Pelican Side Cases: I just gotta say something.

[Bigger Al]

Originally Posted by JoeSport

I can only find a system for about $800 online, where did you find yours?

Don't mind Tedder.

The bike that I had at the time was a KLR650, and I used the Touring rack from Packrat Adventure Gear. That was $200, shipped. I can source Pelican cases locally, and I paid just over $110 each for the 1550's. I recently bought another 1550 from the same place to use as a top case for my V-Strom, and the price has gone up to $129. Nothing I can do about inflation.
I drilled and mounted the cases with stuff I had in the garage, and I've been happy with them for almost 4 years.

The prices you're seeing are for complete systems (Caribou, most likely). It's a very nice setup, but you can save yourself some $$ by getting creative with mix-and-match parts. My Strom has a rack setup from Happy Trails, and they sell a very nice kit for mounting hard bags of any type.

http://www.happy-trail.com/

[CPORet]

Originally Posted by JackpotDuc

Nanuk is new to the game on these cases, but makes a good product.
Check them out as well.

+1 on Nanuk. I was going to go with Pelicans until I saw the Nanuk cases.

Also, they don't look as "industrial" as the Pelicans.

[slartidbartfast]

Originally Posted by CPORet

+1 on Nanuk. I was going to go with Pelicans until I saw the Nanuk cases.

Also, they don't look as "industrial" as the Pelicans.

Never heard of Nanuk cases before. They look pretty sturdy. I CAN tell you that in 25+ years involvement w/ offshore oil and other industry, I've seen an awful lot of "stuff" shipped about in plastic, metal or wooden cases. I have seen every type of case destroyed but Pelican cases hold up notably better than anything else

[Jedi5150]

One point I have to make about the Caribou system. I had one on an R1200GS and on a sunny day with strong crosswinds, the exhaust melted the case right into the metal rack, about 150 miles east of Reno. And that was even with the little heat shield thingy included with the system. That lost my confidence in Pelican cases as panniers for a number of years. In defense of the company, he offered to make it right for me, but I returned them anyhow, my confidence shot. Now I am once again considering them, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't already have the exhaust extension thing that looks like a double barrel 12 gauge.

[divimon2000]

Pelican tough.

[CaribouCases]

Originally Posted by Jedi5150

One point I have to make about the Caribou system. I had one on an R1200GS and on a sunny day with strong crosswinds, the exhaust melted the case right into the metal rack, about 150 miles east of Reno. And that was even with the little heat shield thingy included with the system. That lost my confidence in Pelican cases as panniers for a number of years. In defense of the company, he offered to make it right for me, but I returned them anyhow, my confidence shot. Now I am once again considering them, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't already have the exhaust extension thing that looks like a double barrel 12 gauge.

A number of years ago we had a few (3 I believe) instances on the BMW R1200GS specifically where the the exhaust-side case was melted. We replaced all of the cases for customers that had the problem and we made several design changes. One of the changes is a stainless steel heat shield in addition to the heat barrier material shown here...

Note the air gap behind the stainless heat shield...


Since we made these changes we have had zero problems with this.

Also, if you are a DIY'er and like to save money, we offer lots of DIY kits for folks that already have cases.... http://cariboucases.corecommerce.com...se-Mount-Kits/

Our Seahorse-based systems are a great value as well.


Thank you.

-roger

[ktrout01]

I bolted on a set of 1550 cases to the TT racks and they work great. I also added a tool tube to the back of each case using stainless steel U bolts and O rings to keep things sealed up. I also ordered a set of pannier liners from Corrado and that solves the perceived problem of everything falling out when you open the case. My F650GS came with the yellow seat so I got the Pelicans in yellow to match. now that I have the new seat in black the cases stand out and are great for high visibility without being blaze orange.

[fhfr436]

I haven't yet started drilling/mounting my 1550's, but I am leaning toward mounting the case lid to the rack, rather than the bottom of the case. I saw/read about this somewhere and it made more sense to me since then when they're wide open, the large body of the case is horizontal. Thoughts?

[KG6BWS]

Originally Posted by fhfr436

I haven't yet started drilling/mounting my 1550's, but I am leaning toward mounting the case lid to the rack, rather than the bottom of the case. I saw/read about this somewhere and it made more sense to me since then when they're wide open, the large body of the case is horizontal. Thoughts?

