Aftermarket Sidecases/Saddlebags for the R12R

[GMACNEIL]

Greetings. I'm a BIG fan of the BMW cases- they saved my leg from potential injury last year. I was side-swiped by a cage and the "cradle" between the cases and cylinders provided enough protection that my leg wasn't hurt. Happily, I didn't go down, but when the car and I stopped and checked out the damages (paint loss and a dented door for them, scrapped-up head and seriously crunched side case for me) I was really glad I had hard cases.

I noticed someone else commented on the weird interior shape of the new bags- I agree. It seems each iteration of bags makes the interior smaller too. And, not to way-lay the thread but, I'm interested in putting "Bungie Buddies" on my cases. Since these cases have two layers, I haven't figured out how to put the buddies in. Has anyone been able to install Bungie Buddies on the OEM cases?

Cheers.

Gordon

[deilenberger]

Greetings. I'm a BIG fan of the BMW cases- they saved my leg from potential injury last year. I was side-swiped by a cage and the "cradle" between the cases and cylinders provided enough protection that my leg wasn't hurt. Happily, I didn't go down, but when the car and I stopped and checked out the damages (paint loss and a dented door for them, scrapped-up head and seriously crunched side case for me) I was really glad I had hard cases.

I noticed someone else commented on the weird interior shape of the new bags- I agree. It seems each iteration of bags makes the interior smaller too. And, not to way-lay the thread but, I'm interested in putting "Bungie Buddies" on my cases. Since these cases have two layers, I haven't figured out how to put the buddies in. Has anyone been able to install Bungie Buddies on the OEM cases?

Cheers.

Gordon

Gordon - yes, and I've never used them. Found RokStraps and haven't looked back. What I did is probe a bit for places where the inside and outside shell came together.. then drilled and put on a few bungie-buddies. Like I said - I've never used them, so it was an exercise with no gain.

I agree on the crash protection provided by the hard-cases, you aren't the only one who has had their body protected by the cases.. I leave mine on all the time mostly because of that. A friend who lost his leg in a T-Bone accident to this day regrets leaving his at the motel in Mexico (he was hit by a lady from NJ, driving a Studebaker of all things..)

[RonR]

Thought I'd weigh in with my experience with the Cortech Series soft bags. I purchased these in January of 2008 when I got my R, thinking that a soft bag solution would be a good fit given its sporty nature. Also, I had a good experience with the Cortech Series Sport tailpack that I had purchased two years earlier and used with my RT, mostly to carry my 17" MacBook Pro. The three-bag system attaches together and to the bike nicely with plastic buckles, velcro straps and built-in bungee cords. It turns out that I didn't have an opportunity to give the bags a long-distance workout until September 2008, when I did a L.A. - Portland round trip totaling about 2,500 miles. Since then, the bags have been in storage and I rely on my Axio tail pack and a Cortech Series tank bag for daily riding.

Today I started thinking about my next trip up the coast, May or June, so I dug out the bags and put them on the bike, just basically messing around with different strap positions, etc. It was then that I spotted some fraying on the bottom edge of one of the foam rubber protective pads, so for the first time ever, I flipped the bags over and found this:



The bag on the right in the photo is the left side bag, over the exhaust can. You would think that maybe heat from the can would be responsible for the most damage, but no, the right side bag, on the left in the photo, has more damage. The heat did apparently eat away at the foam rubber on the left bag, though. In both cases, as shown in the next photos, the damage extends through the outer "protective" layer, the solid plastic interior bottom, and the interior lining:




Here is another photo showing that there is apparently adequate clearance between the left side bag and the can.



Ironically, the can probably provided some protection from road debris that was kicked up and impacted these points near the back end of the bags. That is, whatever got past my Nippy Norman hugger. If the damage was limited to the seam areas I might try a repair. But since the protective layer and interior layers have been compromised, I am done with these bags. I can imagine that if I hadn't noticed this now, I might have arrived at my destination after a 400 mile day with empty bags.

