My two centavos worth....get the bottoms of the cases seam welded, spot welds just a'int up to the task.

My cases were turned into 'modern art' after a fairly minor spill. The welding has made them SO much stronger & they've since handled some serious abuse.

I've been travelling for 7 months on an F650 with 35 litre Zega panniers & approx 12kg in each. No problems with the frame or rack.



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Last seen in S.America, missing presumed fed.

I rode my KLR to Prudhoe and Copper Canyon with Happy Trail pannier racks with the cross brace and a pair of homemade aluminum panniers made to specs of Zega 30l. I loaded them moderately maybe 25lbs each. I had a tank bag and a large dry bag strapped behind me. The front forks had Progressive springs and 10 wt oil, the rear had the stock set up.
The bike handled poorly from the start. 1 week into the trip, I shipped back a load of stuff including the tank bag. It handled slightly better. I had the misfortune of having 2 low speed low sides while in sandy dirt and the left bag sheared off. That was enough for me. I now use Rev Pack soft panniers and a Givi top box to lock any valuables. Next expedition will include tank panniers to even any load. But I won't be using hard panniers again on an "adventure tour." 1 more idea, get a jungle hammock if you must camp. Much more portable than any tent.
Cheers,

jomarron,

What kind of pannier rack system do you use with your Rev-Pak bags? Still have the Happy Trails rack, or do you just sling them over the seat?

hava98

Interesting thread on panniers. I used soft mountain-bike panniers on my XT and had no problems other than scorch marks on the exhaust-side pannier.
Now I ride an old Boxer BMW on which I had the same soft panniers. I firmly believe less-is-more. Less to carry, less to lose. But some greybeards down at the bike club tut-tutted when they saw the soft bags and told me all kinds of horror stories of nasty spills caused by straps etc getting into the rear wheel. Comments, anyone?
cheers
Paul

Regarding the use of soft bags and having them fall into the rear wheel.

On another BBS I read a fix that may address your issue. The fella used a piece of strap metal to span the open area creating a 'fence' between two points on the bike effectively holding the soft bags away from falling in.

Now the bike was not a KLR but the principle is worth considering.

I'd only be concerned regarding chafing that would wear through seat material, and theft from unlockable bags.

Has anyone used the aluminum tour boxes from KLR650.com? http://www.klr650.com/alTourBox.htm

Just looking for a review or two. If someone out there has them, what is the overall width of the bike with these boxes mounted? Are they quite heavy?

thanks

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Steven
2001 KLR650
Cozumel, Mexico

now i have to wonder what is that is so needed for you to carry all that weight? when i head out a pair of soft saddle bags (ortleib style),to carry some change of clothes stove a pot or two, tank bag (converts to day pack)for daily things camera maps rainware, and a tail bag (fabric) (no more then 8" high) sleeping bag tent and similar, in all my years of travelling i have found the less one takes the better and easier life becomes, yes one needs to take the basic tools and other such needed mechanical stuff, but 14+kg a side!!!! way too much stuff. my suggestion is to make something down low in front or to the sides of the motor, where you would put all your metal (heavy) tools, its much easier to carry a credit card and a money pouch then it is to guess what sort of troubles your going to endure along the way.

the less stuff you leave with the happier you will be.

for those who are worried about straps getting into the rear wheel, if a load is properly tied down, no matter what terrain you go over or through a load shouldnt (and if done right) doesnt move nor do straps hang down (sounds like a lazy person) then again i wouldnt put a metal strap any where near my rear wheel, its one thing trying to remove a strap that has come to close to my tire let alone the damage what that metal strap would do.

I think the key thing here is keeping the weight as low (C of G) as possible.

This guy http://www.geocities.com/artorasimus/ had a 'tool tube' made which was then mounted to the frame just in front of the sump guard i.e. as low as possible.

Bearing in mind 11 kg of tools isn't so many, it's a good idea!

An interesting discussion, to be sure. Something to bear in mind is that most bikes are designed to take 2 people. So even if you converted the whole weight of a pillion into luggage you shouldn't exceed the design parameters of the bike. Being conservative and estimated a pillion weight at 50kg means that the figures discussed in this thread should be shy of the maximum allowed loading for the bike.

The other consideration is the location of the weight. A pillion sits behind and above the normal CoG of the bike. Using side panniers lowers the weight when compared with a pillion, and should affect the handling less than a pillion. I avoid top boxes for this reason as well. However even the side pannier location is sub-optimal being a long way behind the CoG, and if you can get any heavy items stashed low and forward this should redress some of the backwards bias. (I tend to zip tie my heavy tools, like tyre levers, to the front of the bashplate.)

Hope this helps, Iain.

i see this started as a panier discussion but i too like the idea of being able to carry kit low and forward so to lower the overall centre of gravity and keep the bike as stable as possible.
my wife and i are 9 months into our 4 year rtw trip and have a couple of beat up old dr650s. i have found an excellent way to carry tools, is in a trusty H84 (v. small)ammo box which can be bolted easily forward of the bash plate without impeeding the steering or suspension travel. (at least not on a dr). it keeps most of the weather off and i store a litre of oil there too.

additionally i have a plastic tube (actually an 81mm mortar container) approx 18 inches long and 4-5 inches in diameter fixed opposite side to the exhaust, under the rear mudguard. it does not interfere with the suspension travel and is great for long tyre levers and i also have a 3/8 deep socket set and a roll of draper ring/open spanners.

all just food for thought. i saw both these ideas on green laner bikes in the UK and have found them great. plus they are cheap as chips.

safe riding

matt and jo

As one of my system cases was stolen I've been looking at a set of panniers. This web posting has been great. Al though with all the different ideas and theories, pictures tell a thousand words. can anybody post some pic's of their set up?? Thanks!

Having ridden a Honda Dominator through plenty of mud, sand and loose gravel, with 2 heavily loaded ammo boxes as home-made panniers, I suggest that comparing the ride characteristics with these boxes with carrying a pillion is unrealistic.

A pillion's mass is vertical through the frame, generally forward of the rear axle, and self compensates (hopefully) to riding conditions.

The biggest problem with rear mounted heavy panniers is sideways rear end momentum, especially at high speeds on loose surfaces. You can get some crazy swinging action going on, as you hope you can sufficiently control your foot onto the rear brake, before you end up eating dust. Conversely they make for speccy power slides.

For durability alone I recommend ammo box panniers, especially if you are doing really rough stuff, and expect to drop your bike.

For strength and rideability I suggest welding the boxes onto a frame that bolts semi-permanently to the bike. The most important load carrying attachment point to the bike should be through the frame holes provided by the pillion's footpegs, thus achieving weight distribution as low as possible. Everyone understands the extra stability gained by standing up when riding, despite the increase in height of centre of gravity. Do the same for your panniers. Use mounting points around the seat for stability and strength only, not weight support. Make a brace that joins both boxes over the back of the bike for extra strength. Mount your boxes as far forward over the rear axle as possible. Making a semipermanent set-up will allow you to mount the boxes much closer to the bike than having removable boxes. It is easy to secure ammo boxes.

The criteria above increases in importance if your bike has a shorter wheelbase and is lighter.

If you or a friend are handy with a welder an ammo box setup much more durable than aftermarket panniers can be had for a fraction of the cost. I also recommend putting in a decent load adjustable rear shock if you use ammo boxes.