Touring luggage

[Hailwood]

Once more the collective wisdom is sought...........am looking to replace the pack i use over the sissy bar with something that will hold a bit more...enough for a rally or maybe a week's travel........what do people use and any recommendations?...I saw a website motocycle-luggage.com anyone used them? any good? delivery costs etc?

Any advice and help is appreciated.........

[F5 Dave]

Depends on your bike I think. Some people swear by hard luggage. Getting older & having a separate touring bike I don’t care what it looks like, I borrowed some hard luggage mounts to size up. Hells teeth!! - they weigh as much as all the luggage I wanted to carry – Not including the bloody panniers, just the mounts.

Poo.

So back to soft luggage for me. I bought some Givi soft bags, they do a normal square type bag, harder to find than the types meant for swept up pipes but quite cheap & seemed good qual. The only other thing I did was mount some camping type strap push in clips so I could remove them fast but they wouldn’t fly off over a bump (made a heck of a mess of my old paniers).

[Maverick]

I have an Arjay bag that goes on a packrack and its great, expands to 80L or something?

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ight=taupo+mav

pics in thread on my red bandit

[ceebie13]

Ive never been a fan of hard luggage and much as I'd admit that Ventura's packrack system is er...useful, I think they look hideous and spoil the look of a bike - even when reduced down to just the sports carrier. So I have sworn by Oxford Sports Lifetime soft panniers since I started riding sportsbikes . Now I have the CB and I'm still looking at soft throwovers. I recently checked out Givi's new "Gold" range in an attempt at comparing with the latest Oxfords. The Givis are nice (carbon fibre detailing etc) and cheaper but they are smaller too so I guess I'd stick with the Oxfords despite their price! Ouch! If Mrs Ceebie didn't need to take half her wardrobe and all her make-up on holiday the Givis would be fine. I'm not familiar with other brands so can't really comment further. I actually want rid of my existing Oxford stuff cos they are purple and just don't compliment the new bike dahling! Any offers?

[idb]

I use Ventura.
You can mix and match sizes and I've got an Aero and a Spada that zip together so that one is on each side of the sissy bar.

I find them brilliant.

[F5 Dave]

. . I actually want rid of my existing Oxford stuff cos they are purple and just don't compliment the new bike dahling! Any offers?

Yeah I offer to set them on fire in front of the next Gay pride march. Fruit!

Having said that I have some purple MX pants so I shouldn't throw stones.

[edit] DAMMN! I just realised my whole RF is purple! oh well buy a bike off a girl & that's what happens.

[klingon]

I have an Arjay bag that goes on a packrack and its great, expands to 80L or something?

Yeah we have the same one and thoroughly recommend it. It has all kinds of clever things like a zip-off bum bag and shoulder straps that are tucked away so if you need to carry it when you're off the bike it's easy.

BUT ONE MAJOR DESIGN FAULT:

There's a waterproof cover that pulls out from a pocket under the bottom of the pack. We were coming back from a ride and it started raining, so we stopped and pulled the cover over the pack and kept riding. After a few mins of riding in heavy rain on Auckland's southern motorway one of our buddies pulled in front and gave us the "emergency stop NOW" signal. The waterproof cover had filled with water and was being pulled further and further down the back of the bike. It had totally obscured our rear lights and was just about to start making contact with our rear tyre.

Basically the waterproof cover is the right size for the pack when it is fully expanded, but way too big otherwise. We will never use the waterproof cover again. Just too risky.

But I still recommend the pack. From memory it cost around $150 from Motomail.

[klingon]

I just found this pic of us on the bike with the pack. I wonder why the bike does wheelies so easily with me and a fully loaded pack on board?

[F5 Dave]

Yeah that's why I hate backpacks.

All the weight too high & too far back. If you have a pillion it has to be turned backward & anything past the rear axle makes the bike handle dreadfully. Had packs on many bikes until I saw the difference of panniers.

[xwhatsit]

Klingon, your husband looks really pissed at discovering what is attached to the rear of his bike...

[Lou Girardin]

Are you using one of Harleys sissy bar bags? If not, they come in sizes big enough for most peoples touring needs.
(except my wife's)

[What?]

Are you using one of Harleys sissy bar bags? If not, they come in sizes big enough for most peoples touring needs.
(except my wife's)

Yep - to cater for Wife's touring needs, one requires something akin to the trunk of a 1960 Coupe de Ville.

[Lou Girardin]

Yep - to cater for Wife's touring needs, one requires something akin to the trunk of a 1960 Coupe de Ville.

Or three 41 litre Givi bags, tank bag and rack.
I carry my stuff in a pocket.

[F5 Dave]

Yeah well that's why I have an RF as my tourer, you see there is this little glove box, which fails in it's title description, but does hold my sunnies.

Great now I'll have to watch where I park now you rabble know, but they are a bit munted.

[Paul in NZ]

Soft luggage and a HUGE tankbag solved our problems on la Guzzi

For a HD - you do need to consider the look of the thing and hard Givi panniers may just look plain ODD. There are a bazzillion leather type pannier systems for HD's - that would be the easy way to go?

Paul N