Hi all

Firstly, apologies for asking a question on my first post. I've been lurking (researching) for a few months trying to soak up as much information as possible . I finally got hold of a 2007 KLE 500 last week and am loving it so far.

I'm currently in the process of setting it up for a few long trips and have been looking for supports for soft panniers - I spotted these yesterday over on eBay and was wondering if anyone had purchased them or tried them before?

KAWASAKI KLE 500 - SOFT BAG SUPPORT

The price seems quite cheap - and I might just purchase them and check them out anyway, but any info from others with prior knowledge / more experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mac

Well those supports are way overpriced, simple design that you can make at home and they aren't even stainless. I made my own, looking similar like those for 20€ out of stainless steel. Here is the result:


All you need is a 8mm stainless steel rod and a friend to make 2x25mm velds. The rough schematic is on the blog at the bottom.

You can find more pictures on my blog:KLE 500 soft pannier racks | Adventure Dual Sport Riding

Check out also:
KLE 500 D.I.Y. Soft Pannier Frames

Hope it helps!

__________________
->Honda XL125V Varadero '08 sold
->Kawasaki KLE 500 '05 riding it, like I stole it

Thanks for the quick (and indepth) information.

The issue I have a the moment is the lack of someone who can weld

To update: after doing some more research / thinking / etc I'm taking a different approach and try a wolfman beta (was looking at giant loop but the price difference was too much to justify at the moment).

I have used both hard and soft panniers and also hard top boxes and soft "bags" of various natures over, ahem, blimey, more than three decades now and offer some advice from my experiences if you are interested.
The first thing to consider is what the day to day uses these "units" will have and will next year need the same units you payed for now. Also precisely what it is you will carry. Is it work or play related or maybe both.
Hard cases are better for security reasons and also sometimes packing into hard cases is easier. Andy Strapz makes very good tough but soft canvas roll top panniers and a well thought out soft "top box" called A Bagz ( he always uses Z's) I have no connection to him or his business, he just makes good gear, check his whole site.
The panniers in one of the sizes, will fit those plastic jerry cans to convert the soft panniers to hard panniers. His products are the pick of soft bags in my view, they also look "ADVENTURE" just hanging on the bike. I think they are great. They have an England distributor. Read his site for fitting ideas.
In hard cases consider "pelican" brand/type cases too. Some large stores have generic copies.
Consider what it is you are packing and how will you do it. Walk thru the exercise item by item.
I think those roll type bags or sausage shaped bags are a great way to send you mad. Packing and unpacking is a nightmare. I think in many applications they are impractical even a stupid idea, but that's me. I would rather a rice sack than one of those sausage bags. 'Avoid them' is as polite as I can be!!!
Your choice of panniers, bags, cases will determine your racks if you need them. You are spoiled for choice so " walk through" your packing.
Cheers,
Southern Cross