Ortlieb Moto Panniers

I'd been hunting for decent pannier options for the Bonnie, and also racks/mounts for them. But all the options had drawbacks: expensive mounts, too-large boxes, not working with a passenger, crazy expensive boxes... Suddenly I had a wedding to go to and needed to get two guys, two suits and a kilt on the bike and get it all to Liverpool.

By a stroke of luck I stumbled on these the week before. 26 Litres each, waterproof, a clean black design that works with the bike (give or take the unnecessary but at least subtle treadmark prints on the sides). And reduced from £160 RRP (which they still sell at elsewhere) to £80, plus free delivery. Bargain!

http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/ortlieb-ol-moto-panniers.html

I had no idea Ortlieb even did motorbike stuff, but knew they were quality from my cycling days. Even better, a search of their website turned up a chart with info on whether the bags would fit on each specific Triumph bike model. Very impressed.

Fitting the bags was something of a pain. The Givi rack turned out to be a problem with it's sticking out the side grab rail blocking where the velcro straps should go. A bit of stretching and I made it work, but it's gonna be a right pain to get the seat off and on now. A better long term solution may be needed.

After riding with them for a bit I can say that I'm still really pleased. Sensibly sized; they stick out no further than the handlebars, they stay on well, they will sit in place (against the rear shocks) without any support rails; they sit far enough back to allow a passenger to use the footpegs comfortably; they're super waterproof; they weight practically nothing. I also embarrassingly dropped the bike for the first time, with two people and a lot of baggage while stopped at a junction right by my house on the way home. The bag acted as a little airbag and the result was not a single scratch. I'm not sure how strong they'll be in the long run, and I do think I need to get rails in the long run to avoid wear and sag.

Luggage Options for a Bonneville

Google for Bonneville panniers/top box/luggage and most of the results are forum posts where other people are trying to figure out what the heck is available! And with plenty of "why would you put luggage on a Bonneville" comments ;) It seems there’s now basically no official, or at least easy to get hold of, luggage mounting option for the Bonneville/T100 models. Sure the bike is pretty and retro and the advertising is aiming at going for a sunday afternoon drive... but this is an 800+ cc all purpose machine and you still want to take a damn bag with you sometimes...

Its worth adding that third party triumph accessories seem to be more easily available in the US. I’m just covering what you can get relatively easily in the UK, and based on a couple of weeks of forum and website trawling. I haven’t seen any racks for sale in an actuals hop in London, despite it’s fair share of stores including official Triumph dealers.


Hepco and Becker:  http://www.hepco-and-becker-luggage.co.uk/

These guys do separate pannier rails and top box racks, or a combined version. Not cheap but not horrifically pricey if you want the combined one, which is £215. Probably the best looking of the two main options, but a bit OTT in the chrome department. It’s designed to hold their own boxes, which are pretty expensive (you'll pay £500 for their cheaper 3 box sets). I'm not a fan of the looks of any of those boxes and I’m not sure how easy they can be adapted to hold anything else. Given how on the Norman Hyde ones you have to move the rear indicators to make room, but on these you don't, I suspect the boxes mount too far forward to be comfortable/practical when you've got a passenger.


Norman Hyde:  https://normanhyde.co.uk

These guys do a separate rear rack (part HBK174, £120) and pannier frames (part HBK175, £125). Designed to take Givi boxes, so it’s easy to fit the most popular/easy to find boxes. The rack is functional but dull and I’m slightly concerned by how short it is and the angular grab rail. The side rails are black, which I’m not a huge fan of, but more importantly you have to relocate the indicators onto the weird poles sticking out the back so that boxes will fit. Some people have hacksawed those off and bought narrower tail light sets to fit between the bags. Seems like a lot of hassle/cost and once again the smaller lights are easier to get in the States (e.g. from www.newbonneville.com). Total of £245 makes them pricier than the H&B set.

Rentec:  http://www.renntec.co.uk/triumph_bonneville_sports_rack_carrier

This is the low end option. Top box only and looks very much like the Norman Hyde one. Reports of it’s strength seem to vary greatly. Rentec’s own disclaimer basic says it’s not meant to carry top boxes at all, just “luggage”, despite the website encouraging you to buy their huge 50L box on the same listing. Hmm. Sounds like spineless insurance back-covering to me, but didn’t fill me with confidence. At £100, it’s also not much cheaper than the NH one.

Givi:  http://www.givi.co.uk/My-motorcycle/?ma=TRIUMPH&mo=Bonneville-865

The biggest case manufacturer do their own rack. Part no SR226. This baby sells for £170-200(!) so def on the pricey side and also a slightly unusual design as it’s elevated with the grab rails to the sides. No official side rails/pannier racks for the Bonnie.

Official pannier rail kit:  

I’d seen these mentioned on forums but couldn’t find any official reference. Eventually got a quote from my local Triumph dealer’s part finder service: “A9738022 PANNIER RAIL KIT”, £106






Choices, Choices
After some box and pannier research, I decided I might as well go with something that will take Givi boxes. I quite like the H&B set, but the cost of their boxes and the fact you're locked into their parts meant it wasn't worth it. I didn't want the hassle of the Norman Hydes, and going on the lack of decent options plus cost I decided I'm probably better getting a decent large top box now and looking into soft panniers later (maybe via the nice minimal official rails)

Despite the cost, I went with the Givi rack. I quite like the design, it’s different and modern, but clever and doesn't look cheap like the Hyde and Rentec ones. It's also tough and guaranteed to fit their boxes. Plus the side grab rails will be better for pillions: nicer angle, more freedom of movement, no bar digging into your back, and when the box is on, it wont be right up against the grabs stopping them being used like the others will. I found them selling relatively cheap on ebay from these guys. Two days delivery, free postage, £165, sold! http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/nativeviking?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

Here’s a good couple of forum posts that helped me out. The second has some nice DIY side box mounting on the official rails which I might copy...

• http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-talk/117172-givi-luggage-help-needed.html
• http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=782036