A very relevant vlog. I'm on a couple of forum pages where people have mentioned their bike being unstable with factory luggage on. This for me can be due to a number of reasons as you mentioned - overloading, poor loading, incorrect suspension adjustment or excess speed. My Tracer 9GT has factory luggage and Yamaha top box. I find that when loaded up if ridden sensibly the bike doesn't behave any differently however you just need to be more aware of the weight when starting and stopping on hills and doing low speed manoeuvres. I clipped a traffic cone last year when filtering in roadworks so if you do have panniers just remember not to cut into gaps too early!
so much to learn riding and owning a bike, yet most just take it for granted, and thats where it could go wrong, a lot dont know how to set preload or oil the chain let alone load the bike correctly.
Thank you for taking the time to make the video about my question on luggage and panniers. Have got used to having the large oem top box on and how it alters the bike, not had the panniers on yet, waited until you made the vid, good points made and food for thought, im sure i will adjust and gain confidence with them on, muchly appreciated
@@MotorcyclePWR out the weekend enjoying our welsh roads, covered 200 miles in the afternoon through mountains and beach view roads with friends and of course a few bike cafes on route.
Yet again, hotting the spot head on thanks Phil. Mind you I have never had the joy of a tank slapper.... 😂 so as always ill just trust in your experience. I have always felt that like a car, my bike tends to handle better loaded of course as you said equal distribution helps. Thanks again.
On some motorcycles the panniers have a propensity to fall off on viscous bumps (normal road surfaces in a lot of Britain and Europe 😀 ). To fix this you can drill through the plastic support and fit a clevis pin which will lock the pannier in place. Also, it could deter theft. The FJR is one that comes to mind especially if the panniers are frequently removed and replaced - the locking pin is plastic and wears after a bit of use. I'm sure there are other makes and models that will benefit from this "modification".
Having swapped from a Sprint 1050 that mostly had the top box on to a Pan Euro 1300 with the partially built-in panniers and a top box, I'm much preferring the panniers by themselves. The problem with the Sprint was that the OEM luggage was shite and had many problems, plus the panniers stuck out an extra 5 inches past the mirrors and don't even hold much! I've found the Pan awesome for it to be my only transport, as I rarely need anything more than what can be carried in my panniers and I can easily fit a tail pack on there, as I will on my upcoming Wales trip. Not a fan of the top box now, definitely does have a lot of aerodynamic resistance and I have experienced one minor Pan Weave. I can filter, park in tight spaces, carry my books and kit for observing, go to my IAM group's rides with loads of stuff and never lose out on my Masters pace. Out of curiosity, on the RT, you have the radio setup, where did you get that from and do you believe something like this but more simplified would work on a Pan Euro? Many thanks
hi thanks for your comments. I too prefer panniers vs top box. Regarding the RT radio box, its OE BMW kit which I purchased from BMW and some components I found used. I have had a Pan ST1300, ex police bike and this was fitted with a radio box. The design wasn't as useful as the BMW, because BMW opens with a key, whereas the Honda system was screwed down. I believe that there are some retro fit boxes on the market, possibly US based so worth an internet search. All the best
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. My personal view of body worn luggage is that Im not keen. Possibly, though i have no scientific data, a ruck sack might protect your back in an incident; but also it may cause injury depending on contents and if it caused the spine to flex in an inappropriate way or put pressure on other parts of bone structure. Same with other worn items, especially if they could slide around and interfere with control use and balance. I often advise caution about items in pockets too, keys, pens etc could possibly result in puncture wounds in the event of an incident. Worth considering, hope this helps, all the best
Learnt the hard way. After finishing a job in Central London in the '90's I naively loaded up the top box of a CX650 with a way too many tools, pulled away from the lights and promptly sent it straight into a horrific tank slapper, miraculously missing bemused motorists.
I took my V-Strom out with it's full luggage set on yesterday and went off round Horseshoe Pass. Scuffed my car on the way off the drive 😬 - luckily, that wasn't how the ride went on. Handling wasn't drastically different, other road users didn't really behave much differently. They whistle at higher speeds which, once the novelty had worn off, was a bit annoying.
