Hi guys and gals,

I am planning to buy a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 from Lalli Singh in Karol Bagh - New Delhi next October (last week) and at the moment am searching for "desirables" I'd like Lalli to throw on my bike.

One of my searches was the inevitable pannier issue to compliment my 60l Dry bag and back pack... taking into account that I'd like to keep my Bullet pristine with no permanent non factory fixings (factory saddle bags are way too small for me) and something I can fly about easily with for other bike travels once I've had my fair share of the Himalayas... (if ever).

Searching what's available locally in India I came upon these very pretty local Cramster bags... and thought you might be interested.

Cramster - Travel Gear For The Restless : Motorcycle Luggage, Saddlebags, Magnetic Tankbags, Riding Gear - Jacket, Gloves, Backpacks...

Cramster - Travel Gear For The Restless : Motorcycle Luggage, Saddlebags, Magnetic Tankbags, Riding Gear - Jacket, Gloves, Backpacks...

Cramster - Travel Gear For The Restless : Motorcycle Luggage, Saddlebags, Magnetic Tankbags, Riding Gear - Jacket, Gloves, Backpacks...


They are certainly dirt cheap to start with, they are what the locals use for sport touring on their own bikes & bullets and IMHO I believe they are quite up to the job...

Construction: Made of 600 Denier Ribbed Polyester with PVC Coating Plus additional internal Nylon lining. Excellent Industrial grade fabric, strong and being synthetic makes it more tolerant to variable weather conditions.

Stallion Saddle Bags:

Capacity: 45~ Litres (14"x12"x8" x2 Sides)
Plus Additional space for 2x 2000ml + 1x 1000ml Water Bottles
Plus Pockets for quick access tools
Plus provision to carry Tripods,Tents and Sleeping bags externally

Colt Saddlebags:

Capacity

• 37 Litres (L14"xW8"X (H10"..8") x 2 Sides)
• Plus Pockets for quick access Papers
• Plus Pockets for quick access tools and Water bottle
• Plus provision to carry Tripods,Tents and Sleeping bags

Comparing the Stallion (the bigger option) to Ortlieb's only, coming at ~ 45 liters they are just two liters smaller, but then have lots of pockets for other stuff / tripods where Ortlieb's don't, they are permanently attached to one another (they claim for strength) whereas Ortlieb's are attached with velcro, can be seperated and come with a shoulder strap each.... and like Ortliebs are also fitted with retroreflective tape...

Feature I like most about them is that there's lots of options to choose from and they all come in different two tone colours and IMHO look wayyyyy better than Ortlieb's dull single choice...

The only questionable issue is if they are watertight... and how much jolting and crashes and years of use they can withstand :confused1: ... but that I can only tell you in a couple of years time..

Please put forward your thoughts and opinions for the sake of all

P.S. I will be arriving at Delhi Airport on the 24/25th October 2008, pick my bike and from there I'll start making my way up to the Himachal Pradesh region if someone's interested to join.

Namaste

Charles

They look good, and cheap enough for it not to matter if they turn out to be a load of crap.
INR 2,200 is just shy of GBP 26 or US 51!

Now how do I get my hands on them? I'm thinking they'd look good on my Metal Mule rack.

__________________
How much does a man live, after all?
Does he live a thousand days, or one only?
For a week, or several centuries?
How long does a man spend dying?
What does it mean to say “forever”? - Pablo Neruda

Hi Stretcher Monkey,

I just had another look at their website myself.

I'm certain they do ship overseas.. at least that was my impression from this Brit guy in the Testimonials page:

"These throw overs are just great, they fit securely even over the rack of my single seater, they are very well made and have loads of space inside and plenty of loops outside to strap stuff to. They are even easy to carry when off of the bike due to the handles on top of each pannier, if there was room on the bike I would buy a second pair. Keerthi was very helpful providing several means of payment and the panniers where delivered to the UK within a week of shipment".

-Nick Booth, United Kingdom


I think the above says it all

Regards

Charles
www - (World Wide Wannabe)

Their jackets are about $100 also. Would be interested to know if anyone has tried them

I have a full set of Cramsters - Stallion TOs and Turtle TB. They are tough and roomy. Easy to fit and well made. The outer pockets are an absolute boon. They are not totally water proof but they are near enough with a liner or bin bag. My only design criticism is that the closure is zip not roll top but that said the zip has not proved a problem in the slightest. My preferred travelling solution is as follows. Cramster throwovers for clothes tools and kitchen. Biker Swag bag sans the swag ("Biker Bag" from: The AussieShop - this is a large oilskin duffle with a longtitudinal zip for the camp ie tent, bivvy, folding seat, sleeping mat and bag. Tools and day to day bits in the Cramster tank bag - sorted!!

The camp bag allows me to pack in the pissing rain and to pack the shelter last and get it on the bike quick and get off without getting over heated in my bike gear. I use Andystrapz piggypacks to hold the pack on so I can slip wet weather gear or lunch on top if needs must. Everything is packed away and not bungied on here and there - out of sight out of mind - I rate this solution over all the hard luggage systems I have had and it keeps the weight on the bike down. Hope this helps

Stephen

PS they are available from various places in the UK too. I got mine here
two wheelz | About Us

I may have missed something here but the price of the panniers in India works out at about £26,obviously plus shipping.On the two wheelz site they are £75.??????I have emailed them,they will ship to the U.K.,just waiting for a price.

These look really good and I cant imagine the shipping from India will be more than £20

How much are these things exactly, Can someone please kindly provide an exchange rate for both STERLING and USD?

Finally, do they sell to UK/USA customers?

If the postal system from India is good and reliable, it might be worthwhile procuring kit from this outfit. After postage (and UK Customs interferance) would it still work out so cheap compared to UK sourced kit?

Interesting thread which warrants a good look.

__________________
Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

Watsonian Squire, the UK Royal Enfield importer, sell the Cramster panniers. But as pointed out earlier at a cost of £75.

There are a number of fleEa-Bay shops based in India selling various Royal Enfield parts and from what I remember they seem to have very good feedback for shipping to the UK and also the continent. It could be worth contacting them to see if they would be willing to 'stock' them in theirs shop?

As an aside, I am using Oxford '1st Time' tank bag and panniers on my Bullet for my pending overland trip to Mongolia and am very happy with the space they provide. Have managed to get all my clothes for the trip in the tank bag. They also come with a rubberised cover for when it rains.

I have had a reply from Cramster about shipping the panniers to the U.K.:
Stallion costs INR 2200/-
Shipping to UK/Scotland/Ireland region costs about INR 2100/-
Total INR 4200/- ~ GBP 52 via Paypal. (using today's rate)
It seems that the cost of shipping just about doubles the price of the bags,although the cost is still much less than £75.

Yeah I recieved the shipping costs today as well. I am now looking into either a possible bulk purchase to reduce the costs of shipping or getting someone in India to ship them for me. Although I cant imagine the rate is going to be much less than the stated £20.

Even at £50 they still seem like a great bit of kit and the equivilant here would be much more.

A group buy sounds like a good idea to get the price down a bit.I just need to work out if they will fit on my Transalp.

You're welcome to pop down and try mine Dave.

Steve

Yeah I have the fitting issue with my new tenere but they look like they will fit most bikes

I have had another email from the ever helpful Cramster.It says the width of the connecting part between the panniers is 10.5 inches and is not adjustable.Allowing for the seat then the exhaust,plus heatshield on the Transalp my present pair of throwovers are 15 inches between the bags.It looks like they are not going to fit my bike although a chance to try some out just to make sure would be good.Steve where abouts are you?It would be a pity if they do not fit as I really like the look of them.