Hi guys, I'm really having trouble with this one.

I have a 2013 Suzuki DR650 with Safari tank.

I'll be riding 2-up with my girlfriend (tiny, about 5'3, 43kg)

We'll be heading from the UK to Singapore, likely via Pakistan then the KKH to China then down through SE Asia.


I really, really need some good advice on pannier and top box selection:


Hard?
Semi-hard (eg, plastic, lockable)
Soft?


There are so many pros and cons to each and its at the point where time is running out and I need to make a decision on this.


Please help. What works in the field, especially on a small duel sport bike such as a DR650, ridden with a pillion.

Warm regards,

Jaykay

For some basic ideas, read the thread below. I have a post in there but it hasn't shown up yet cause I'm in HUBB jail. (moderated user)

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...tead-top-72808

Also, I just posted a thread on DR Riders forum that goes through some luggage options I have been through with my DR650.
Some might work for you, or provide ideas for a starting point.
Luggage & Duffel bag Shenanigans - Intro: New Wolfman Duffel : Wild Card

You are lucky you're pillion is small. How did you ever get a DR650 in UK? I would sell it there ... probably worth a fortune cause the Brits can't get them.

For TWO UP travel, you'll for sure need a better seat. NOT a sheepskin ... a real seat like the one shown on my bike in thread above. This makes a HUGE difference in long term pillion comfort and happiness. Trust me.

I'm not a fan of hard bags ... BUT ... if you never plan to ride dirt roads, mud or rocky tracks ... then the added weight (and expense) of hard bags may be OK for you.

Figure about 40 to 50 lbs. extra just for hard bags and racks. My soft luggage weighs 6 lbs., top Wolfman bag, 2 lbs., racks, 8 lbs. total including all hardware. So I saved about 35 lbs. from hard to soft bags. HUGE difference in feel riding the bike. SAFER.

The set up shown in thread above holds a TON of gear. If you needed more room, you could go with the Wolfman Medium bag instead of the small one shown. It is 24" across and holds around 38L. (my small is 33L)
HUGE!

Don't know if any of the stuff I've shown is for sale in the UK. The panniers are Nelson-Rigg (US company) I bought them off a DR rider for $100.

New? About $180? Soft Bags in the UK are ridiculous expensive. You just don't need $1000 usd soft throw over bags. The Wolfman bag was $94 (shipped) from Revzilla.
Wolfman Expedition Dry Duffel Bag - RevZilla

Hope you get this post in time ... as mine are held up for a week or so.
Good luck, have a safe ride .... but really ... Pakistan? You're kidding, right?

Hi Jaykay,

I'l kick this off with a few of my thoughts. Last year I rode around the world on a DR650 with a safari tank....so a similar set up to you. I fitted Happy Trail Teton bags to my bike and never regretted it although I did have two moments where i put my foot down to stabilize the bike and got smacked hard in the back of the calf muscle. This could easily have been worse so it's something to consider if you're intending to ride dirt roads. My guess is that with a passenger on the back of your bike you probably will veer away from the riskier roads and therefore the Happy Trail Tetons might work for you. They are lockable, well sealed and well built indeed. There is a flip side to my story though. Whilst exiting Almaty in Kazakhstan, I was t-boned by a drunk driver in the right side of the bike. It was like the accident was happening in slow motion as i tried to raise my right leg to prevent the car's bumper from crushing it. The pannier saved my leg. The downside was that all my weight was now on the left peg and the bike snapped over quickly to the left and onto its side. The left pannier saved all my gear inside (as did the right one upon impact) but the corner of the right hand pannier hit me in the arse and broke my tailbone. I doubt if soft luggage would have saved my gear (camera and laptop in the left pannier) but it probably would have been kinder to my posterior You can read my blog at MotoExped - Home or Round the World 2013 on motorbikes if you need a laugh
Personally, i liked the lockability and security of the Happy Trail stuff. It is fairly priced and easy to install. I do however see benefits for soft luggage too....so it's really your choice.
I wish you safe and adventurous travels

Nevil
MotoExped - Home

Hi Nevil, I have specifically had my eye on happy trails hard panniers. Fantastic blog, lucky escape from that crash. Fortunate to have someone on here with the same setup as mine.

From your experience, how are we going to go 2-up? Can you slide the panniers back to back more leg space for the pillion? Would you go for an aluminium top box as well? Did you get any other gear from Happy Trails bundled in?

Cheers,

Jaykay


Ps, this is our blog:
www.ophroad.blogspot.com.au


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Jaykay,

I think it would be possible to travel with a pillion and the HT panniers. My friend Gipper on this forum travelled to South America using the same set up with aluminium panniers and a too box. His wife rode the whole way on the back.
Just a few things to consider:-
1. It is possible to move the panniers back but you will also increase the leverage on your rear shock and subframe.
2. Consider someone like Cogent Dynamics to build you a good rear shock that will handle the weight.
3. Brace up your sub frame if you can by adding a couple of triangular inserts where it joins the frame.
4. Have you modified your front suspension at all? All that weight plus a full safari tank will bottom out your forks when you get into potholed countries (and there are many).
I also added an HT bash plate and highway pegs too. Personally the highway pegs were a Godsend on long asphalted journeys
and allowed me to move my knee position a lot. This however makes dirt road riding a bit more challenging and isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea.
I hope to be chronicling the build of my DR on my website later this week. Please keep an eye open for it as I will throw a lot of pictures up there too.

