What are you XR650L owners using for luggage on your adventures? I am gearing-up for the OBDR this summer and need to get my gear in order. I have seen the Aerostich gear, Dirt-Bagz, Andys Bags, and the Happy-Trail stuff. I need to know from those of you who have already invested in luggage what you like/dislike about your choices. Also, I am pondering the addition of a rear luggage rack (just haven't decided which one yet). Thanks.
I use a little bit of everything. DirtBagz for day trips, but use the frame and old saddlebags for long trips; an Oxford rear pack; a cheapie steel rear rack, with the bottom of a plastic file crate hose-clamped and ty-wrapped to the rack for more surface area; and lots of bungee cords and nets. There is no single solution. For day trips I just use the DirtBagz This combination of stuff worked for a 1500 mile, 7 day trip to Ouray OSCAR and back:
Hey, Would you mind lettingme know which windsheild you have mounted on your bike? That looks exactly like the kind of sheild I would like to put on a DR. Brand, sizing, any special mounting explanation would be great also!!! Thanks!!! also, how much time did you spend on the bike with the load in the bottom picture? It looks like you remembered your inflatable "hot tub" back there! :) And, I apologize for all the questions, what kind of tires are you running? How are they both road and dirt, and what kind of mileage do you get out of them? They look like a pretty decent set of knobies? Thanks again...
The windshield is a Maier, Style 4 for 7/8 in. bars, cost $62.50 from JC Whitney. It fits with out mods, although one has to fiddle with the mounts to fit them (no more than any other mod). I don't know if it really helps - there is still a lot of wind, but it's probably better for long journeys. But it does add to headshake above 65 mph, expecially on the highway when buffeted by semis. But it looks cool. With that "load", I rode 400 mi. in one day from Ft. Collins, CO to Ouray, CO for the ADVrider event last summer. Total trip was 1500 mi. in 7 days, 130 of which was Interstate, and 300+ dirt. It's not as bad as it looks. The trick is to put heavy stuff down low and towards the front of the bike, i.e., move the heavy tools into the saddlebags. I got rid of the stock Honda tool bag, bought a Wolfman bag (double the size for $45, with a velcro base, highly recommended), then put it in the saddlebag for long trips, but put it back on the fender for day trips) Any rear rack is rated for only 10 lbs, so don't put anything heavy on it. The big bubble on the back is a 5 lb. sleeping bag; looks big but is light. The red Oxford rear tailbag ($99 at a local motorcycle shop) was placed on a modified file carton tied to the passenger part of the seat; it made a good backrest. Between the tailbag and the sleeping bag was a black Wal-Mart nylon bag that held dirty laundry, soda bottles, or whatever. Murgawife will not let me spend a lot on the bike, so I cobble pieces together. It's Adventure Riding, so whatever works is OK. I am planning at least 2 1500+ mi. trips this summer with the same setup. The tires are Dunlop D606 DOT knobbies. Good offroad, and on road they are OK; I can go 30+ mph over the limit in canyons, but they sure wear fast chasing those BMW's. I ride easily (mostly) and got 5k on the front and 2.5k on the rear. That's actually good, from what I've read. The front has less grip on pavement than the rear, which shows up mostly during braking. But they do give significant headshake on the bike; when new, anything over 65 mph is dangerous, although I can now pull 75 when they are worn. A co-worker has similar problems with knobbies on the front of his XR650L also. I just ordered a Continental TKC80 for the front, on advice from Esteban and Wayne Weber (local dualsport demigods). They say it's worse in dirt but much better on pavement, so maybe I'll get more speed out of the bike. Any more questions? I don't mind them. Remember that free advice is worth what you paid for it.
Thanks for the pics! It doesn't matter if one buys the fancy aluminum panniers or straps on some duffle bags. As long as it works for the rider. You don't see me running out to drop $650 on the aluminum boxes right away. I'm not convinced that is the way to go, even though the Touratech riders used them on all their adventure rides. Of course, it helps if you're sponsored by Touratech (or own Touratech!).
The factory tool bag was in the way with of the rear rack I made so I moved it to the front fender, it fit nicely up under the head light. It worked out well and it looks like it was meant to be there.
