Side panniers and racks

2539 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by drmonbowen, 8 mo ago

foglght

Discussion Starter · 8 mo ago

I was considering purchasing some soft cases for the bike. I bought a Kriega US30 that I use daily on the back. I looked into purchasing the other side soft cases they make, but it looks like they don't make anything that specifically fits the Vstrom. I want soft side cases. Can I just buy any rack kit and will anything fit universally? Looks like most companies make stuff for the Yamahas, BMW, etc. but nothing specific to the Zuki.

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drmonbowen

· #2 · 8 mo ago

In my experience, side racks are absolutely not universal and are quite model-specific. Soft bags are universal (as long as they aren't simply too big or too small).

I vote for the Givi rack. It works very well with my soft bags and cases.

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SteadyHorse

· #3 · 8 mo ago

I have Givi racks and hard bags, and they also work fine for my Nelson Rigg soft bags.

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LV Strom1k

· #4 · 8 mo ago

I've got a set of these they work well with my cheap soft saddlebags. They also don't look bad or out of place on the bike when you don't have your bags on.

Fairly inexpensive and Rick is great to deal with:

saddle-bag-guards.html

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foglght

Discussion Starter · #5 · 8 mo ago

LV Strom1k said:
I've got a set of these they work well with my cheap soft saddlebags. They also don't look bad or out of place on the bike when you don't have your bags on.

Fairly inexpensive and Rick is great to deal with:

saddle-bag-guards.html

So odd that the pictures of the guards don't show up on a mobile, only on a laptop/desktop.

You just strapped your soft bags to this, or did you buy the specific luggage mounting plates and strapped the plates to his guards?

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Crabtrap

· #6 · 8 mo ago

LV Strom1k said:
I've got a set of these they work well with my cheap soft saddlebags. They also don't look bad or out of place on the bike when you don't have your bags on.

Fairly inexpensive and Rick is great to deal with:

saddle-bag-guards.html

…but Adventure Tech does not make them for the ‘12-16’ Wee.

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thirdofthree

· #7 · 8 mo ago

If you do end up using regular old hard-case racks for your soft bags, consider a model that allows quick & easy removal of the side racks. My Hepco Becker Lock-It side racks go on or off in just a minute or two. Givi makes a similar version.

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LV Strom1k

· #8 · 8 mo ago

foglght said:
So odd that the pictures of the guards don't show up on a mobile, only on a laptop/desktop.

You just strapped your soft bags to this, or did you buy the specific luggage mounting plates and strapped the plates to his guards?

Two big straps over the back of the seat, then two smaller straps clip around the bolt extension bars that are part of the guards - their biggest purpose is to keep the soft bags from drooping into the tire well area (looks awful).

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foglght

Discussion Starter · #9 · 8 mo ago

drmonbowen said:
In my experience, side racks are absolutely not universal and are quite model-specific. Soft bags are universal (as long as they aren't simply too big or too small).

I vote for the Givi rack. It works very well with my soft bags and cases.

Did you get the V series racks or the monokey rack?

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PerazziMx14

· #10 · 8 mo ago

Happy Trails is a small USA based company that are very good to deal with and they make top quality stuff.

Here is a link to a set of SU series racks that you could lash soft bags too or add flat backed (no muffler cutout) hard panniers like Tusk's, Happy Trails or Pelican cases.

Happy Trails SU Side Rack Suzuki DL650 V-Strom (2012-2016)

Here's a link to the hard pannier mount kits that you bolt to any flat backed hard case to make it fit the racks:

Happy-Trails Pannier Puck Mount Kit Original Style

Our mount kits make it a cinch to take your panniers on and off. This kit will also work for Pelican cases or other types of luggage enabling quick and easy detachment. The kit consists of four pucks for each pannier (total of 8). The bottom 2 pucks on e

www.happy-trail.com

Or you can roll you own pannier mounts with hockey pucks, a router, 3/4" flat stock and a couple of bolts/nuts. Here's a link to a set I made for some Tusk panniers (loves me some Tusk panniers) to use in conjunction with TouraTech racks:

Got another pair of Tusk panniers for the 07. DIY...

Finally landed a set of Touratech pannier racks for one of the bikes. Having used Tusk panniers in the past I really like them as they are inexpensive and waterproof. What I don't like is Touratech charges $89.00 per pannier for their mounting hardware. Having seen a few DIY versions I set to...

www.r1200gs.info