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Hard luggage question

3K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Dino M 
#1 ·
hey gang. i recently purchased an 05 dl650. im planning on motocamping and doing some easy off road riding.

i had soft bags on my previous bike, cortech super 2.0 soft bags. they worked well on that bike but i'm now looking for something....harder...!


im interested in getting aluminum side cases. i work at cycle gear so i can get a pretty good discount on parts. this is an entirely new world i have no experience with, so i was wondering if any of you could post your experience with hard cases. i'm also looking for cases that open from the top. my cortech bags opened from the top and i couldn't see myself without the ability to load gear while the bags are on the bike.


any thoughts?
 
#2 · (Edited)
You could check out the Tusk aluminum panniers at Rocky Mountain ATV. You'll find them listed with racks for the KLR. They do not have racks for the V-Strom, but you can still buy the panniers and purchase someone else's racks. They are inexpensive compared to others. Next up the line are Happy Trails. They make everything for the Strom.

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1033/40024/Tusk-Aluminum-Panniers
 
#6 ·
Is hard luggage always bolted to the rack? Is this the case with soft bags as well? I recently bought a well farkled wee and it's cases were bolted on; and as a new rider, I had never thought of this before. I also come from a bicycle touring background and most panniers are soft and removable. Thanks for answering this basic question!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Denali Panniers

I'm very happy with my Happy Trails huge deep aluminum side cases. I pack the heavy junk way down at the bottom. They provide a huge packing space yet a deep narrower profile so I've yet to bump into anything. They and the racks are plenty durable and do protect my bike. I always fall over on my right side so the lower right front corner of the box is showing some serious "usage." Totally waterproof. From looking at mine, I'd suggest powder coating on the inside but just raw aluminum finish on outside would be the best.
If you look closely on the front of the port side box you can see the powder coating is peeling off. It's not a complaint to the company about the product in any way! In fact I am very happy that most of the finish. These boxes are well travelled and work very well as they are intended. For what it's worth stickers will not adhere to the powder coating, otherwise my boxes would be covered with ugly looking faded, scratched and wornout stickers.
 
#10 ·
Have a set of Jesse's that might be for sale Premium cases for sure - got them with the bike and they were superb on the cross country trip. 82 litres of storage.

Top loading with them opening outward - you can load the top part as it folds flat. Serious $$ new but extremely durable and easy to use. Easy to adjust fore and aft and hooks to load stuff on top of them.

 
#11 ·
I have Jessie's wants and a tusk budget! Lol. Those are some nice cases man... Maybe I'll upgrade to them or some happy trails down the road. For now I'm more of a budget build. The fact I have a jeep project to doesn't help me out with my wife.
This bike was going to be just a to and from work... It's turning out to be another addiction!
 
#13 ·
I've got Pelican 1440's with removable racks. They are very, very rugged but heavy. Easy to put on and take off. You can also take the racks off for looks but I'm not sure it saves any weight. I had Givi cases that weren't as rugged but much lighter and the racks did not come off. If I did a lot of off road with cases on, I'd go with Pelican again. If I stayed on pavement with a few dirt roads tossed in, I'd go back to Givi.
 
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