So, what's next? I just checked Chicago BMW's online catalog and the prices for the BMW bags are depressing: $428.95 for each bag, $157.30 for the mounts, $53 for the lock cylinders with VIN code, and $16.75 X 2 for the model lettering (BMW) pieces, for a total of $1,101.70 plus shipping and maybe Cee Bailey liners. The Givi PLX bags, mounting racks, mounting kit and liners total $796.00 plus shipping from Twisted Throttle. Are the BMW bags worth the additional $305.70+? I'm tempted to say yes because I had excellent experiences with BMW hard bags on my K75S, R100R and R1200RT. Well, except for the BMW liners on my RT which pretty much fell apart after one trip. The Givi bags are nice, but the mounting racks are fugly and you can't get a one-key solution. Since I am very happy with my Cortech tank bag and tail pack and the Cortech side bags cost only $145.00 from Chaparral, maybe I should just buy a new set for each trip...

BTW, and I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I will be buying online exclusively from now on and only from e-retailers having no business presence in California who will ship tax free. The sales tax here in L.A. County just went to 9.25%

[bobw]

Hey Ron. I have the same bags and have used them for 3 years with no signs of wear. I just put them on my r this week to see how they fitted for my first camping trip with this bike. Is it possible the rear tire was making contact? The wear is so uniform that I can't imagine road debris making that kind of damage. Not to question your posting, just trying to learn so as to hopefully prevent a failure to my set.

Thanks.

Bob

[RonR]

Thanks for your reply, Bob. I hadn't fully considered the possibility of tire impact until your post, but you might be correct. Here is a photo I took today:

I mounted the bags and measured the distance between the back inside edge of the bag and the most likely possible contact area with the tire. With the bike on the center stand and the bag unloaded, the distance is about 5". I then put the bike on the side stand, sat on the pillion (165 lbs.) to deflect the suspension, leaned over and measured the distance at approximately 3". With a bag load of about 15 lbs. (recommended max) and nothing to prevent the rear of the bag from sagging toward the tire in a turn (the front of the bag is anchored to the passenger footpeg mounting tubes), it appears that impact could easily occur. The difference in the amount of damage between left and right bags is either the result of uneven bag loading or more spirited left turns (as opposed to right) on my part. Either way, this is an issue. I had mounted the bags at the highest possible point on the passenger seat and tightened all the velcro and clip straps as much as possible. I think the problem is with these particular bags on the 12R. They are the larger of the Cortech Series, with a more squared-off back end. The Cortech Series Sport bags have a different profile, swept-up at the back, which should eliminate this problem at the expense of slightly less capacity. Still, at $117 from New Enough, free shipping, no tax, I think I'll give them a go.

[AndyfromPoland]

+1 for the BMW panniers. Downsides for me are: quite heavy to carry; MacBook Pro just fits, but an extra inch or so would help; quite pricey; and, as with most BMW panniers, lack of compatibility with other bikes. If you can live with those, great panniers. Sturdy, good, foolproof and unobtrusive clamping system, same key as ignition and weatherproof.

BTW unless you find the cases too heavy to carry to your hotel room, the liners take up space and are pricey. The only time I thought it worthwhile was for the top-box on my GS.

[famousperson]

The 1000 dollar price tag was what I priced from a local dealer and that included liners and locks.

My price included locks, reflectors, etc. BMW liners are a bit of a rip.. Cee-Bailey, RKA, Kathy's Bags all make better for MUCH less $$.

I have the BMW liners and agree that they are a bit of a rip. There is absolutely nothing special about them that should make them so expensive. You can get a cheaper brand (listed by alaskaflyer above) and lose nothing.

Although they do take up space, there is no question that they can be useful. On my camping trip last year I carried freeze dried food for ten days on one side using the liner inside the pannier. Not possible without the liner as the packets would have spilled every time I opened the pannier.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

I have to say that I was surprise from RKA quality...and the side luggage stand high near the seat, way far enough from the exhaust.
They have internal liners too but when you open them, they are intelligently designed enough to do not let fall all their contents

[RonR]

I just called Chicago BMW to discuss the prices on their website. Turns out that those are current list prices, not including their standard 20% discount (on most things). So, the total for bags, mounts, 1-key lock cylinders, and side lettering is $907.88 vs. $1110.46 list. I am estimating shipping at an additional $20 (they quoted $8-9 per box, 2 boxes). If I were to buy locally, pay list prices (which are the only prices you can get from the local dealers) plus 9.25% sales tax, the total would be $1213.18. Overall, I save about 24% by buying from Chicago. Which I did. Just now. Damn, it's easy to spend money. The deal clincher was that Javier at Chicago checked in-country availability and all parts are here. Should have them in a couple of weeks. We'll see. I know some of you have experienced long wait times with them.

