Thinking about going for a v-strom for my travels. What are the panniers like that come with it. Will they fall to pieces if i drop the bike? Would crash bars help this in any way? Or would i be better getting one without panniers and going for metal ones or the like.

I crashed mine (slowly) and the top and right pannier stayed on, despite being dragged along the road. in general they are fine, usual fare, plastic panniers. engine bars wouldn't help (depends one what type of crashing you intend though). they are much, much cheaper (if bought as the GT version) then metal panniers.

I have no experience of how the attachment would stand up to a washboard surface.

Cheers Dougie. It will probably get 2nd hand bike. If it comes with panniers ill use them. If not then i may try something different.

Ive definetely decided on a wee strom now. Cant wait.

You can still build your own metal panniers+rack: rtw.xtz660 - Home made aluminium boxes

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... and Nelly The Elephant packed the trunk and said goodbye to the circus...

For traveling, the Wee´s really an excellent choice... our 2007-model has now got 32.000km on the clock, and we´ve ridden (2-up) from Finland to India, then airlifted the bike to Bangkok, and plan to proceed to Malaysia, (then maybe) Indonesia and Australia. So far, this bike has been the tool for the job.

We´ve got Suzuki´s 49 L rear bag (plastic) and MetalMule 38 L aluminiums on the side. Been very satisfied with all of them, especially the Mules feel unbreakable, and very convenient to use. Havent yet tested crashing with them, though (fingers crossed we wont have to!!) I would think that plastic boxes, especially if theyre on the side, can more easily get badly damaged in a fall.

Hi! Sorry to jump in here, Pesha... I noticed you've got the 38L panniers, whats the overall width of the bike with them on? I'm tempted by the "skinny" 31L ones to keep the width down, but the extra space in the 38L would be nice!
Many thanks,
Tim.

I think we measured it once, and if our reading was correct, the thing is about 104 cm wide with these 38 L panniers. (And do I remember correct that they are 4 cm wider than the thinner ones, so I guess that would mean it'd be 96 cm with them?)

It is actually quite wide, but you do get used to the panniers, even surprise yourself, how smoothly you can filter through traffic with them (at least I havent taken down many car mirrors with mine YET)...!

I think Suzuki´s are (were) made by GIVI. The reviews on them seem to say there not grate but they say that about BMW boxs to. I have a GIVI top box been grate but the locking mechanism dose not like to open the box. Its made to need the key in the lock to unlock or open or lock or remove the box its fool proof but I need to figit with it to make it work.

touratech also have pannier-racks for v-strom.

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Tim, in regards to pannier widths, I'd go for the 38L. The main differences are noticed when you ride with or without panniers at all. Once they are on, you are concious of the extra width and ride accordingly. It would be a rare and pretty tight squeeze that would make you notice the difference between the two but you would notice the difference in roominess for packing everyday you jam your junk in the panniers.

I'm using the Caribou (Pelican) plastic panniers which are about 30L are a tad tight to squeeze things in side by side. The strength, is actually very high, comparable to the strong category of af aluminum boxes, which the Metal Mules fall into. The downside of the caribou system is the "lightness" of the attachment system which is fine for city stuff but if you plan or expect to dump it a couple if times in the dirt or sand, there will be some bending which will require re-bending to tighten it up again.

It's been said a few times before, but the Touratech look fine, but are actually poorly built and with one fall, never function the same.

Cheers.

Thanks guys! Tempted to go over to Aluminium boxes from my givi stuff mainly for security........ A while back I discovered that my 52L Maxia top box could be detached from the bike (by pressing the big red button..) even though the box was locked. Took the box apart and it turned out that a small plastic "tab" or "lug", call it what you will, attached to the red buttton, had snapped off through wear and tear. but this "tab" was all the lock mechanism was engaging onto to prevent the big red button being pushed in. I reckon one hard blow on the red button would be enough to break that tab, even on a new box, and allow someone to lift the box off the bike and simply run away with it to break open in the comfort of their own home. Mmmmmm...............

seen happy trails? Happy Trails Aluminum Pannier Kit - Teton - Suzuki Vstrom DL650: Adventure MotoStuff LLC

They going to look nice on my bike next year mahahaha

Yeah! pretty sexy! Anyone else used these on a Wee Strom?
Tim.

Hi

Yep, I bought some late last year, after waiting for nearly a year trying to buy some Jesse's. Anyway, they work great, make the bike look great and after a recent 3500km round test trip, I found the fuel economy had not been noticeably reduced and they were totally waterproof as 3000km was in heavy torrential rain.

They seem very strong but I have not dropped it on them yet, crossed fingers, but I do not envisige any problems. They take a s*it load of gear and you do get used to the extra width, slightly wider than the handle bars with the 9" Tetons that I bought. Mind you, it is illegal to lane split here so no expected problems anyway.

If you buy these, pay a tad more and get the lid racks, they are worth it.

On the negative side, I did have some problems fitting but it was more the method and sequence of mounting points that needed modifying on the instructions. Tim at HT has taken the info I provided on board, hopefully the next batch will be easier. You can read about the installation with and without problems here (with pictures) and make an informed decision V-Strom Forum - Happy Trails It Is

Please note that I would buy these panniers again as I now have the correct equipment and knowledge to do the install.

Cheers
TravellingStrom

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Cheers TS! Just read your tales of woe on the V-Strom forum, Christ! Almost put me off getting some! And bloody hell, they're wide! Suppose you get used to it, and as I'd be travelling with my other half on the back I'll need plenty of space!
I noticed from the last pics on there there's a big gap between the rack and the bodywork on the left hand side, big enough for a silencer..... Do you reckon the rack is the same for the 650 and 1000?
When are you off on your big trip? If you find yourself in Suffolk during your stint in the UK then I'm sure I can find you somewhere to crash for a night or two.........
Tim.