Motorcycle luggage?

[blurredman]

Hi,

I intend to go long term camping/touring on my bike sometime in the next month. I'll be on the road, and stopping every night to pitch my sleeping bag/tent, and i'll be doing this for approximately 28 nights.

Since I won't be home for a good 3 weeks at least, I need some fairly large capacity luggage in order to carry the materials I need.

I have a somewhat medium top box, But I also need large panniers (soft are fine- just need to be large capacity), aswel as a big tank bag with a window for direction sheets, and also a large touring bag to sit on the back seat along witht the tent and sleeping bag.


What would you guys recommend? I'm in need of large, (but still fairly good value/cheap) soft luggage.


Regards
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[_mjs_]

Go on ebay and type in 'universal top box'. There's a company selling 56 litre ones for 38ish quid. Got one for my bike and it's fantastic, not at all cheap and nasty like I half expected and has immense storage capacity.

As for panniers, go to ebay again and buy some 'Oxford First' soft panniers. I think it was a company called Ghostbikes I got mine from for about 42 quid. These will give you another big chunk of storage but can't remember the specifics off the top of my head.

I've got a picture of my luggaged up £600 CB 500 parked next to a £8,000 Pan-Euro on my phone and the storage capacity looks to be about the same.

Good luck and be sure to let us know how you get on!
____________________
Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[Ericck]

Try a dry bag, they are cheap and waterproof (sold at go outdoors
etc).

I have it vertical as I don't like anything wider tham my bars but you can use smaller ones bungee'd on sideways.

Maybe not to everyones taste but they do the job

https://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a408/ericck/Untitled.jpg
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Current Bikes: 2006 Suzuki Bandit 1200, 2008 Suzuki SV650N.
Previous Bikes: Yamaha FS1E, Mobylette Moped Thingy, Suzuki GS125, Kawasaki Zephyr 550, Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Kawasaki ER500, Suzuki Bandit 600, Honda CBR600F, Triumph Street Triple 675, Suzuki V Strom 650.

[Tomzo47]

Oxford Sovereign panniers are pretty large, and cant fault the tank bag. You could always ditch the top box and just use the rack, tie stuff to pillion seat and rack. only problem with that is you have nowhere properly waterproof and lockable, but you can fit alot more on.
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Ybr 125 > Bandit 650SA > GSXR 600 > Triumph Sprint St1050 > CB1300 > Z1000SX + FJ1200 (written off) > VFR750 >FJ1200

[moppy]

Since I've just come back from a month touring around Europe, I'll share what I think on the matter.

- You want soft panniers. Will protect the back of your bike when you drop it on some gravel.
- Don't fill your luggage. Packing and unpacking becomes easily the most annoying thing, so massive panniers (I had some Oxford ones which did the job nicely) about 3/4 full is the way to go.
- Sleeping bag and tent in a dry bag and bungeed = Job done.

Try and get a magnetic tank bag which maybe becomes a rucksack. That way you can park up somewhere with all your important valuable shit in your tankbag, whip that off and go wondering around. I left the panniers on the bike even when I was camping out of sight because fuck it, they didnt have anything of any value in them.

[Im-a-Ridah]

[barrkel]

I've done about 20,000 miles or so on 4 trips on the continent over the past year. Purpose-built soft luggage was mostly a waste of time; fiddly to attach, needing balanced packaging etc., not very secure even if you're just grabbing a break at a McD.

The best solution I've found so far is a sturdy gym bag - this style of thing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-North-Face-Duffel-Large/dp/B000P9EDVS

strapped on to rear grab handles with luggage straps like these: https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_172268_langId_-1_categoryId_165760.

Don't worry about the gym bag being waterproof. If it starts out waterproof, it won't stay waterproof. Instead, pack things that need water protection (which turns out to be almost everything) into rubble sacks available at DIY stores - basically plastic bags with the thickest plastic you can find - and put these inside the gym bag. The sacks double as compartmentalization, making packing far easier. I've gone through continuous rain for hours on end, and torrential downpours too, the kind of rain that looks like fog, you can only see the lights of the car in front of you, and everybody has slowed down to 30mph on the autobahn, and been glad to be able to put on dry clothes and boot up my dry laptop once I got to my hotel. A trick I use with my laptop is to put a wooden chopping board underneath it, wrap it in a rubble sack, then use the combination as the floor of the gym bag, so clothes etc. mediate all the force from the luggage straps. This works especially well with thin laptops like macbook airs.

You can probably stack more than one bag up, especially if you don't have a pillion, of course put lighter things in higher bags.

Hard side-panniers might be better for people who have the budget for it, and don't mind feeling like they're piloting a barge; I'm not a fan though. On some trips, I've used a topbox, very handy for transporting shopping for self-catered apartment or locking in helmet when parking up for a meal or sightsee, but I don't keep anything heavy in it at higher speeds - nothing more than waterproofs and spare bulbs.
____________________
Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[Peirre oBollox]

[Ericck]

[Polarbear]

Ventura luggage is that sort of height and I haven't found it a problem.

https://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1745/20120321153329.jpg

However good the kit is though, I could never really recommend it because of the price.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[blurredman]

Thanks for all the advice!

Well, I just won on ebay some soft panniers.

In the auction is two Oxford Sport Panniers 60 'litres'.
An Oxford tank bag, and some Oxford passenger gym type bag. Looking at the size of the panniers they seem very large and should be pretty good in size.
The auction also came with appropriate straps etc.


£62

So along with my although cheap, but hard top box it should all be fairly ample for my 3-4 weeks away camping.

I'll have to post a picture just before I set off.
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[WannaBeDude]

Wtf is it with rok straps and not doing plain black ones ffs.

Also Kriega or fuck all
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Jogging on, destination living.

[c-m]

Get yourself some Oxford panniers. I wouldn't recommend the 1st time ones though, as there are better around.

Check out the Oxford Lifetime X60 sports panniers. I've got a set of the older model ones and they quality. 60litres capacity, and top loading, making things much easier. They cost £120 but often M&P have them on sale at £60
____________________
Motorcycle headlight bulbs and HIDs
Blogging about my bike and trips
https://ridershandbook.com/

[WannaBeDude]

[c-m]

I agree for the most part. The sport panniers are very good though.

stood up well to being overloaded. Man handled, and used in the snow, and torrential rain/mud.

I wouldn't pay £120 for them, but £60 is a bargain.
____________________
Motorcycle headlight bulbs and HIDs
Blogging about my bike and trips
https://ridershandbook.com/

[garth]

I got some oxford rip off ones for £30 - They're identical to the 'Oxford First Time' ones.

TBH they're okay. I don't like the faff though, so this time I'm taking a big holdall on the back seat, sleeping bag etc on a little rack and a tankbag for wallet / phone / sat nav etc.

This way when I rock up to a F1 hotel, it's two bungees and I can take all of my shit inside, without having to take individual items out of the panniers, and I don't have to put things back in wet panniers when it's pissed it down overnight.

Winner.


https://oi46.tinypic.com/33w162x.jpg

[c-m]

I probably would bother with panniers on a solo trip either, but most of my tours are two-up.

When using panniers I always find that they remain waterproof without the covers, but then I always have my belongings in plastic bags.

This way, its pull up to the hotel/campsite. Open two zips and pull out the bags, close two zips and i'm good to go. No faffing about with bungies and the like.
____________________
Motorcycle headlight bulbs and HIDs
Blogging about my bike and trips
https://ridershandbook.com/

[garth]

[barrkel]