Decent content..thanks. My top tip dor those of us with manual/tool adjustable rear suspension...maybe make a note of desired solo settings &/or adjuster turns.. Adjusters can seize over time also - so maybe worth checking same. P...Have you considered having your panniers on your 2018 R1200RT LE customised to slimline authority spec ? All the best
@AW8 thank you, yes, adjusting suspensions can be an interesting experience, and also confusing for some riders. I did consider authority panniers on the 2018, but decided not to incur the extra expense and spannering! I do ok with the bigger ones, sometimes they offer greater flexibility to carry things over the slim ones which i fitted to my 2013, so good to have a variety. The slim ones are great for doing the training though, touring panniers better for shopping! All the best
@@MotorcyclePWR Understood & makes sense. I am planong to get a Gen1 CB1000RA (abs version). ...I will be sad to see my Hornet go (my 1st big bike - has served & taught me well). I get attached to decent vehicles, (more than one bike not really practical at present) 😑
I’ve just bought a FJR1300 with full luggage and it doesn’t feel any different from my XJR1300. The only thing is cross wind I find that when the wind hits from either side it feels like the front wheel is going to slip out is this normal??
thanks for your question. Nice machines. Faired bikes can have wind resistance which you may feel. I dont know if you have ridden faired bikes before to compare, but I can say that the FJR's I have ridden in the past have not made me feel that. Does the machine handle normally in all other weather conditions?
@@MotorcyclePWR hi thank you for replying I’ve only had the FJR since February and have done 1400 miles so far I’ve had rain and cold weather but only noticed this when the wind comes across if the wind is head on then it’s fine. The previous owner was a blood biker so even though this bike was his own it’s been well maintained.
Hi. I've had two FJR"s to date. My current one is the latest and last generation. I would say firstly, tyre pressures and tyres. Use the GT tyres for heavier bikes, eg: Bridgestone T31 GT or T32 GT Michelin Road 5 or 6GT. Solo riding 39-40psi cold on front and 42-43psi cold on rear. If you have top box and panniers on at same time the top box can catch the wind easily. The FJR is a heavy bike so it's planted on the roads well. Cross winds will affect all bikes and riders to varying degrees. Next check would be steering head bearings, wheel bearings, swingarm bearings and lower relay arm bearings under the rear shock. The rear shock as standard was a weak point on earlier FJR's.
@@FREE_PUREBLOOD333 thank you. It’s going in for a service next week so I’ll mention all that. But I have to say I’ve taken the top box off so just have the side boxes for shopping and it’s not been as bad. Thank you. 👍👍
A very relevant vlog. I'm on a couple of forum pages where people have mentioned their bike being unstable with factory luggage on. This for me can be due to a number of reasons as you mentioned - overloading, poor loading, incorrect suspension adjustment or excess speed. My Tracer 9GT has factory luggage and Yamaha top box. I find that when loaded up if ridden sensibly the bike doesn't behave any differently however you just need to be more aware of the weight when starting and stopping on hills and doing low speed manoeuvres. I clipped a traffic cone last year when filtering in roadworks so if you do have panniers just remember not to cut into gaps too early!
Thanks mate, i always puck up on something new and worth thinking about after watching your videos even after 45years of riding 😂
Just in time! I prepare myself for Scotland 🎉🎉🎉Thank you for your support and tips!
so much to learn riding and owning a bike, yet most just take it for granted, and thats where it could go wrong, a lot dont know how to set preload or oil the chain let alone load the bike correctly.
Thank you for taking the time to make the video about my question on luggage and panniers. Have got used to having the large oem top box on and how it alters the bike, not had the panniers on yet, waited until you made the vid, good points made and food for thought, im sure i will adjust and gain confidence with them on, muchly appreciated
you re very welcome, sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy your riding and all is well with the full luggage, all the best
@@MotorcyclePWR out the weekend enjoying our welsh roads, covered 200 miles in the afternoon through mountains and beach view roads with friends and of course a few bike cafes on route.
Yet again, hotting the spot head on thanks Phil. Mind you I have never had the joy of a tank slapper.... 😂 so as always ill just trust in your experience. I have always felt that like a car, my bike tends to handle better loaded of course as you said equal distribution helps. Thanks again.
On some motorcycles the panniers have a propensity to fall off on viscous bumps (normal road surfaces in a lot of Britain and Europe 😀 ). To fix this you can drill through the plastic support and fit a clevis pin which will lock the pannier in place. Also, it could deter theft.
The FJR is one that comes to mind especially if the panniers are frequently removed and replaced - the locking pin is plastic and wears after a bit of use. I'm sure there are other makes and models that will benefit from this "modification".
Having swapped from a Sprint 1050 that mostly had the top box on to a Pan Euro 1300 with the partially built-in panniers and a top box, I'm much preferring the panniers by themselves. The problem with the Sprint was that the OEM luggage was shite and had many problems, plus the panniers stuck out an extra 5 inches past the mirrors and don't even hold much! I've found the Pan awesome for it to be my only transport, as I rarely need anything more than what can be carried in my panniers and I can easily fit a tail pack on there, as I will on my upcoming Wales trip. Not a fan of the top box now, definitely does have a lot of aerodynamic resistance and I have experienced one minor Pan Weave. I can filter, park in tight spaces, carry my books and kit for observing, go to my IAM group's rides with loads of stuff and never lose out on my Masters pace. Out of curiosity, on the RT, you have the radio setup, where did you get that from and do you believe something like this but more simplified would work on a Pan Euro? Many thanks
hi thanks for your comments. I too prefer panniers vs top box.
