I just bought a '10 800GS that's stock. Which side cases would you recommend and where's the best deal? Thanks
You can find all kinds of reasons on this blog to buy almost any of the better cases. FWIW I bought Jessie's because they have a superior mounting system, their cases mount much narrower than any of the other cases for the same case volume and they are tough. In the end choosing the right case depend on how you want to ride and how much you want to spend. Have fun
I bought my Jesse Luggage in 2009 I love it, it has stood up to daily commuting use, touring and been down the Dempster without a problem. Tough and sexy just the way I like em.....
Pelicans are nice in that they bounce well,dont cost an arm and a leg,are easily lockable,then they dont make noise when I drag em on the road in corners. They just dont look as bitchin as shiny alu boxes.
SW Motec EVO racks and Pelican cases. The cases break for whatever reason and you take off your hardware and take your case to a pelican dealer and you get a new one, no questions asked. That's a great warranty. Go to an RV dealer and buy a 4 pack of dumbell style locks for shogun style camper truck attachments. $85 for four, all keyed the same. Solid, and no rattles. Mike
Blog? How often do you anticipate crashing? The plastic System Cases on my old GS outlived the bike. I sold them after my totaled GS went to the salvage yard. They just popped off in the accident.
I'm looking for sturdy, waterproof, long lasting side cases that look BA. How often do you anticipate crashing? I have no such plans.
I have Pelicans, save some money and watch Ebay, I spent $65 for one and $70 for the other. I use the Happy Trails Rack and mounting pucks. When I have one of my unplannned crashes , the cases deform enough to pop off the rack. By now they look scratched, muddy, and generally abused, it keeps up the rough adventurer image when I stop at Starbucks One thing to think about is when you open the Pelicans (side opening), stuff falls out, the aluminum boxes are typically top opening, so its a deep bucket where what you want is at the bottom underneath everything instead of on the ground easily found.
I HAD Jesse's until I hit some mud and the front washed out. When the bike went down my left side sheared off and was totally mutilated. Fortunately I had a friend following me with a Ural and I just threw both sides in his side car. Insurance paid me for the Jesse's and I replaced them with Zega Pro's. I like the Zega Pro much better than the Jesse's, but prior to purchasing I put a lot of consideration into switching to soft luggage and still decided against it cause hard luggage is so much more convenient for me. I'm sure that the Zega's would get trashed in the same scenario, but after owning the Jesse's, which are great bags, I just went with a different brand and really like these much more.
Have Caribou cases (Pelican) with Hepco Becker racks. Ugly but I really like them. Slid down gravel roads with them, multiple tip overs in all sorts of conditions. A bit scraped up but never lost their waterproof integrety. Buddies with metal cases seem to have them deformed easily and loose their waterproofing. Once got too close to a concrete wall and whacked one of the bags. The lock is designed to be the weak point and allows the bag to be knocked off. Carry an extra lock - takes 5 minutes to fix. This points out the only negative thing in my mind which is they are a bit wide.
Yep, I always like to look that way at Starbucks too I bought a luggage rack on craigslist today, fits my bike but I have no idea who makes it - neither did the seller, he bought a bike with the rack. Here's a pic:
You may be able to find a good deal on second hand Jesse cases. I almost bought a set from an inmate in the flea market, but went with the BMW Adventure cases instead. They stick out a lot farther than the Jesses, but it's nice having one key that does it all and keeping the ability to mount a camel tank if I want to. Besides, here in NH, I can't split lanes, so a little width isn't a deal breaker. If I lived in CA, Id definitely go with Jesses. I loved the Jesses on my Strom. Rugged, badass, and cavernous. I could fit my 1-piece 'Stich in one case with room to spare, perfect for locking up your gear when you want to walk around. They are a bit heavy, but most of the weight is pretty low. I almost went with Happy Trail cases, too. They're less expensive, and everyone who has them raves about them. You could probably mount them to that rack you bought. Or, you could get some Givi cases and mount them to the rack they belong on. I had a Givi 42L top case and it survived when I totaled my Strom. If it were a sidecase, it wouldn't have, but it took a good hit all the same and went bouncing down the highway at 70 mph, and it's still functional. Has a big scar, but, hey, so do I. And, the shape of the Givi allowed me to put my full-face helmet inside. They're not as rugged or badass as aluminum cases, but they are surprisingly rugged and very functional. You could vinyl wrap them in something cool looking to give them some style... like digi-cammo.
The digi camo wrap would be cool! Thanks for the info - I'm leaning toward pelican cases, I had them on a KLR years ago and they are bomb proof for the most part. Twisted throttle has new im2600s for $121, the ones I've found used are about that by the time you pay shipping. The brackets for mounting are dang pricey, but not worth trying to MacGyver. The cheapest thing on a BMW is the rider, aka me! Thanks for the help!
I have a set of Jessee Safari cases that are 1 year old without a scratch on them. I am probably going to part out a bike I am trying to sell. Shoot me an email and I'll send you a list and pictures. GH ghchhisc@gmail.com
I'll give my 2 cents since I've owned both Jesse Bags and Happy Trails. I prefer...wait...Jesse Bags. Both are top loaders which I prefer but the Jesse bags and rack are bomb-proof...as I've gone down off-road on both. The weak point of the Happy Trails bags are the rack as they suffered some good damage. I don't think I'm prone to dumping my bike. I just take my 800GS where it was intended and shit happens. I also prefer the hinged top on the Jesse Bags plus they can be more easily taken off the bike and used for a make-shift table if you like to rough-camp in the middle of nowhere. I probably should own some plastic boxes as I like to push it since they seem to withstand a fall better...but I don't like side loaders as my stuff will fall all over the place. Johnny da Rock
Thanks for all the advice and sources for stuff. I pulled the trigger on a set of im2600s from twisted throttle. They seem like the best deal I could find, I need to be outfitted by the 24th of this month. Again, thanks!
