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Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #16  
Old 3 Sep 2008
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Hows your rack?

Hi Ozzee,

We are just starting to think obout racks for out two Mastiffs and were wondering how yours worked out? If it's good could we have some pictures to give us a start on ours? We are planning to get Alpos alu boxes.

Cheers,

Matt
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  #17  
Old 3 Sep 2008
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Where did you source the Ammo boxes, they're pretty neat...
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  #18  
Old 3 Sep 2008
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What about soft bags?

Which type of bags are best when you hit the ground or dirt?
Comments?
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Last edited by mollydog; 23 Mar 2009 at 08:17.
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  #19  
Old 4 Sep 2008
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If you are trying to find what’s best you have to define what you are going to use it for. For shorter or “light” trips I don’t necessarily use alu-boxes but if we talk about major trips I do.
The quality of alu-boxes (and racks) differs a lot, as always: use good equipment.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
I found that the bags and racks (with hardware) added up to about 28 lbs.(12.7 kgs.) empty and that was more than all my clothes weighed.

My soft bags weigh 5 lbs. (2.2 kg.s) The small steel GIVI stand off rack mounted on the pipe side weighs 4 lbs. (1.8 kgs.) with hardware. (three bolts) Ah So, 28 lbs. minus 9 lbs. shows I've saved 19 lbs. (8.6 kgs) with soft bags.
I guess my setup weighs a lot more, but even if weight is a factor it I feel that all the positive aspects with the boxes is more important. My bike carries this weight very good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
3. Security
Aren't soft bags insecure?

It seems the number one reason folks like Hard Aluminum boxes is for Security. I'm a little confused here. I don't often park my bike in a busy urban area and walk away. On most travel bikes most of us have many other things on the bike that are not locked up in the Aluminum boxes.
GPS, clocks, maps pouch, tank bag, camera, Papers? What else? Not everything can go in Alu boxes.

So where is the advantage of the Aluminum panniers in this situation?
I park my bike everywhere. Outside of the boxes I have GPS, camera, tent and sleeping bag.
GPS: If the place is dodgy I put in my luggage/pocket. On longer trips I mount it so you need tools to remove it.
Camera: I carry it with me or store it in my luggage
Tent & sleeping bag: Bulky Items which are left on the bike

Soft bags can be opened quite discrete with (or without) a knife.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
When you arrive at a campground are you worried about the bags on your bike? What about what is in your tent? Most campgrounds have someone there, keeping an eye out, no? If wild camping, would you go for a days hike
leaving your bike and everything locked in lockable panniers?
I don’t have valuables in my tent. If someone wants to steel it they only expose theirself to the guards (if there are any) the few seconds they use to enter and leave the tent. It’s also possible to fabricate an excuse for walking into a tent. It’s not easy to fabricate an excuse for using large tools to open the boxes. Opening them also requires a bit time….
For me it’s not a problem to leave the bike somewhere for a few days.

Usually people don’t plan to steal your stuff. They just pass it and see that it’s easy to steel. If they have to use tools (other then maybe a knife) they will often pass by.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
At a Hostel/Hotel/Backpackers do you leave all your stuff locked in your hard bags at night? Or .... do you bring into your room the things you need?
or the whole hard bag?

I bring my hard bags in the room, no matter that they lock. Even an average thief can get past the small padlocks/hinges on even the toughest Aluminum boxes. Bolt cutters, portable disc grinders and crow bars, common now
I take what I need, if the place is dodgy I cover the bike.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
So what ARE the advantages on hard bags?

Crashes?
Which type of bags are best when you hit the ground or dirt?
I find it better to crash with alu-boxes, if they are proper build with a good rack.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post

Comments?
I think you have missed a couple important factors here.

Volume:
Soft bag are great for small trips but usually you are not able to carry the same weight/volume. On longer trips I carry up 15 liters of water and 15 liters of petrol and food for a few days. I store some inside the boxes, some outside. This comes beside camera equipment, tubes, clothes and all the usual stuff. It’s hard to do this with soft bags.

Longevity of your equipment:
Your gear has better chance of surviving in a box. Why do people use Pelicase for the camera-equipment and not plastic bags?
I have crashed more then 100 times in speeds up to 110 km/h and have never ruined my gear.

