My leg was trapped under my metal boxes on a low speed drop. My heavily armoured motocross boot saved me from any injury..

I think decent MX boots will save you from your bike much more than an aluminium box which "could" actually hurt you.

I think the risk of injury is quite far down the list of why not to use hard luggage. The subject has been done to death, brought back to life and then done to death again more times than anyone can even count on this website.

I think Grant could do with a long, detailed, nuetral ,well researched article on the subject sorted out !! Not a "this is better than that" but just a page with all the info so people can make their own decisions.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Ted, I think its really pretty simple. No need for a "study".

The fact is, its really about :
1. Image. Hard bags look the part. Feck the extra 50 kgs.!
2. Insecurity. Most don't trust 3 world situations and like to keep everything locked up tight, most would never trust a local to keep an eye out.
3. Stickers! It's all about Stickers!
This joins with #1 ... Image. Got to have a place for Stickers for Dog's sake!!

+1

John

__________________
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

Heh heh.. Ain't that the truth !!

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I use both hard aluminum boxes and soft bags. Both hold aproximately 38 litres, so i carry the exact same amount of gear whether i use hard or soft bags. Is one better than the other? Not really IMHO, you just need to adapt to the short commings of each one, both have pro's and cons. Can boxes be more dangerous to your legs? I supose they could, depending on design, like sharp corners, where they are placed on the bike, rigidity, etc. Then again i'm sure there's lots of documentation of people breaking their ankles and have no bags what so ever. Bones break when you fall, regardless what bags you have, dress acordingly. Weight? I have read in this thread claims of 20kg-50kg for hard luggage which i find quite exagerated, maybe they were plated in gold and filled with ballast? I build my own boxes and racks to the same standard as your typical TT equipment, they have never weight more than 10-12kg. combined, probably less. When you have soft bags, you will most likely use a rack of some sort to keep your stuff off the exhaust, so the weight you have left over is probably equal to the amount of fuel you will burn in a day, or the food and water you will pack if going into the mountains to go camping, or maybe a lap top and camera/video gear, etc...It's all relative and not an issue IMHO. If you really want to save weight: go to the gym, stay in hotels, forget the lap top, use a point and shoot camera, eat out, buy tires on the way, don't bring tools you don't know how to use and leave the spares with a friend to ship out to you.. This will only leave you your clothes and toiletries, a small bag and very light.
One major disadvantage i find with hard bags is the ability to twist the sub-frame of some bikes in the event of a crash. Soft bags will just self destruct and leave your stuff skattered all over the road behind you, preserving your precious motorcycle kind of like an airgag in a car . Soft bags are rarely waterproof, easly cut open and are less secure than locked aluminum boxes. Punching a lock makes noise and arouses suspicion, a razor blade is silent.
Aluminum boxes can be way more expensive, but there are cheap options out there if you look hard enough. My Steel Pony's cost me nearly $500 in the end, not cheap for canvas. Both aluminum boxes and soft bags are equally fixible, whether you need a hammer, drill and rivets, or a needle and thread, all of which are available anywhere in the world.
Finally, to the OP, please forgive all the childish bantering going on in this thread, instigated and followed through yet again by the same group of people. This got old along time ago, and i can't tell you how many interesting threads have been ruined by this same group, arguing with each other and taking things WAY . Give it a rest guy's, we're all tired of it. Take it to the Bar or go to Joe Mama.

Mr Ron sums this up pretty well, nice post!


I agree on this one... That's why I have stopped to respond to most of MollyDog/Mickey D's post to keep the spam-level down.

Hi
One or 2 posts on this thread have been removed. To those concerned, please feel free to continue your "interaction" via PM/email/phone/snail mail/in person or whatever, but please save us having to read it on this public forum.

Rgds
Chris

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TBS.com

Weight is a huge factor whatever luggage system you use. Having a light bike raises the enjoyment factor off the scale and reduces the risk/fear factor equally.

My Metal mules with the rack added a huge amount of weight to my XT even when empty. They made the front wheel really light, the steering twitchy etc.

I rode the Ruta 40 like this and HATED the bike. I was cursing myself for buying such a crap bike with crap suspension etc etc etc ! I didn't want to think that the £1000 I spent on luggage was the reason.

When my Mules eventually gave up on me through some ligher and heavier crashes (all caused by the weight of these boxes Im sure) I switched to soft bags... WHAT A TRANSFORMATION !! I was ripping up the dust and dirt trails of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia and the bike became a joy to ride again !

Surely we ride bikes because they are fun and enjoyable, otherwise we'd all be plodding along in landrovers. Why turn your bike into everything you're trying to get away from ???

Hard boxes are fine for cruising the highway on big heavy bikes and I think that's where they belong. On my Africa twin I dont really notice the difference between having my plastic Givi boxes or softbags so I always use my GIVI stuff as they are more practical for road trips.

It's been said a million times (just by me), But you will find that many people make the conversion from hard to soft luggage but not many the other way round (from what I can gather on here)

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Neutral is the operative word....

Thing is motorcycling is dangerous, overlanding probably more so. Any crash could be harmful. Soft, hard, no luggage....

If someone can isolate one type of luggage as a significant risk of the other, then good luck to them, but given the myriad of terrains and conditions people expose themselves to, I think it's a tall order.

If it's do-able, then great.

So far, I'm happy with my choice and I don't think less of those using soft luggage, just because I use aluminium.

__________________
Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

The use of ridicule as a debating technique worked reasonably well in middle school, less well in high school. I've found it only marginally effective in my adult life, Sarah Palin's success with it notwithstanding.

I'm with Warthog; since it seems unlikely anyone will ever "prove" one side or the other, I'm inclined to respect any and all choices which appear to be based on clarity of perception, not myth. The fact that reasonable people can draw opposing conclusions from the same evidence is refreshing evidence of our shared humanity.

Besides, I happen to enjoy my sticker acreage!

Mark

(from the entirely surreal city of Brasilia)