After several years of using hard SW Motech side cases on my 2012 V-Strom 650 I switched to Nelson Riggs roll top soft bags last year for one reason only. The width of bike with the hard cases mounted (wider than the handlebars) was a major irritant - no threading through long lines of traffic, worrying about clipping something etc.


The result? You're correct, soft bags can be a major irritant when not in motion. Yes, you can put a soft bag inside a soft bag but I found that the inner bag, once fully filled with various irregularly shaped items was often reluctant to squeeze back into the outer bag whereas it would have slid nicely back into the smooth metal interior of a hard case. A struggle would ensue. There are worse things in life but it was a pain.


So, my solution was (using adapters for the racks) to switch to much narrower plastic Givi hard cases. They hold far less that the SW Motechs but you can't have everything.

I enjoyed watching your intrepid Vespa adventures.

I recently retired a KLR650, which spent its life with Happy Trails aluminum boxes on it. Something I don't see in regard to disadvantages of hard bags is they seem to amplify vibration, where soft bags dampen it. I sometimes find my pliers and adjustable wrenches have disassembled themselves when I get them out, that doesn't happen with soft bags. That said, it is a lot easier to get things out that are at the bottom of alloy boxes, and they are more secure at border crossings and whatnot.

I personally know two people that have had legs broken in a fall with aluminum bags, so that is a major consideration to me. I just bought a Honda XR650L that came with Mosko bags. They are expensive, and I wouldn't have bought them new. They use a bag in bag concept, have the above mentioned issue of the inner bag not wanting to go back in, and are not any lighter than my Happy Trails boxes, but seem rugged and well thought out. I haven't had them long enough to have a real opinion on them.

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Andy Tiegs
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/ts...lsouth-america

I just ordered the Nelson-Rigg Sierra Dry Adv bags. Haven't used them yet. Like the two other Nelson-Rigg pannier set I had before, all have inner stiffener panels ... so most times inner bags slip in OK.

Do your panniers have inner stiffeners?

My last N/R's had zipper and the whole side of the bag opened all the way up ... so pretty easy to stuff my full inner bag in, which was just a grocery store shopping bag. (Trader Joe's)

But if you OVER LOAD your inner bag with too much CRAP ... then you can't really blame the bags. You're overloaded. Lighten it up and it will fit.

Are you're new GIVI bags are plastic ones? Mine pictured a few posts back.
They're tougher than they look. I fell a couple times, whacked trees and hit a steel pole leaving a parking lot.
A few scuffs, but those GIVI's never cracked. I was impressed how strong.

But you need heavier racks to carry the GIVI's and most ALU panniers. The Jesse bags are great ... but did you ever weigh one empty? no thanks.

Some heavy duty canvas soft bags are heavy, but my Nelson-Rigg aren't too bad, about 3 or 4 lbs. each? vs. 7lbs ea for my old GIVI.

My current racks are super light tubular. 2-3 lbs. ea including steel bolts.

I try to keep all up load about 45 lbs. max. Two panniers and top duffel bag (duffel only half full) Includes clothes, rain gear, tools, bath/first aid, spare tubes, electronics, WATER, extra sandals.