Weather protection:
Alu boxes normally offer better weather protection, especially after a few months of hard use.

Usability:
The boxes can be used as table, chair or you can use it to lift your bike of the ground. Quite a few people get tired of sitting on the ground every evening.

Stickers:
Where to put all the nice stickers? :-)

Conclusion:
For me the positive aspects outweigh the weight on longer trips, 10-15 kg is not an issue on my bike.
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  #20  
Old 4 Sep 2008
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Whilst I did also have roll bags on board, I would personally still err towards Ally, compared to soft or plastic.

For me the main reasons that are not dependent on the human element are waterproofing, and strength. Whilst most soft luggage is water proof to begin with, it only takes one thorn etc, to compromise this and we all know how much water can get through a small puncture over few hours in the rain: many a set of waterproofs binned for that I expect.

Then there is the durability aspect: they are likely to come off better in an off, especially as an off is more likely on dirt where the abundance of ripping objects is greater. Weight saving is definitely an issue, but when all was said and done, with two people on board, the advantages of saving 10-12 kgs was out weighted by the advantages above.

Then there is always the risk of fire.

Whilst not 100% secure, it is more of a task to get into a locked pannier than lifting soft stuff off the bike, in a convenient easy-carry package for the thieving git....

For me it also means that stuff that we could live with loosing more easily or cheaply (clothing, towel, travel pillow etc) could stay in the rollbags, stuff like the stove, camera kit, tools could be safely tucked away in a metal box.

Plastic for me, may have many of Ally's attributes, but it is simply that one off can crack them and the are then pretty useless...

For those who manage to travel really light, then soft may be the best option as you can almost keep everything on the bike rather than dangling down the sides.

As it happens I am going to try something new for my Ural: I hope to make plywood, stitch and glue storage for the rig. These are said to be nice and tough, whilst being pretty light too. Being on a side-car, they are less likely to take the full force of a bike falling on them as might be the case on a solo (unless I get it very wrong).

That said, I have read about people making these for their solos and, apparenetly, being very pleased with the results!
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Last edited by Warthog; 4 Sep 2008 at 10:17. Reason: Afterthought
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  #21  
Old 4 Sep 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Warthog View Post
As it happens I am going to try something new for my Ural: I hope to make plywood, stitch and glue storage for the rig. These are said to be nice and tough, whilst being pretty light too. Being on a side-car, they are less likely to take the full force of a bike falling on them as might be the case on a solo (unless I get it very wrong).

That said, I have read about people making these for their solos and, apparenetly, being very pleased with the results!
I have used plywood covered with a thin Alu-sheet. They plywood worked okay.

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  #22  
Old 4 Sep 2008
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Too much gear here.
total including tools.
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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Last edited by mollydog; 23 Mar 2009 at 08:20. Reason: pics
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  #23  
Old 4 Sep 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
Do you know the weight of your Alu boxes and your mounting racks? Total weight?
No I don’t know… My setup also has a very solid and heavy subframe.
In a few weeks I will have my lighter rally-subframe finished and then I will check the difference in weight between the touring setup and the light setup.
My guess is that the difference will be close to 20kg.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
Fact is, most places I go to, security is never a concern, if it is, I don't go there, or hire someone to look out for the bike, which, IMO, everyone should do for any bike.
I happen to like dodgy places, maybe because I grew up at a dodgy place

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
This is one thing I disagree on. Based on lots of experience. In hard boxes things beat themselves to death on bad washboard roads. They bang around against the hard Alu surfaces. In soft bags you can surround more delicate things with cloths and pack tightly. Soft bags are flexible and move more. Stuff survives better in soft bags. You've read
Chris Scott's book, no?
First rule is that the box has to be full all the time. If it’s not full then get an inflatable pillow to make it full (no weight and even great for sleeping).