Kindest regards

Nevil

I like most started of with hard panniers. But at the first chance got rid of them and moved over to soft bag like most people. I think the idea of hard panniers being safer/ more secure is false as a locked box can be broken into faster than I can write this. I now use the magadan bags from adventur spec and can recommend them

Hi Jaykay,

If you are planning on riding quite a bit of dirt then id definitely go with a sturdy pannier frame and the Magadans. If you are planning on sticking to main routes and more asphalt then id go for aluminum/plastic luggage.

We stuck to the main routes with mostly asphalt, plenty of gravel (some good, some very rough) and a few pistes that I would call 'technical' riding.
For our trip the HT Teton luggage was excellent, lots of room and easier for 2up travel. They also saved my bike when I cartwheeled it riding solo at 130 kmh - absorbing most of the impact. I would recommend HT luggage to anyone.
I have dropped/crashed my DR lots (just ask Nevil ) and the panniers have never come off, they have been straightened (with car jacks) and welded up a few times and are still watertight and in good condition.
my HT panniers are mounted mid point directly over the rear wheel spindle - no need to move them back more - my wife has plenty of leg clearance room to the panniers (she is 5"6")

The main drawback with heavier panniers and large high mounted top boxes (apart from the higher CofG)is that when you get into soft(er) sandy pistes the rear sub frame of the DR flexes as the back of the bike fishtails and the heavier metal panniers can accentuate this movement (like a pendulum) making it harder to control the bike and not much fun for the passenger. This is also not good for the sub frame long term. Solo this is not so much of a problem, but 2up it definitely moves around more IMO.

So for a more 'hard core' trip I would go with the AS Magadans and maybe a small Pelican top case/box for electronics mounted as far forward as you can on tail rack, with some closed cell foam glued on your partner can use it as a back rest.

Ive used hard and soft panniers (mainly Ortlieb) over the years and even though I have had my bike stolen in the UK before, I have never had anything stolen OFF my bike overlanding. Yes, be sensible with your gear, electronics (netbook etc) in locked peli case, tank bag with camera goes with you when away from the bike, then throw a cover over your bike.

I think the most important thing is to pack VERY light, I had bike spare parts, some tools, puncture repair kit and 2 tubes, my clothes, waterproofs, shoes, sleeping bag, thermarest all in one pannier with a little room to spare, (38 litre pannier) so if your clothing, shoes, sleeping gear is not fitting into say a 30 litre daypack with some room to spare you are taking too much crap.

Where are you located Jaykay? were you in Singapore? if you are importing panniers/frames from the USA to the UK the shipping/duty will be very expensive, maybe better to put the money into the Magadans and a good quality pannier frame.

I forgot to mention, Nevil and Myself both use the Aerostich competition tank panniers that work very well with the Safari tank:

http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-tank-panniers.html

They are very handy for your days food, I keep my cooking pots on the other side (they have a few dents!) and give you a little more luggage room for 2up riding - if you are 6 ft or taller they might cramp your knees a bit.

Just to back up what Nevil says, the most important modification you should do on the DR650 for a 2up trip is upgrade the suspension first, beefier front and rear springs, re-valved shock and a drop in valve into the front forks (Emulator, Intiminator, Cogent DDC)

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

Legendary, thanks Gipp and Nevil. Got your email too. Thanks so much guys.

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Also, I'm based in Australia. Flying the bike to the UK, then riding back to Singapore then shipping in back to Australia

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Mollydog, I'm not sure why but I only got your message then.

Half the reason I got a DR650, as opposed to a more 'luxurious' bike like a Tenere, is that nowhere would technically be off limits.

The thing I'm really looking for is this - options.

I learned how to ride a bike on a farm and through national parks/logging tracks. I've got no intentions on turning this trip around the world into a Crusty Demons-of-Dirt episode, but we want to be able to go where-ever we want, pretty much, and not let luggage or bike specs affect the trip.

No problem Jay, anytime mate.

Nevil and me both did Cogent Dynamics shock rebuilds, both DR650's have done 30,000 kms + of hard riding loaded on them with no problems whatsoever and made the DR handle much better, Im sure you could get a revalve done easily in Australia, there's lots of knowledge here and specifically on:

www.DRRiders.com

I've used Intiminators in 2012, my DR has been on Race Tech Emulators last year and I will try Cogent DDC's this year. I will let you know how well they work in about May/June when the trails are clear here. Guys on DRRiders like them, but I want to do my own back to back comparison.

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

Suzuki DR650 ridden on fundraising trip across Asia and Australia

details here

Troy rode from Texas to Tierra del Fuego on his DR650

details here
Troy's site

Full disclosure: Giant Loop is my company.

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Giant Loop Moto