitting. I was very impressed with the finish, both inside (no black stuff) and outside (easy to clean). It cost UKP 25 at the local anodisers, but I had to take the locks off myself (as they contain steel parts) and refit them after the anodising. Highly recommended.

how about walpapering them, after a few months wash em out with water and the wall paper will come off, then re-apply.

here's another one, go to a fishing tackle store and buy 2 holding nets. Put the nets in the panniers and you can put your stuff in the nets. the good thing is the stuff is not sealed so will air out, it can move so won't rub etc.. and you can pull the stuff out at the end of the day so secirity is not an issue.

The nets may need a bid of modification but hey if your hungry you can always fish too !

Howdy fellow travellers, on my first 'serious' attempt at touring I lined my panniers with quarter inch plywood. It worked well enough but proved to be a bit too thick. I've used both 3mm plywood and laminated ply on subsequent panniers to good effect. Fixing the liner to the ally proved a problem though, contact adhesive (Evostick) worked well but was prone to damp and also created a condensation problem, other glues and fixatives were tried but the best so far has been to make the liners into boxes that slide into the ally panniers, with care you can get a surprisingly good fit (they can double-up as carrying cases too) and I've used them for a long time. One other small point: Give thought to getting any water OUT of the panniers once its got in (heavy rains or your bike falling over while crossing that river (in my case it was a little stream!) My solution was to 'steal' an idea from a small sailing boat I used in Grenada, they have small holes with a 'flap valve' in the stern that is held closed by a small light weight spring, the forward moyion of the boat forced the water out. Fitted to the rear pannier wall they work in the same fashion. It works well and only needs the closing face of the valve to be 'oiled' occasionally to keep the seal good. Hope this helps.
Cheers, Oletimer
'83 GL1100A Gold Wing

Just to add my 2p worth - anodizing.

Mine have been anodized since the beginning in 1986, still in perfect condition inside, still no black marks. I powder coated the outside white, and on the outside it works fine. (You can't get anodizing in a true "white" colour. The anodizer will say yes they do white - but that's clear to them.

You do have to remove all hardware, but that's not usually too difficult. And the price is reasonable for a permanent,no hassle finish. I don't know why the manufacturers don't at least offer it as an option new. You could even get colours, red, blue, gold etc.

If you're making panniers, it's a no-brainer, go for anodizing.

Otherwise there seems to be enough options above for anybody! Great ideas guys!

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

ive recently had some excellent panniers made in sydney...copied off tesch (dont tell bernd)..
im planning on lining mine with fibreglass, not only will it give added strength,water proofing it will stop the tarnishing..
however you have to use a lightweight cloth similar to that used to make surf boards... brilliant stuff but you gotta act fast when doing it...
...happy travels...phil.

Strongly recommend you don't line it with fiberglass - it will stink up your gear forever, (heat in an enclosed space - trust me on this, btdt with fiberglass panniers) and if the box is dented, it cracks and the vibration causes it to sheds fiberglass powder into everything, again forever.

Anodizing is the best, and easiest, and strengthens the box too. If your boxes are 2mm or better they are plenty strong enough. Mine are only 1.5mm, and fine with anodizing. Stick on kitchen shelf liner next best.


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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------

One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

actually the glassing was too much of a pain anyway...
i just ended up using clear platic book contact... easy ,simple cheap.

wrinkle paint................spray it on and throw it in the oven overnight at 125 degrees to bake it on. repeat process the next night. inexpensive way to powdercoat. K

My oven isn't big enough.
Also - very abrasive on your stuff, no?

Ive got some Touratech panniers, they wanted something like £50 each for tailored bags that fit inside. I went to the market and bought 2 canvass shopping bags for £1 each. They fit almost perfect.

sorry, don't know the size of your panniers, but the oven racks should remove to give you enough space i would think. and no............it gives you a very smooth finish. i also sprayed one part with a clear coat enamel as i wanted a high gloss, extra waterproofing feature. i did this on my speedo cover that sits between the two gas tanks. it is now 4 years old and still looks great after the sun, rain, odd gas splash and also ignition keys hitting it occasionally. there is also another thought i had, maybe someone knows this paint process, the name escapes me. i had an old panhead that i had painted with an electo-static(?) finish. when the paint is sprayed on and an electric charge put on it, it causes the paint to become velvet-like in texture. it was great and very durable for repelling scratches, oil, gas and small knocks and bumps. but i don't know if it would be compatable on aluminum. just a thought, K