I knew there was a good reason (or 7) why I use soft luggage!!

On the last point, soft luggage automatically "pulls in tight" and holds the contents against bouncing around inside. So, if you are not carrying much then the luggage overall size is smaller.

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Dave

Yes, but when you pop into a store just a minute to get some food and find your bags slashed and empty you wish you were travelling at least in two...
...that's the smallest size.

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... and Nelly The Elephant packed the trunk and said goodbye to the circus...

But as Dessertstrom said earlier, there are several makers of soft luggage that have stainless steel mesh built into the fabric, and you can buy the same mesh to put on the outside of soft luggage that doesn't have it already. The only things anyone will then get through a hole in the bags is smaller than 2cm!

There are lots of good reasons for hard luggage, I know. I have a bike with Givi panniers (and lost ALL my clothes for a short trip this week when the lid came open!), another with Al Jesse boxes (the best I have ever used or seen in fact) and soft luggage for my other bikes that didn't come with hard luggage. The Jesse boxes are great for packing and unpacking, and for using the lids to work off, but for our big trip, it will be soft luggage. I value my good lady's lower limbs too much. I know she will be coming off more than me.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Hi Nigel

I am still wrestling with the hard / soft luggage issue. I have bought a DR650 (after much deliberation) but there is very little in the line of luggage available in NZ. I think I have narrowed it down to two options - either Givi cases (E28 and E36) on MW Motech fames (twisted throttle have them but they are quite expensive). This on the whole is quite an expensive option. The alternative is a Givi top box (probably a E36 on the Suzuki rack) with Andy Strapz bags. I like the Andy Strapz bags but I am worried about the security. How do you secure these to the bike so that they do not get stolen when you stop for fuel / lunch? Is there anywhere in NZ where I can get the wire mesh you mention? This is certainly a cheaper option - only need to get the bags and have brackets made to keep the bags off the bike. How do you stop the bags from sliding around?

Peter

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Peter

http://peter-onamission.blogspot.com

Hi Peter.
Givi cases.... some people have had them and love them, others have has problems on really hard roads/long trips. Personally, I think they are ok PROVIDED you check:
1) They are clipped on properly! They don't always lock on as they should.

2) They are shut properly. Sometimes they seem shut and they aren't. I lost ALL my clothes this week from a side pannier that flipped open while riding through Lewis Pass.

If you use the E36 as a topbox (and I probably would; I have one) then also take a supply of the little rubber bumpers that they sit on as these tend to disappear somehow and they are important to maintain tension on the lock-down clip. On balance, I'd be happy to use one as a topbox but probably not as a sidebox, as they are not robust enough to handle a big hit on the road.

I know it's always a concern about security, and it may just be my lax attitude, but I'm not so concerned. I have never had luggage broken into except at Havana Airport (THREE TIMES out of four trips!!). With a big locking topbox for the vital stuff, for me I can replace pretty much everything in the sidebags on the road. Sure, it would piss me off if someone cut a hole and tea-leafed my gear, but on balance, the total amount of hassle of covering the sidebags for the whole trip is probably more hassle. Tools and spares are in a locking box that doubles as engine protection, under the front of the motor. Keeps the weight low too.

With soft bags, it's pretty easy to fabricate something to keep them off the back wheel. A bar around the back to connect both side frames is very important for strength without lots of weight. I have plans to get a long "tube" of material stitched to the back of each bag, so a steel rod can be slid though to steel eyes each end and a small padlock used to secure to the frame. This will stop them moving around too. PM me if you want more details.

As for the steel mesh, I can't remember where I have seen it, but it was somewhere like Katmandu Outdoor, Bivouac or R&R Sport. Google "Outdoor equipment" and email the likely ones.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards

Nigel in Rangiora

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription