Yeah, I'm pretty mechanically minded, I built my KTM from the ground up, so fiddling with straps in the sweltering heat in Mexico in full kit wasn't something that I was willing to accept. Those Wolfman bags were very quick to take on and off once you establish an order of operations.


And here goes the soft vs. hard pannier conversation...

I can agree to that. If they want to get into an aluminum pannier, a hammer and a screwdriver would be an easy way. A bike cover can also add some security, although if you roll up into a central park in a town in Honduras on a "big" bike on a Saturday afternoon, there will easily be 100 eyes on you, so putting a cover on it won't really do much. I still feel that a set of hard cases would put my mind more at ease. I've yet to ride with them, so for now, it's only a supposition.

I do remember having a conversation with Daniel Rintz, (the rtw traveler and filmmaker) while we were in Guate together for about a month. He had the Touratech panniers on his GS. I asked him about hard vs soft luggage and he stood by hard luggage for rtw travel. He's very much like me in thought process, and I think that he made a good argument for hard cases, with safety and ease of use being at the top of the list. For a TAT ride, I'd go soft, for a trip through the Americas, then it'd have to be a set of aluminum boxes for me.

This has been what's bothered me while researching soft panniers for an upcoming trip: the necessity for a vertical center strap, meaning it needs to be undone before you can unroll and access the pannier. My Wolfmans didn't need this, so why should I put up with it on the AS bags...

On a side note to the OP, have you considered the Great Basin by Giant Loop? That bag is growing in popularity and it's a rackless system. (if you're into saving weight).

There are a lot of tradeoffs with the Giant Loop bag, but also some unique advantages.

I get it ... and for many travelers makes perfect sense. The Alu boxes "look" far more secure than soft panniers. If weight is not a concern ... hard boxes are a win.

Most casual thieves see the big Alu boxes and walk on to an easier target.

But then there is THE COST of hard Alu box system! I used GIVI hard plastic panniers on my DR650 when I first got the bike. They came off my Vstrom.

When I went over to Soft Panniers ... I lost 35 lbs. off the bike. On a 650 dual sport, this is huge difference when riding off road.


Givi hard bags on DR650 ... one of 5 trips to Baja on this bike.

If using the very expensive Jesse bags ... add at least 10 kg. more than GIVI ones or most other Alu boxes from EU.

Even in a minor fall I've seen Tourtech or BMW and other boxes get bent so the top would no longer fit on the box. This is another common story from travelers. So ... never fall over with your hard bags!

I've fallen dozens of times with soft bags. (Only off road) A few scrapes, no damage.

On my buddies R1200GS we had to Bungee cord his Touratech boxes on for last 1500 miles of riding. No longer water proof.

$100 Nelson-Rigg panniers, $60 Wolfman duffel. Not too bad with inner bags.
I still need to pack lighter.

Took another look at the OP's options listed and of them, I would be between the AS and Wolfman. If I were in the USA and had time, I would order the Wolfman and Nelson Rigg that mollydog suggested and get a hands on test with both side by side and just return the ones that I didn't like. Since I have experience with Wolfman and their mounting system (which I love) and very high quality construction, I feel that's probably what I would lean towards.

Since I'm here in Honduras and have to order stuff and wait weeks for it...well...that makes the selection process much more difficult! Generally though, I like to hold these kinds of products in my own two hands. You can immediately tell the difference between quality and construction, which is obviously impossible when shopping online.

These one work for me ok Givi copies cheap as chips only $50 the pair totally watertight.



But that said on my Honda AT the bike did come with Hard panniers.






So I do have the best of both worlds

Let's just hope I don't drop the AT that will hurt......

My preference is soft all day long

Had some big fall with the CRF no problems, a few tears now so only 95% watertight.

I have done 1,000's of back road riding miles in Colombia and never had a problem on my 1190. You will find hundreds of others that have put Mosko bags through much worse than me and also never had a problem.

If I was you, I would do a little more research :-)

On my 1190....

Nope, just remove the liners, simple.

If I want to remove the entire pannier, no problem.
Each has a locking latch and takes 30 seconds to remove both.

