R100GS with Andy Strapz Expedition Panniers
Lots of people seem to like to bolt giant, lockable metal boxes to the sides of their GSes ... I never thought anyone was that likely to steal my dirty undies.
I had these panniers custom-made by Andy Strapz, based on their Expedition Pannierz but 100mm longer. The extra bit of room means I can fit my 1-man tent neatly into a pannier, since it packs about 400mm long.
| Rolled Down | Fully expanded | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 180 x 325 x 300 17½ L |
180 x 325 x 400 23½ L |
| Longer | 180 x 425 x 300 23 L |
180 x 425 x 400 30½ L |
Andy was dubious about the extra length (possibly still is dubious :-)), but they look great on the beemer, sit nicely against the BMW luggage rack, and fit all my camping gear and then some ... the driveway photos have a heap of gear loaded up and a 'spare' 3-man tent across the tail, and the Dargo shot has a bunch of frozen sausages which the Dargo General Store asked me to take in for them (catering at a Monarchs Rally!)
They worked great at the Dargo rally, now I'm thinking of buying an AA Bag for the back seat to fit stuff which should not be squashed.
The weight ends up much lower than it did with my old gearsack panniers and gearsack tail bag, and I like the low-profile look and not having a big steel rack poking up behind me. Valuables still live in the tank bag, where they're less likely to get crunched in a lie down.
I'd like to make up a custom luggage rack for them, which would let them sit closer to the bike ... the BMW one is designed for their big box panniers.