Thats how I have mine mounted. Works great. I can just dump everything in them, loose, and still close them without everything falling out.

Only concern Ive ever heard about that method was ripping the box off the lid from leverage. Ive dropped it my bike plenty of times offroad with the boxes on, and have never had a problem. Judging from some of the hits theyve taken, including about a 45mph wipeout on a sandy, cobble stone trail, anything I hit hard enough to rip the box off is going to do damage to the bike. Losing a box is the last thing Id be worried about if it came down to keeping my stuff nicely organized and attached to the bike, or walking out to find someone to get my bike.



If I remember Ill try to get a pic of them open after I get home from work.

[fhfr436]

Originally Posted by KG6BWS

I can just dump everything in them, loose, and still close them without everything falling out.

Since I'm planning to make them removable with a Caribou DIY kit, another benefit that I saw is that when removed, they can be placed on a horizontal surface for packing and the mounting hardware will be up on the lid, rather than down under the case.

It wouldn't make much difference on a bed, but on a table it could be a real issue.

[beechhunter]

Have not read the entire thread but thought I would post my old set up. Maybe help someone out with a luggage decision.
Racks from a guy in Canada through Ebay. HPRC cases from amazon. $400 in the whole rig, not bad.
The cases have 2 latches on the top and 2 on the side, 2x more than a pelican.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Jedi5150]

Originally Posted by CaribouCases

A number of years ago we had a few (3 I believe) instances on the BMW R1200GS specifically where the the exhaust-side case was melted. We replaced all of the cases for customers that had the problem and we made several design changes. One of the changes is a stainless steel heat shield in addition to the heat barrier material shown here...

Note the air gap behind the stainless heat shield...


Since we made these changes we have had zero problems with this.

Also, if you are a DIY'er and like to save money, we offer lots of DIY kits for folks that already have cases.... http://cariboucases.corecommerce.com...se-Mount-Kits/

Our Seahorse-based systems are a great value as well.


Thank you.

-roger

That new system looks good to go Roger. And for everyone else reading this I again want to point out that the Caribou company offered to do everything needed to fix the problem for me. I made the choice to simply return the system due to my lack of confidence, but the company showed classy customer service and I wouldn't hesitate to do business with them in the future.

[KG6BWS]

Originally Posted by fhfr436

Since I'm planning to make them removable with a Caribou DIY kit, another benefit that I saw is that when removed, they can be placed on a horizontal surface for packing and the mounting hardware will be up on the lid, rather than down under the case.

It wouldn't make much difference on a bed, but on a table it could be a real issue.

Some specific reason youre going to use the Caribou mounts??

I built my racks on my Dakar, basing them off of the Happy Trails racks on my KLR. I had used the HT mounting pucks ($50 IIRC) to mount my Pelican cases to my KLR. Swapped them over to the Dakar and they worked just fine. Easily removeable...a matter of opening the case, loosening two knobs, closing the case, and pulling it off the bike. Mount/dismount is a matter of about maybe 3 or 4 seconds. 5 or 6 if I take my time.

Just looked, yep....HT $50, Caribou $190.
http://www.happy-trail.com/Happy-Tra...Mount-Kit.aspx

[fhfr436]

Originally Posted by KG6BWS

Some specific reason youre going to use the Caribou mounts??

I suppose just because it seems like such a well thought-out system.
I already have Hepco-Becker racks on my FZ6 and got used Pelican 1550s on eBay. I like the idea of the Caribou system that latches to the actual mounting points of the Hepco-Becker rack and the replaceable "breakaway" locks to prevent rack damage in the event of a hard crash.

I appreciate the system that Roger has developed. Although, generally I think the Caribou cost is too high, he deserves to be paid for the development of the obviously sought-after system. He needs to recover development costs, not just mark-up the component prices.

[abnslr]

I had Pelican 36L cases (Caribou system) on SW Motech racks mounted on my F650GS when I had a collision in Croatia in October (hit by a nun in a VW.) I'm pretty sure those heavy Pelican cases saved my left leg -- and they're still watertight and in good enough shape to use on the (absurdly expensive) re-built bike. I'm sold on Pelican, and I really like the Caribou mounting system.