Loading gear

[XF650]

I'm tossing up between hard luggage (panniers) & soft luggage (saddle bags) for adventure touring on the Freewind.
I already have a 36 litre top box & previously just loaded the extra gear on the pillion seat. But I understand the benifits to keep weight of luggage as low as possible for adventure riding.

Hard cases & or racks do a great job of protecting the bike in a fall.
But is it better to keep weight of extra gear in line with or forward of rear axel? Saddle bags seem more flexible, to be able to shift weight distribution to suit the ride. I don't carry a pillion.
Any comments / experience?
Thanks

[banditrider]

Hard luggage gets my vote. Another thread on subject here: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=56703

[Daffyd]

Having used both hard and soft, I'd be very reluctant to go back to soft.
If only for the fact that my hard luggage is weatherproof.

[tri boy]

I'll bat for the other side, and suggest the soft luggage is more adaptable, sits well, and if you buy stuff like Andy Strapps Luggage it is strong as.
Canoe type "wet bags" are also strong and adaptable for different situations.
The boxes main advantage is that theyre easier to access.

[marks]

I'll bat for the other side, and suggest the soft luggage is more adaptable, sits well, and if you buy stuff like Andy Strapps Luggage it is strong as.
Canoe type "wet bags" are also strong and adaptable for different situations.
The boxes main advantage is that theyre easier to access.

where do you get Canoe type "wet bags" from??

Hi Struan

Clint had a set of those Andy Strapps soft panniers on his 640 - they looked ideal - and you could use them on the DT230.

have a look here (http://www.andystrapz.com/expedition_panniers.htm)

I may get a set for the wr450 as anything strapped to the seat/guard will just make me fall on my face when I try and throw a leg over.

[Steam]

where do you get Canoe type "wet bags" from??

Kathmandu have them

[tri boy]

Kathmandu do a good budget one. (quite light) for about $30.
I prefer the brand below. I would feel comfortable in throwing it into a river, and the contents will remain dry.(I put my sleeping bag in it).
The fabric is alot thicker, and all seam are sealed inside.
(I Hate Wet Sleeping Bags).:angry2:
Some photos to show adaptability.(Borrowed from ADV World Web site).

[tri boy]

This is a bit of a mock up. (I wouldn't use that tank bag off road), but the rest is realistic storage one up.

[mbazza]

I use a top box and a single kayak 'dry bag' slung across the bike seat. I've got several and choose the appropriate size for the trip.
These are heavy duty vinyl and some of mine even have a see through panel. They are available on 'trade thingy'.
Make sure you get heavy weight ones. I use the lighter 'Katmandu' ones inside my soft throw over luggage, very waterproof but of light construction. Cheers.

[NordieBoy]

The boxes main advantage is that theyre easier to access.

And can be used as a side stand :D

[tri boy]

I'll bat for the other side,
The boxes main advantage is that theyre easier to access.

I think I need a therapist.:crazy::wacko::Oops:

[marks]

This is a bit of a mock up. (I wouldn't use that tank bag off road), but the rest is realistic storage one up.

you'd need a periscope to see over that tank bag....:eek:

[cooneyr]

Hard cases are more convenient to use and more secure but in a slow speed crash or drop off road they can supposedly do bad things to your limbs. Soft panniers are more flexible in that they can be slid back or forward along the seat. Hard panniers tend to be perminantly mounted further back on the bike.

I did a 3 day trip with gear in a dry bag on the back of the seat and then did a ride with soft panniers slung over the seat and the panniers were far better with respect to weight distribution - much nicer to ride with and had more weight. Pics of my setup here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=44080&highlight=dr650+pannier) although I dont use the top box much anymore (new rack and havent put base plate on yet).

Depends on the type of riding as much as anything. If mainly gravel and sealed roads then hard may be the way to go but if more off road then soft may be better.

Cheers R

[ManDownUnder]

And can be used as a side stand :D

LOL that is sooo wrong - for all the right reasons.

[Crisis management]

My votes for soft luggage for off road stuff and hard luggage for road work. You don't actually need to take very much with you for a week.....despite Triboys display of exuberance (I think I know why the front wheel failed now Brent)

Iain

[clint640]

Yep, I've got a set of the Andy Strapz panniers & they're very good. I place them well forward so the weight sits about where a pillion would & I hardly notice the extra load on the bike.

The security of hard cases would be nice at times, I'd have em on a road bike for sure, but sometimes the adv riding I do involves the occasional tricky section (or just doing dumb stuff :rolleyes:) & being whacked in the back of the leg while executing an 'oh shit' dab maneuver just doesn't appeal.

Cheers
Clint

[Wolf]

Home-made soft bags for me - a couple of Voyager V1205 cabin bags modified to act as panniers were quite sufficient to carry everything I needed for the Cold Kiwi except my tent and water bottle (which went on the tail rack).

Of course they're not fully waterproof but I carry all my gear in plastic bin liners anyway.

They caused no problems with the handling of the bike (but I took it easy just to be on the safe side). A couple of times one strap came loose but they remained firmly in place thanks to the bungee straps I used to stop them from swinging outward or shifting forward/back.

I'm well pleased as they're quite large but cost less than $80 all up - including the bits to modify them.

[tri boy]

Yo Wolf,
Feel like a break from Ham town?
O/night trip to Coro Tip is recommended for this w/end.:shifty:

[Wolf]

Yo Wolf,
Feel like a break from Ham town?
O/night trip to Coro Tip is recommended for this w/end.:shifty:
Would love a break from Hamilscum - but it won't be this weekend: all the signs and portents say it's contraindicated for me (I'm too broke and too busy)

Cheers for the heads up, though. Some other time.

[clint640]

Home-made soft bags for me

Nice work Wolf, I've seen a few other similar setups which seem to work well. Given that you can get fairly beefy cabin/school bags for quite cheap it's a good option.

Those sorts of bags are a better shape for a dirt bike too as, like my Andy Strapz bags, they're a bit taller than most of the sprotbike-styled panniers available. I think the key is to try & get some like yours with buckles so the zip doesn't take all the load.

Cheers
Clint

[Wolf]

I think the key is to try & get some like yours with buckles so the zip doesn't take all the load.
I cheated - I used the hand strap and a couple of quick-release clips to make the buckles to take the load off the zips.

Very robust - good thick Cordura (thicker than the Ventura bags I looked at) and a lot larger than a $100 set of saddle bags from Ventura as well.

The bags cost me around $35 each and I paid less than $10 for the plastic clips and a metre of webbing strap. The plastic sale board I used to stiffen the sides of the bags closest to the bike cost me nothing.

I think getting some cheap small bungees from the $2 shop to secure the bags to the pannier frames pushed the price tag marginally past $80. (Damn, it's getting costly!)

The pannier frames I used were $10-worth of 2mm electrogalv plate cut and shaped by Roj to fit over the rear grab rails and edged with rubber beading from the local Para Rubber store.

I'm not at all worried about the lack of "proper waterproofing" as I've never trusted the waterproofing claims of any pack/bag.

[warewolf]

For adventure touring in NZ, I'd pick soft saddlebags for sure. Anything that needs to stay dry is separately waterproofed as needed. Clint's point about shape is a good one. I've got cheap motoline sports panniers on my 640, they expand out whereas up would be better. And make sure they are securely held off the exhaust!