BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Noticed on the BMW website that they make bags for the inside of the panniers. I know i mate who's got them on his FJR1300, are they good? do you recommend them? - maybe you have a better idea, share your thoughts.

I treated my new R12 to a set of Kathy's bags from Bob's BMW. Available in several colors, they are very attractive and well made. In use, you can stuff the liner to the gills, and know that it will fit in the panier. Also very convenient to carry from the bike to the tent or whatever. I just came from the DownEast Rally and found the Kathy's bag a great organizor of stuff in my tent. They were $109 for the pair.

I used the Cee Bailey's on my RT and they worked great. $79 for a set. Not as well made as the BMW ones but much less expensive. I recommend bag liners when packing any pannier- much more convenient when traveling.
http://www.ceebaileys.com/bags/bmw_bags.html

+1 on the Cee Baily bag liners. I like the bag liners because your stuff doesn't "rattle" around the inside of the cases. You can also leave the side cases on the bike and carry the bag liners into the hotel room, when you check in.

That gives you a lot more space inside the room and you don't trip over the hard side cases, if you wake up in the middle of the night, thus stubbing your toe and scuffing the paint on the side case at the same time. Don't ask me how I know about that.

another +1 on Cee Baily. Good value, sturdy, work well. I know when I fill them up, I can get them shoved into my side bag. Keeps me very organized on camping trips.

I've got the BMW liners for all three cases. Some will tell you that they are bulky and all will tell you that they are expensive. I usually hotel it on trips; I'm no camper, so the soft bags make it easy to get in and out of hotels and don't hurt when you kick them in the middle of the night. They also take the worry, and the rattling, out of getting a couple of bottles of wine home on the bike.

Doug

I've got the BMW liners for all three cases as well - they are made in China if that makes any difference to you (they are nice though).

My minor gripe is that the 2 side case inserts are not contoured to account for a large bump inside the inner case halves forcing the flat side of the bags to ride up against the bump, so they do not fit flat against the inner wall. Strange oversight since it makes them a bit of a force-fit.

Thanks for the info people,

I have sent an email to Bob's BMW and Cee baileys to see if they'll ship to the land down under.

BMW bags are $189.00 AUS Each and i'm just not able to justify the difference in cost.

AncientMariner wrote:I treated my new R12 to a set of Kathy's bags from Bob's BMW. Available in several colors, they are very attractive and well made. In use, you can stuff the liner to the gills, and know that it will fit in the panier. Also very convenient to carry from the bike to the tent or whatever. I just came from the DownEast Rally and found the Kathy's bag a great organizor of stuff in my tent. They were $109 for the pair.

AncientMariner,

I don't see a model of the Kathy's product that is specific to the R1200R system cases.
Is this the one you got?
http://store.bobsbmw.com/ProductDetails ... tCode=GBL-

Thanks,
Jeff

With the 20-percent online discount, Chicago BMW sells the System Case bags (71607680543) for $104/pair, not including shipping.

papasong wrote:AncientMariner,

I don't see a model of the Kathy's product that is specific to the R1200R system cases.
Is this the one you got?
http://store.bobsbmw.com/ProductDetails ... tCode=GBL-

Thanks,
Jeff

Not AncientMariner - but any bags that will fit an RT/ST will fit just fine in the R sidebags. Same bags.

What deilenberger said.

As cool as the quick disconnect feature of the side cases may be, those things empty are about 15 lbs each, and it seems like I'm always carrying them up a flight of stairs. They really are inconvenient in a small room, and those rascals won't sit still when I try to load them.

I've got the Cee Bailey's and find them handy to use in an everyday way, not just touring.

I keep one full of the stuff I want to have on the bike all the time, like tire pump and plugs, wrenches etc. The mesh bag on the outside is handy for a role of quarters for parking meters, a flashlight, a rag for dirty hands.

I restrain the depth of the bag with the keeper straps in the hard case and this allows the case's lid space to be available for spare gloves, rain cover for the seat etc. So just to keep utility items organized is a good use.

I love my Cee Bailey case bags. Makes closing the side cases a lot easier with a big pile of "stuff" that would otherwise fall out or make closing the cases difficult. Well worth the cost.

Only "disadvantage" I have found so far is that the Boss lady complains about the lack of space for her stuff when we pack. First comment I got after we bought the bags was " I can't carry all my stuff in that thing !!!"

Philbie wrote:Thanks for the info people, I have sent an email to Bob's BMW and Cee baileys to see if they'll ship to the land down under. BMW bags are $189.00 AUS Each and i'm just not able to justify the difference in cost.

Amen! I got Kathy's Journey Designs from the Bob's BMW site, and they arrived very promptly at my Sydney post box (UPS, I think). I'd allow another few weeks for the emu to get down to the Murray, though. These bags are very light and flexible, but still durable, and nicely made. They fit into the irregular rear of the pannier better than BMW bags.

BTW, my 28 litre topcase bag has now worn through in one rub spot (but it does get a lot of use) - which I thought was an issue until I looked at the BMW topcase bag for my F650 - that one wore out sooner even though it appears to be much more robust (obviously, all it is is heavier). I've had BMW liner bags exclusively until the R12R, and every one (of 5 sets) has failed in some way or other, even from the most gentle of use. Quality is not a reason to pay BMW's prices!

The material for the CeeBailey bags is said to be "heavy duty polyester cross weave" on their webpage. How heavy are they in terms of actual weight?

I think I'd like to get some kind of bags, seeing that without them I tend to end up with a mess...

Harrald,

I have the Cee Bailey bags. They are about the weight/thickness of the material on a heavy denim work jean. Empty, I would estimate their weight to be about 8 ounces each (I'll let you calculate the metric equivalent).

I bought mine at the BMWMOA International Rally in Lima, OH in 2005. They had them on sale there for $70 per set, so I bought them. I had no idea of what they sold for, but a lot of guys were buying them, so I jumped on the bandwagon. That price turned out to be a real bargain, especially when compared to the BMW bags.

They were in my R1200RT for five years and now they are in my R1200R side cases. I have stuffed them with all sorts of clothes, gadgets and spare parts and I have not been able to wear them out.

P.S. I live south of Chapel Hill, not far from Durham, if you want to see the Cee Bailey bags.

Bill

I use these: http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/BigBags.aspx.

Seriously. They work very well, especially in segregating clean clothes from dirty / wet ones.

I use hotels when I travel. I have the Kathy bags from Bob's BMW. They work great and not nearly as expensive as the BMW liners. The liners are much better than carring the muddy panniers inside the hotel. Good investment. If you travel overnight you need them.