Also ordered the K1200R mirrors. I have some pretty nice Wunderlich bar-end mirrors hanging off of my Throttlemeister bar ends, but I recently experienced an intimate encounter between my right side mirror and the left side mirror of a pickup truck while lane splitting on I10. The body of the mirror is OK but the glass is in little pieces on the freeway. I have been using a 3" diameter stick-on convex mirror in its place, but that's almost worse than no mirror at all, at least on a motorcycle, IMHO. I hate the blurry stock mirrors, so let's hope the K mirrors are an improvement in that area. They certainly are better looking.

I talked to Kathy at RKA about liners and, yeah, since they are located in California they would have to include tax. Since I'd have to pay shipping either way, she suggested I call their dealer in Oregon; they don't know about sales tax there. If their products are as good as their customer service, I'll be very happy.

[AmostThere]

Hey Ron, will you tell us how much for the K12 mirrors?

[RonR]

The K1200R mirrors from Chicago are $108.60 for the pair. Free shipping on these as they will put them into one of the bags I bought. Also, Javier said that if I want anything else that can be put into the cases, oil filters, spark plugs, etc., to let him know in the next few days before they ship, then there will be no additional shipping charge.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

So !

Here we are again wondering about luggages...

Below is the Euro-Sport Jumbo Hauler by Roadgear http://www.roadgear.com/index.php?page= ... 36&img=125
Also well reviewed by this notorious website http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcyc ... uring-bag/


I try to secure on the rear seat my big Packinton Billingham photographic bag... here it is http://www.billingham.co.uk/acatalog/Packington.html this is a messenger bag style that I usually keep behind me attached with the shoulder strap in diagonal from my left shoulder to right hip... but it is "a bit" unstable and for sure... IT IS UNSAFE ! in case of CRASH to be attached to a photo bag full of camera's and photographic optics this is why I want to store it in this big Roadgear bag while riding so it will be de-soliderize from my body in case of crash... and just more comfortable at all time.

But now I wonder how can I really install it safely
I mean with these 4 main requirements
1) Bag should not bounce right and left all the time
2) Bag Should not sag.... So it might need a sheet of something hard and light in the inside bottom.
2) Bag attachment should not interfere with my 50 liters RKA side luggages attachments.
3) Bag when loaded should not create any type of corrupting pressures on the rear seat end, fenders, or frame.....

Now ! I wonder if the Wunderlinch Rack pictured below instead of being attach on BMW rear luggage rack could be somehow safely installed or fixed on the 25cm area of the rear seat then easily serve as a base, stabilizer and stiffener for this Euro-Sport Jumbo Hauler made by Roadgear.




If anyone know well all the gears mentioned in this post I will be glad to read his feedback.

[RonR]

Update on my experience ordering from Chicago BMW: I placed the order for BMW hard cases and associated hardware on 4/7 and all items arrived yesterday. About 3 weeks. Not a horrible amount of time as some have experienced.

So I proceeded to install, starting by futzing around with the tiny springs and tumblers to make the lock cylinders match my key (that's about a 1 hour job if you've never done it). Put on the right side mounting rail, moved to the left side and...I have 2 right side rails!
This is a kit, so the fault is with BMW, not Chicago, who said they will expidite a left side rail ASAP.

[AmostThere]

you got the k12 mirrors too, right?

[RonR]

Didn't want to hijack this thread with mirror stuff, so I posted my impressions under "Mirrors That Work."

[daveyator]

Only paid $795 for my OEM's. Just carried 2 2.5 gal jugs of 2 stroke oil for my boat home in them. You just can't beat them.

[RonR]

If that included mounting rails, lock cylinders, side reflectors/lettering, shipping and/or sales tax, then you got a great deal, my friend. Would you share where?

[alaskaflyer]

There is a set of system cases for the R1200R on eBay. The price is at 255 and the reserve has been met. I'll be watching this.

[Dale_K]

What kind of saddlebags are these?

[spoonyfork]

They look like GIVI PLX sidecases.