When it comes to luggage, I've probably crash dummied more sets than most. I started my mis-adventures with the sleek Vario panniers. True to BMW design, the Vario rack system is elegant, simply stated, yet incredibly functional and unrust-able. The Varios themselves, however, missed the mark. While the locking mechanism is ignition keyed, the side-loading nature of the bags is a bit plucky. I probably never opened them without fishing everything I didn't want off the ground to repack them again. Also, they are expandable which is a slick option. However, the expansion gear is a bit fragile when the bike gets nappy in the parking lot. While you can reset the expansion gear, it's terribly time consuming, and shortly there after you break the teeth off needing a $421 replacement pannier.
I found the metal BMW adventure panniers to be be surprisingly fragile, and I don't think I have ever seen one pair that hasn't leaked right out of the box. The gasket system just isn't all that great. And while I love the ignition keyed locks, the latches themselves are bit clunky. Not that it's important so much for a road bike, but it seems you only get about 2-3 crashes before they are so far out of square you can't re-bend them. The latches attach the pannier to the frame opposite of the R1200gs. This also means that the latches are often tweaked when the bike falls, although you can replace them for $60/pop. The replacement fee for the entire pannier is $571/each. However, the racks are incredibly stable, indestructible as heck, and amazing grab handles. I didn't think the finish was all that important until I got another set of racks, that would just rust before my eyes.
Which brings me to the Jesse system. The panniers are indestructible. They probably have the biggest volume, for the the narrowest width in the industry. The panniers are made out of battle-proven aluminum plate, however, at a cost of higher weight. The down fall to the system is the racks though. The rack is made out of steel, and rusts, rusts, and more rusts before your eyes. The rack system also doesn't attache to the rear of the subframe the same way as the BMW racks do, and therefore aren't are stable. My last gripe about the Jesse racks is that it too a heck of shimming to get them to even mount up to the bike, and even then, they never seemed 'right'. However, the pizza box top case was personal favorite. While the case consistently rattled through its' 77K mile existence, it was functionally shaped to handle all that I could throw at it. At one point, the joke was the top case had more dents that than my skidplate! The latch drove me nuts too, if it wasn't locked with the key, the latch would rattle open. How I never lost anything as it flopped open in the open wind is beyond me.
On my little bikes, I started using both the Giant Loop Great Basin and also the Wolfman Expedition panniers. While the Great Basin is about the only option for a bike without racks, it leaks like a sieve and rubs the heck out of the body panels. The Great Basins are not quick, semi-quick to access during your trip. The Expeditions however, are very waterproof attache well and have become a local favorite!
So, where to go with this build?
I found the metal BMW adventure panniers to be be surprisingly fragile, and I don't think I have ever seen one pair that hasn't leaked right out of the box. The gasket system just isn't all that great. And while I love the ignition keyed locks, the latches themselves are bit clunky. Not that it's important so much for a road bike, but it seems you only get about 2-3 crashes before they are so far out of square you can't re-bend them. The latches attach the pannier to the frame opposite of the R1200gs. This also means that the latches are often tweaked when the bike falls, although you can replace them for $60/pop. The replacement fee for the entire pannier is $571/each. However, the racks are incredibly stable, indestructible as heck, and amazing grab handles. I didn't think the finish was all that important until I got another set of racks, that would just rust before my eyes.
Which brings me to the Jesse system. The panniers are indestructible. They probably have the biggest volume, for the the narrowest width in the industry. The panniers are made out of battle-proven aluminum plate, however, at a cost of higher weight. The down fall to the system is the racks though. The rack is made out of steel, and rusts, rusts, and more rusts before your eyes. The rack system also doesn't attache to the rear of the subframe the same way as the BMW racks do, and therefore aren't are stable. My last gripe about the Jesse racks is that it too a heck of shimming to get them to even mount up to the bike, and even then, they never seemed 'right'. However, the pizza box top case was personal favorite. While the case consistently rattled through its' 77K mile existence, it was functionally shaped to handle all that I could throw at it. At one point, the joke was the top case had more dents that than my skidplate! The latch drove me nuts too, if it wasn't locked with the key, the latch would rattle open. How I never lost anything as it flopped open in the open wind is beyond me.
On my little bikes, I started using both the Giant Loop Great Basin and also the Wolfman Expedition panniers. While the Great Basin is about the only option for a bike without racks, it leaks like a sieve and rubs the heck out of the body panels. The Great Basins are not quick, semi-quick to access during your trip. The Expeditions however, are very waterproof attache well and have become a local favorite!
So, where to go with this build?
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I really used unconventional wisdom for this, and took the best of everything. I needed a top case for lunch box carrying, pannier racks for my occasionally weekend packout using the soft bags.I decided on the BMW Adventure Racks for rustfree grab handle durability, the Vario top case system with it's shape consistent with the Jesse Pizza box, but the latching system of the Varios, and the Wolfman Expedition panniers for lightness/waterproofness. The expeditions are used on multiple bikes, and also have this speed loading enhancement.