Motorycle panniers for BMW R1200GS Adventure
Posted on 2009/03/11
The Adventure “edition” of the R1200 GS is the top of the range adventure motorcycle manufactured by BMW. It’s built for adventure travel but does not come with any luggage options, therefore the official BMW panniers are definitetely an option to consider - if you can afford them! These panniers feature reinforced edges, a removable lid and a lower section which can be used as a seat. These panniers are robust and made out of aluminum. On the left side they hold 38L and on the right side 44 liters, which converts to approximately 10 and 11.6 US gallons - a nice of amount of storage space. The reduced volume on the left side accounts for extra space taken up by the exhaust. Each box can carry around 10Kg worth of your stuff. Packing more weight than that into the motorcycle pannies could put unwanted strain on the subframe of the bike - if you really need to do this, consider strengthening it. All of these boxes are claimed to be 100% waterproof.
Further options for these panniers include a carry handle, which is applied to the top of the panniers making it easy to haul your stuff from the desert parking lot in to your hotel. Included are four straps, which can be used to secure additional luggage to top of the panniers. These straps can also be used on the topbox in the same series of GS accessories. Inner bags are also available for these panniers and make carrying your stuff around even easier. With this option, you could leave the panniers themselves attached securely to the bike, and just pull your bag out. Finally, an aluminum topbox is also available and can hold an extra 32 liters or 5Kg worth of luggage. Its also 100% waterproof and comes with an optional backrest for the pillion passenger.
All together this allows for around 114 liters worth of luggage to be carried safely on your 1200GS, protected from rain and the elements. Sure, they are expensive and there are other motorcycle panniers for the 1200 GS available, but none of them look quite as matching as these ones - get ‘em if you can afford em!