I bought a cheap, steel rear rack from Arrowhead Motorsports. It's less than those nice, aluminum ones that cost $140+, and lets me keep the rear toolbag. In contrast those nice, aluminum racks, this one is heavy, and mediocre quality. It costs $81, not the $70 in the pic. Make sure you use nylon threaded nuts to keep the bolts from vibrating out. I cut the bottom out of a plastic file crate, and I have an larger platform for hauling all sorts of stuff. It works for what I need. The rack is rated for 10 lbs. carrying, so don't over do it.
Yeah, I saw this rack in a catalog and was wondering about it's quality, since I've never heard of the company. It does seem to be a bit cheaper than the billet racks, though.
....you may wind up with a broken rear subframe. Happened to a guy in our off-road club. Granted, he's an "A" enduro rider and is a bit, how should we say it?, "spirited" in his riding. Anyway, I have it now and I ride easy, so no problem. Seems to work well for an inexpensive part. deerslayR
I have a 3 bag Givi set-up on my XR. I grabbed a pile of steel tubing and my welders and went for it. Unfortunately, I'm the biggest idiot in the world on these here computers. If you want a pic, let me know and I'll have the wife send you one. I put the same thing on my R1150R and FXDX, I like being able to swap the bags to whatever I want to ride.
OK, so it looks like I've decided on using Pelican cases. They seem to be the best choice for me because I like that they are water-proof, lockable, and nearly unbreakable (in the event of impact). Now I have the Pelican 1400 case which I will mount to a rack (next purchase) as the top case. Next will be the introduction of two Pelican 1550 cases for my side cases. I was thinking of fabricating my own brackets, but may go with the Happy-Trail su rack (not as much free time as I would like for design/build). More to come.
Personally, this DIY idea seems like my only option. Who makes a rack for an XL250R? :huh What kind of fool wants to but a rack on an XL250R anyway? So a one-off custom rack is my only option. About this thing and its 10 pound load limit: That will break a subframe. A gallon of milk and a 6-pack exceeds its weight capacity. What's the point? The nearest hardpoint is the winker mounts and they aren't designed to carry anything more than winkers. I wouldn't want to add weight behind the toolbag anyway, the thing is pretty tail-heavy to start with IMHO. The subframe will probably agree with my opinion. I need somthing that will spread the weight of my gear across the part of my bike that's strong enough for a fat chick to sit on. I'm building my own rack.
OK, here's the cheap way to do it. Get one of these, for about $5 Then modify like this: Seat without modified "rack": Remove the toolbag (the Wolfman toolbag velcros onto the rear, really nice), put the modified "rack" where the fat chicks sit , and hose clamp it to the back of a rear rack. Instant platform for heavy stuff. Worked for me.
That's a cool setup and some real DIY spirit. I've decided on a single Aluminum Mermite can mounted horizontally and legnthwise. It will keep the important junk dry and provide a platform to strap less weather-sensitive junk to. I want my junk to survive the occaisional jump off of a water bar so I'm going to utilize the hardpoints for the strap that runs across the seat. My subframe has lots of threaded hardpoints that I feel are under-utilized. I also have a few under-utilized milk crates laying around that were *cough* less than $5. (All appologies to the milk industry.) The containers made from plastic sewer pipe that i've seen floating around look to be interestingly jumpable and lightweight. We have lots of options. This will be fun! Holy Hi-jack Batman! Sorry.
Yep, Try Promotobillet.com I have on on my XR-650L and like it alot! They may be a bit $$, but worth it I think. Light, Strong, Durable. A tail bag can attach right to it, or stack it with tent, chair, bed roll, etc. Boojum!
Well, this project isn't happening as fast as I would have hoped, but progress is being made. I acquired a rear rack from XR's Only (billet rack-$140-nice!) and mounted it. Next will be mounting my Pelican 1400 case to the rack. I have acquired a Pelican 1550 case for side installation. I only bought one so that I could check out the fitment before investing twice the money in case it was too big. I think it will work just fine. I will get a second 1550 case and then move toward the mounting process. I need to contact Happy Trails about their su-rack, first. My Supertrapp and rear rack are both mounted to the subframe on the right side, and I don't see much room left to mount the su-rack. More to come. Note: The XR's Only rear rack requires the removal of the stock rear fender bag.
I'm going to build a rack and use these: http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/camping/dry_boxes.html You'll have to use some creative mounting, but they're much lighter than the metal millitary ammo boxes that some use. They look pretty durable and can be found at Academy, for those fortunate enough to have one in their state. depending on size they run between $8-20 each.