I have 2 other bikes in China CFmoto TR-G and CFmoto MT.
The first one the TR-G comes with fitted Shad back boxes.

If you view the pictures CFmoto makes a rear slide bar to protect the back boxes.
These work on an ice road fall with the bike loaded up NO DAMAGE accrued to the back boxes.

Because I was so happy with this set up on the CFmoto MT I used and modified a set of TR-G rear sliders to protect the rear Alluimium rear panniers on the MT.
see pictures.
So far to date no issues with the MT as far as falls so I cant report back on how well there will protect the panniers.


It's a shame that the big boys don't sell rear sliders to protect their boxes.










The above is the TR-G .
See how well the rear sliders worked.

Below is the MT model

I haven't discounted them completely. I think seeing them in person could change my mind. But, for now I'm still on the fence.

Touch and feel is the way to go :-)

That CF Moto is NICE!
I only saw early versions years ago ... nice to see the big improvements!

Reminds me a bit of a 650 Versys! (good company!)

Yes big improvements with CF over the last few years.
Its the only Company IMO in China to keep a close eye on?

Still, love my Honda AT.

Lone Rider soft panniers

Just got a set put on my 1200GS this week. Made of hypalon, same material used by USNavy SEALS in their attack rafts.

https://www.lonerider-motorcycle.com/products/motobags

On my bikes I`ve had several different aluboxes, original BMW-cases, different soft bags and so. So far I`ve liked most Wolfman luggages most rugged bags (Expedition as I remember) and they have been attached on racks. How ever I have got few punctures on Wolfies and some straps have broken over time.

But some time ago friend of mine bought Russian made Motosector bag wich has very nice design. He has used it around two years now and has been very happy so I got one also.

Even if its made in Russia the quality can easily be compared to Wolfies, design is simple and it is securely attached to bike and can be dropped basicly on any bike. Almost perfect.

Check the website and product can be found from Ebay.com.

Мотосумки — MOTOSECTOR

__________________
640 Six Days, 990Adv, 660Rally, R80g/s,
R75/5 "Toaster". South Finland.

For a tough soft pannier it is pretty hard to beat the Mosko models... I ran the BC 35s for 3 riding seasons and they stood up very well including spills, tree hits and drags under gates... The quick on and off the bike is one of the best features.. I have used this sometimes when we hit a choppy steep hill section as to where I pop the bag off the bike, ride the section and then pop the bag back on.. The issue I had with them was how much they weighed and is why I am now running the Mosko Scout 25s which weigh half of what the 35s did, but are not as quick on and off the bike... What makes the Mosko bags so tough is the ballistic material that the beavertail is made from, this stuff is bulletproof and protects the inner drybag from all kinds of hits.. I ran the Scouts to the Arctic last summer and they did well, the nice feature is that you can tuck a Pelican toolbox against the mounting plate and then fit the drybag outside of that, quite versitile.. I passed my BC 35s on to a friend and while they have some rock and tree scuffs on the outside flaps, they are just as sound as the day I purchased them.. They are really good bags, only the weight of them takes away points..



I also have a set of Wolfman Rocky mountain bags, which are also quite durable and quick to mount... I welded 4 chain links around the corner of my pannier frames that mate with the Wolfman tie in points and this makes mounting them so much more stable.. The bags themselves are made out of a much thicker ballistic fabric than the smaller expedition panniers and come with an internal drybag for each side.. They also are stiffer so they don't flop shut when you are trying to sort contents.. I have the gen 2 version and now I think they have put out a gen 3..



I also have a set of the New Style Nelson Rigg Adventure bags that I picked up for super cheap.. They are a way better bag than the previous design and also mount perfectly into the chain link tie points that I welded in place on the frames for the Wolfman bags.. They hold a pretty good jag and are really stable on the bike.. The only real issue I can see is durability in a slide or obstruction sweep. They don't have the armor beavertail of the Mosko, or the stronger ballistic fabric of the Wolfman but at about a third the price you can buy 3 lives for the same coin... I have used them on a couple outings and quite like them... Especially the way the stiffeners hold the bags square which makes it easier to rummage through to pick out stuff...


All of these above bags mount best in conjunction with a set of flat sided luggage frames..