True
 

All good points Ted, but if you read what I said, I did advocate buying secondhand as I did - a Metal Mule pannier rack and top rack went to someone for £118 on Ebay recently. Good value for someone. Ebay in Germany used to throw up some good deals as well when the Euro wasa bit weaker.

As with most things in life, I think you get what you pay for - many folks are aware of the guy who is doing a fairly extreme project riding his G650X up to Siberia at the moment, and on his blog, the only problem he has had has been broken luggage racks.

My Givi racks cracked on both sides in Mali on my XTZ750 - I think 20 kg of underpants and food and water bouncing up and down on corrugations all day puts an incredible strain on luggage racks and its not an area I would scrimp on.

lol.. fair enough !

Although; My metal mule racks folded like a cheap chinese deck chair when I crashed. They are only as strong as the weakest part !

Oooh
 

Ted, interesting that your MM racks folded up

I have plumped for Andy Strapz panniers but I am taking almost nothing with me, literally 1 spare T shirt, 1 spare pair undercrackers and so on, but water is fairly heavy and you need a lot of that to be safe.

Hopefully because the panniers are soft, they will take any tumbles a bit better, although they may of course rip

It's all good fun, the planning :confused1:

You're dead right...

That's now my luggage choice. Hard rails with soft luggage. I only ever keep soft stuff in my side bags now. Clothes, towel, sleeping bag etc.. They are a great crash buffer.

I bought some second hand hard plastic boxes for European road trips but I'll deffo being going soft for Africa (oooo err).

My only worry is security but shouldnt be too much of a problem as all they would be stealing is my dirty laundrey, books and some squashed biscuits :)

Andy Strapz are very well built - I have a pair but you need to consider their complete lack of security.
If you're carrying impossible to replace spares, tools- then, with any soft luggage even with PacSafe - you are at high risk from the opportunist.
Boxes have got their + and -'s but with decent locks (as MM's) do offer some security and proper dust/waterproofness as well as easy access- try that with Andy Strapz!
It's a Catch 22 situation- a bit more weight and some security and more practical against a bit less weight and at risk of a cut/missing bag-
Velcro straps are hardly a deterrent and AS areb*ggers to find stuff in!- only you can decide what is good for you.
BTW.you may want to revise your need for 20Kgs of underpants Dick- little out there is that scary! :lol2: (sorry- just could not resist it! :blushing:)

Help me out!!
 

I have been looking at the Givi website and I am trying to work out which racks I need for soft panniers Ted which ones did you buy??

Soft luggage
 

I think I'll go Andy Strapz with a small lockable topbox for my important stuff.
Less, less, less is my mantra for the next trip.