Regarding the RT radio box, its OE BMW kit which I purchased from BMW and some components I found used.
I have had a Pan ST1300, ex police bike and this was fitted with a radio box. The design wasn't as useful as the BMW, because BMW opens with a key, whereas the Honda system was screwed down. I believe that there are some retro fit boxes on the market, possibly US based so worth an internet search. All the best
What about riding with a backpack or messenger bag? ….love your videos, always informative.
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated.
My personal view of body worn luggage is that Im not keen. Possibly, though i have no scientific data, a ruck sack might protect your back in an incident; but also it may cause injury depending on contents and if it caused the spine to flex in an inappropriate way or put pressure on other parts of bone structure.
Same with other worn items, especially if they could slide around and interfere with control use and balance.
I often advise caution about items in pockets too, keys, pens etc could possibly result in puncture wounds in the event of an incident. Worth considering, hope this helps, all the best
Learnt the hard way. After finishing a job in Central London in the '90's I naively loaded up the top box of a CX650 with a way too many tools, pulled away from the lights and promptly sent it straight into a horrific tank slapper, miraculously missing bemused motorists.
@Steve Coward thank you for the comment Steve, created an interesting vision for a moment! All the best
I took my V-Strom out with it's full luggage set on yesterday and went off round Horseshoe Pass. Scuffed my car on the way off the drive 😬 - luckily, that wasn't how the ride went on.
Handling wasn't drastically different, other road users didn't really behave much differently.
They whistle at higher speeds which, once the novelty had worn off, was a bit annoying.
Decent content..thanks.
My top tip dor those of us with manual/tool adjustable rear suspension...maybe make a note of desired solo settings &/or adjuster turns.. Adjusters can seize over time also - so maybe worth checking same.
P...Have you considered having your panniers on your 2018 R1200RT LE customised to slimline authority spec ?
All the best
@AW8 thank you, yes, adjusting suspensions can be an interesting experience, and also confusing for some riders.
I did consider authority panniers on the 2018, but decided not to incur the extra expense and spannering! I do ok with the bigger ones, sometimes they offer greater flexibility to carry things over the slim ones which i fitted to my 2013, so good to have a variety.
The slim ones are great for doing the training though, touring panniers better for shopping!
All the best
@@MotorcyclePWR Understood & makes sense. I am planong to get a Gen1 CB1000RA (abs version).
...I will be sad to see my Hornet go (my 1st big bike - has served & taught me well). I get attached to decent vehicles, (more than one bike not really practical at present) 😑
I’ve just bought a FJR1300 with full luggage and it doesn’t feel any different from my XJR1300. The only thing is cross wind I find that when the wind hits from either side it feels like the front wheel is going to slip out is this normal??
thanks for your question. Nice machines. Faired bikes can have wind resistance which you may feel. I dont know if you have ridden faired bikes before to compare, but I can say that the FJR's I have ridden in the past have not made me feel that.
Does the machine handle normally in all other weather conditions?
@@MotorcyclePWR hi thank you for replying I’ve only had the FJR since February and have done 1400 miles so far I’ve had rain and cold weather but only noticed this when the wind comes across if the wind is head on then it’s fine. The previous owner was a blood biker so even though this bike was his own it’s been well maintained.
interesting, I ve not ridden an FJR since 2015 so memory might be rusty. I wonder if its worth asking on any FJR forums / FB groups?
Hi. I've had two FJR"s to date. My current one is the latest and last generation. I would say firstly, tyre pressures and tyres. Use the GT tyres for heavier bikes, eg: Bridgestone T31 GT or T32 GT Michelin Road 5 or 6GT. Solo riding 39-40psi cold on front and 42-43psi cold on rear. If you have top box and panniers on at same time the top box can catch the wind easily. The FJR is a heavy bike so it's planted on the roads well. Cross winds will affect all bikes and riders to varying degrees. Next check would be steering head bearings, wheel bearings, swingarm bearings and lower relay arm bearings under the rear shock. The rear shock as standard was a weak point on earlier FJR's.
@@FREE_PUREBLOOD333 thank you. It’s going in for a service next week so I’ll mention all that. But I have to say I’ve taken the top box off so just have the side boxes for shopping and it’s not been as bad. Thank you. 👍👍