tank panniers for Vstrom

Thinking about getting some tank panniers for my dl650 for a trip this summer. Anybody have any recommendations? The Wolfman tank bag I have is awesome and am leaning towards Wolfman brand again but not sure how they fit on the Strom. The Wolfman site does not show any photos of the dl650 with their panniers. Be great if you have any photos of your Strom with panniers mounted.

Cheers

go over to http://vstrom.info/vsri-gallery/gallery/main.php and leaf threw the pics. lots of good ideas over there. Some of the penny tech in the gspot forum might work on the strom to.

Aerostich is the only way to go. I tried some of the popular ATV bags on a 10 day trip last summer the zippers failed on day 2. Aerostich high viz bags now, waterproof unbelievable quality and function and the fit my 1k with givi crash bars is perfect. Oh course I took a huge dose of the stitch kool-aid over Christmas with a full suit and the panniers so maybe I am just drunk.

Thanks, I checked out the Aerostich site and those bags look pretty good. I also have the Givi crashem up bars and one of my concerns was how they might interact with the bags.

I've said it before, but I simply mounted the panniers to my crash bars. Worked really well.

Dumb question time - what do you put in tank panniers? Are they for heavy stuff, like fuel and water, or light stuff that won't fit somewhere else?

Do you have pictures of the Aero panniers on your Strom? Are they the 'standard' (large) or 'competition'?

Either. Both. I use panniers on my GS instead of a tank bag, so they have everything that would normally go in my tank bag - a bottle of water (when I'm not going on a long enough ride to warrant a larger quantity), maps, snacks, camera, small tripod, tire gauge, sunglasses, my mp3 player and earmolds when I'm not using them, helmet shield cleaning supplies, etc, etc.

If you're carrying heavy stuff (like a couple liter bottles of fuel or something like that) it's best to sort of balance the weight between the two sides.

I'm interested in the Wolfman coated ballistic tank panniers - anybody got those on a V-Strom, especially with Givi crashbars?

I mounted bags to my crash bars, too:

MOLLE Ammo Bag, made by Diplomat, purchased from L.A. Police gear for $10 each plus shipping. These are soft bags, so I have them stuffed with a couple of towels to fill them out. I may see about fitting them with internal stiffeners to help them hold their shape when they aren't full.

• Large YKK zippers
• 2" padded shoulder strap
• Internal key tether
• Molle compatible on 4 all sides
• Name tape area with velcro
• Velcro inside to hold holster or other compartments
• Two internal compartments
• Hand strap for carry
• Built strong to hold maximum weight
• Dimensions: 13.5" x 11" x 6"

(The can of corn is for size perspective.)

Inside view of the two pockets with velcro closures.

Other side with the entire inside covered with velcro.

I mounted them to my Hepco & Becker engine guards using strips of velcro.




The bags are made of rubber coated cordura, but the seams and stitches are not sealed or taped. There is also a grommetted drain hole in the bottom of each bag. So I would call these water-resistant but certainly not water-proof. You could always pack your stuff on a plastic bag before putting them in the ammo bags. These bags seem pretty well made and should hold up fairly well. I probably won't carry really heavy stuff in these; probably rain gear and the like. More sensitive things like my camera will stay up in the tank bag. The bags are available in green, tan or black. I went with OD green, since it matches the theme of my bike.

Thanks! I hate tankbags, but like their utility. I'm currently trying to think of clever ways to prep for a big desert trip planned for August, which will require me to be self-sufficient for water for two days in very hot temperatures - so, at least ten litres. Currently I plan to wear a 2L Camelbak, with a second 2L Camelbak strapped to the rack, two 1.5L plastic bottles in the panniers, and a 5L container on the rack, giving me 12L. But this is cumbersome and displaces a lot of stuff, so maybe tank panniers are my answer.