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
I've crashed riding/racing dirt bikes plenty too, but part of the reason I like soft bags is LESS WEIGHT, which means I have better control and .... Hopefully ... I will crash LESS. If you've crashed 100 times I'd say you're very lucky not to have broken something. Crashing sucks and can ruin your whole trip.
I see the point about less weight and sure I agree it’s a good thing.
On most of my “bigger” trips I write articles and I usually have a fact-route where I write down number of punctures, number of crashes and so on, that’s how I remember the sum. In Africa I had 66 crashes in a year and I was always able to keep on driving.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
On your GS you have a LOT more room to pack gear and the bike no doubt handles the load better than a single. (at least my single). I see this as good .... and bad. More room means more weight.
Yes it’s good and bad. I don’t carry a lot of stuff but sometime I need to carry loads of petrol and water. I simply don’t know another way to drive 500-750 km unsupported.
This is for one year:


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
The original poster is riding a MUZ Baghira. So, given hard bag/soft bag discussion, do you feel hard bags are still better on a single too?
Hard question… It depends on where he will go and how much he needs to carry.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
No one has mentioned one of the most common problems with Alu Boxes/Racks. That is the cracking or breakage of the mounting racks and hardware. I have seen this many times riding in Mexico and have read a lot of reports of broken racks here in HU.
Well I wrote something like “The quality of alu-boxes (and racks) differs a lot, as always: use good equipment.”
I have had a lot of problems with my previous rack; it was the weak point on my bike for many years. Now I have a setup that works, so it is possible…

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
On a MUZ single I would think care would have to be taken regards weight. And what about the rear subframe? On many singles I have seen the rear subframes break or hardware shears off. This includes KLR's, XT's, XR650L's and even DR's. Thousands of miles of bad roads can cause repeated problems with broken/cracked racks,Boxes and subframes.
The rear subframe has to be capable to do the job and as you say a lot of bikes have weak subframes. That goes for most singles and even if you modify the subframe the handling might be bad. That’s one of the reasons I prefer twins…


Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
Is it only 15 kgs. ?
How much weight are you carrying on your GS? Total with fully packed up bike? Racks, Boxes, gear, tools, everything?
Any idea?
This is an old pic (before rebuild)..


Let me guess, worst case: Bike 205 kg + panniers 15 kg + Water 15 kg + Petrol 40 kg + luggage 40 kg = 315 kg. If you include the driver we have 400 kg, still 20 kg below maximum allowed weight. Bike was packed for one years travel.
Normally I don’t carry the tent and the backpack that high on the bike but because of extra petrol and water I had to do it for a few days.
The weight-difference between soft and hard bags is maybe 10 kg, or 2.5% of the total weight.

The bike still rides good. A few people said it was impossible to drive “graveyard piste” with a bike like that. (Route is now described in Sahara Overland as A2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
I had 100 lbs. (45 kgs.) on my DR650 (this included two tires, racks, bags, tools, cloths) and it made the bike hard to ride off road in Baja. On the highway too, the bike was not much fun to ride with so much weight. In the dirt I had to ride like a little old lady to stay under control. I hated it. I can't imagine going two up on a loaded single.

Now I've got it down to about 65 lbs.(30 kgs.) and everything is good. Hard dirt riding you hardly know bags are on.
So that is my weight limit for now.
Well, it doesn’t sound like my kind of bike… A lot of singles perform great in dirt, but not with luggage.

On the other hand I’m planning a desert trip without alu-boxes. I think the setup will be:
-43 litres of fuel in the fuel tank
-A small bag with food, firstaidkit, pump, tubes and a pair of socks
-Tools stored on bike
-7.5 litres water in an integrated tank
-2 litres water in camelback
-3 additional litres of water stored on bike
-Sleepingbag (no tent or mat)
-Camera in custom made small tankbag

It will probably be enough for 2-3 days raids, maybe not touring but it’s nice to try something else.
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  #24  
Old 16 Apr 2009
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Front rack

Quote:
Originally Posted by Martynbiker View Post
plus say a sleeping bag, stuffsack for clothes and a tent and bedroll......... maybe a front rack for bedroll and tent?
how long did you say you were going away for?????????? roflmao!

here are some pics of Lois Pryces XT225 Serow kitted out for trans america trip. looks like she was keen on ammo boxes too. the front rack was a smart idea too.
Lovely work! Love the front rack, what a great idea... I may have to steal that!
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