T
Taliesin
Guest
Hello fellow GS'ers. I finally got my bike back up and running today, and was finally able to put my new luggage on the bike. I really like this stuff.
Tailbag
Installation: Firstly, the CL-800 tailbag sits perfectly on the luggage rack. The bag came with bungees for securing it, and I criss-crossed the rear ones across the back, and took the front straps and criss-crossed it under the rack. It sits on there nice and secure. The bungees clip right into a small buckle on the bag, but unclip quite easily.
Pros: The tailbag is roomy enough to fit a helmet...seriously. In addition, there are two side document pockets, and the front and side expandable pockets. Lots of room. In there right now, I have my tinted visor, winter gloves, towel and battery tender. Lots of room for more.
Finally, I have read other reviewers state that the bag is drizzle-proof without the rain covers, but it comes with a nice rain cover, which has small holes for the bungees to go through, securing it so it can't blow off.
Cons: The only con is that the bottom of this bag is not rigid. So it droops a little over the sides of the luggage rack. This really isn't a major con as it doesn't cut the storage capacity of the bag at all. More of an aesthetic thing, really. I'm toying with the idea of getting a sheet of plexiglas, but we'll see.
This is a link to another reviewer's write-up of this tail bag. With pictures. Dude did a nice write up, and showed how roomy the bag was:
http://www.klrworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=196&Itemid=290
Saddlebags
Installation: Installing them had a bit of a hitch. The bags sit across the frame under the seat using two heavy-duty velcro straps. The rear strap, however, sits right where the rear rubber bumpers on the seat want to sit on the frame. The seat on my 1980 GS550L is a little bit of a pain to get on anyway, and the strap was too much for it to latch. So I lengthened the velcro strap and put it behind the seat latch. In the Facebook gallery I will post at the bottom, you can see how I re-routed that rear strap. I don't know how similar the other GS seats are, but you might have the same sort of issue.
The bags have a nice strap at the bottom that allows you to secure them to the frame, passenger footrest, or whatnot. I didn't secure it at the rear, but I used the front strap to secure it to the frame.
Finally, if my exhaust were any higher, I wouldn't be able to get these bags on. They have a shielded bottom, but that won't help if the bags sit on the exhaust. I've got JUST over the inch of clearance they recommend, but it's close. Other GS owners may experience the same thing if you've got the stock 2-into-1. If you've got an aftermarket exhaust system that sits any higher than the stock exhaust, you may have issues with these bags.
Pros: These bags are seriously roomy. Yeah, they're huge. However, thankfully they sit far enough back that I don't really touch them with my legs or feet (and I am a big guy).
In the left bag, I've currently got all the rain covers for all my bags, since the forecast called for showers today. Plenty of room for more in this bag. In the right bag, I've got my liners for my CyclePort kevlar suit, for the same reason. Again, more room for more.
As mentioned in the tailbag review, the rain covers make these great for any weather.
Cons: Like other under-the-seat saddlebag systems, there's really no way you can ride with a passenger with these. They go just over the passenger pegs, making it difficult for a passenger to figure out where to put their feet. If I rode with my wife at all frequently, I'd have to leave them off, but as she's not gotten her gear yet I'm still in the clear with these.
Here's a reviewer who put these bags on his VStrom. He took a bunch of nice pics, so you can see the bags, themselves:
http://www.stromtrooper.com/showthread.php?t=36410
Finally, here are the bags on my 1980 GS550L, so you can see how they fit on a GS:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056642&id=1031036090&l=39a217980f
(You should not need to register for Facebook to see those photos.)
Hope this helps someone wanting to pick up a new set of luggage! Nelson-Rigg makes quality, relatively inexpensive stuff for what you get IMO. I paid a total of $239.14, including CA tax buying them directly from Nelson-Rigg. Ground shipping was free.
Overall, I'm glad I got these bags over some less expensive alternatives I'd picked out.
Tailbag
Installation: Firstly, the CL-800 tailbag sits perfectly on the luggage rack. The bag came with bungees for securing it, and I criss-crossed the rear ones across the back, and took the front straps and criss-crossed it under the rack. It sits on there nice and secure. The bungees clip right into a small buckle on the bag, but unclip quite easily.
Pros: The tailbag is roomy enough to fit a helmet...seriously. In addition, there are two side document pockets, and the front and side expandable pockets. Lots of room. In there right now, I have my tinted visor, winter gloves, towel and battery tender. Lots of room for more.
Finally, I have read other reviewers state that the bag is drizzle-proof without the rain covers, but it comes with a nice rain cover, which has small holes for the bungees to go through, securing it so it can't blow off.
Cons: The only con is that the bottom of this bag is not rigid. So it droops a little over the sides of the luggage rack. This really isn't a major con as it doesn't cut the storage capacity of the bag at all. More of an aesthetic thing, really. I'm toying with the idea of getting a sheet of plexiglas, but we'll see.
This is a link to another reviewer's write-up of this tail bag. With pictures. Dude did a nice write up, and showed how roomy the bag was:
http://www.klrworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=196&Itemid=290
Saddlebags
Installation: Installing them had a bit of a hitch. The bags sit across the frame under the seat using two heavy-duty velcro straps. The rear strap, however, sits right where the rear rubber bumpers on the seat want to sit on the frame. The seat on my 1980 GS550L is a little bit of a pain to get on anyway, and the strap was too much for it to latch. So I lengthened the velcro strap and put it behind the seat latch. In the Facebook gallery I will post at the bottom, you can see how I re-routed that rear strap. I don't know how similar the other GS seats are, but you might have the same sort of issue.
The bags have a nice strap at the bottom that allows you to secure them to the frame, passenger footrest, or whatnot. I didn't secure it at the rear, but I used the front strap to secure it to the frame.
Finally, if my exhaust were any higher, I wouldn't be able to get these bags on. They have a shielded bottom, but that won't help if the bags sit on the exhaust. I've got JUST over the inch of clearance they recommend, but it's close. Other GS owners may experience the same thing if you've got the stock 2-into-1. If you've got an aftermarket exhaust system that sits any higher than the stock exhaust, you may have issues with these bags.
Pros: These bags are seriously roomy. Yeah, they're huge. However, thankfully they sit far enough back that I don't really touch them with my legs or feet (and I am a big guy).
In the left bag, I've currently got all the rain covers for all my bags, since the forecast called for showers today. Plenty of room for more in this bag. In the right bag, I've got my liners for my CyclePort kevlar suit, for the same reason. Again, more room for more.
As mentioned in the tailbag review, the rain covers make these great for any weather.
Cons: Like other under-the-seat saddlebag systems, there's really no way you can ride with a passenger with these. They go just over the passenger pegs, making it difficult for a passenger to figure out where to put their feet.
If I rode with my wife at all frequently, I'd have to leave them off, but as she's not gotten her gear yet I'm still in the clear with these. Here's a reviewer who put these bags on his VStrom. He took a bunch of nice pics, so you can see the bags, themselves:
http://www.stromtrooper.com/showthread.php?t=36410
Finally, here are the bags on my 1980 GS550L, so you can see how they fit on a GS:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056642&id=1031036090&l=39a217980f
(You should not need to register for Facebook to see those photos.)
Hope this helps someone wanting to pick up a new set of luggage! Nelson-Rigg makes quality, relatively inexpensive stuff for what you get IMO. I paid a total of $239.14, including CA tax buying them directly from Nelson-Rigg. Ground shipping was free.
Overall, I'm glad I got these bags over some less expensive alternatives I'd picked out.