I'd really like to find a way to get one of these happening: www.turtlepac.com

Glad to hear of the Aerostich full size tank panniers fitting well with Givi crashbars! Picked up a set last year, along with a large GS Bags Connection tankbag to fit to my 04 DL1000. Was too busy breaking my arm on a KTM 300XC to get around to mounting them though... :huh

My purpose is to transfer weight forward on my 41 litre Zega Pannier equipped DL. The Panniers loaded with my "don't forget the kitchen sink packing style", have always led to an unloaded front end and truly terrible instability problems, go figure...

Looking forward to afixing the farkles in 09 and continuing my quest to justify the Passport 8500 X50, really not needed presently, what with high speed handling issues. Perhaps an emergency transponder instead...

Good luck with you and your's!
See you at the Edmonton MC Show January 16-18

996DL

I had Aerostich on my wee strom.

They fit great with the tankbag I had and I could rest my legs on them, even when on the road. Gave my legs a nice break and very relaxing on long rides.

Check out Mountain Sun:
http://www.mt-sun.com/catalog.php?type=product&id=21362

Jim's tank panniers will accommodate a 2L Camelbak on each side in its own compartment with a tunnel for the drinking tube to exit from the bag. I've had a set for about four years and have been very happy with them. The tank pannier will hold a metric shitload of stuff on top of that and one of them turns into a little backpack (I've never performed that feat of magic, but I'll take his word for it). There are a lot more compartments than in the Aerostich or Wolfman tank panniers, so you can organize your stuff somewhat effectively, instead of having it all jumbled up in one big compartment. Highly recommended!

Do they? I thought they were too long to fit with the Givi bars. JKam's pictures look like they fit just right with his bars, but the Givi's come up 6" or so from the bottom of the tank, leaving only about 8" above the bars. You could mount the panniers so they're behind the Givi bars, but your thighs would have to be a lot shorter than mine.

I'm looking at the Wolfman tank panniers for this reason, because they're shorter from top to bottom and I'm hoping they will fit above the Givis.

If the Aeros actually fit, I'm gonna be sick, because I just sold mine after having them sitting around the garage gathering dust since buying a set of Mountain Suns for my GS...

I have wolfmans and like them a lot. On a 9000 mile camp trip to the arctic last summer I needed all the storage I could get. Rain gear in one side and warm gear (heated jacket, gloves and controller in the other. This is an old pic from an earlier ride.

Thanks for the input on the Wolfman product! They look like they hang rather low on your bike also - would probably hit the Givi bars if not positioned higher. Maybe I'll look around for a penny-tech solution first - something with more compartmentation than the Wolfmans, which are one big compartment, if I understand correctly.

Pete

Hey, they look great! Thanks for the referral. Now, to go have a long, frank conversation with Messrs Visa and MasterCard...

Has anyone tried any of the panniers mentioned on a DL650 with H-B guards? Just eyeballing it, it looks like the panniers would have to hang behind the guards and I seem to remember a comment on one of the forums that the author's knees hit the panniers so he got rid of them.

I had a set of Wolfman Expedition tank panniers at my disposal on my recent travels on the Pony Express Trail. I did not use them because all my gear was in the other bags. I did use the Expedition Tank Bag and Large Expedition Duffle Bag. Everything ... I mean everything ... stayed dry in all the rain that I encountered. The two other riders did use the Tank Panniers. You can see some of their pictures here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479699. I rode with Jim and Greg of the ALT Project for several days before heading out on my own assignment.

The Wolfman Luggage that I used worked great. The Tank Panniers are adjustable, and would fit very nicely on the V-Strom with SW-Motech engine guards. You need something to anchor them to, and the guards would be in the right position.

Brent

I KLR-ed myself to tank panniers. I took a pair of old bicycle panniers, drilled holes through the supporting plastic backing, and now I can basically butterfly-bolt 'em onto my GIVI crashguards. Works.

Probably looks like hell, but
a) it's a V-strom, not a beauty queen
b) it fits my cheap-ass budget
c) it has Paul Mondor's seal of approval.