Givi panniers

XSR with Kappa bags

Here are a couple of pictures of the XSR with the Givi rack together with the Kappa CR601 bags.
I included a picture with the rack alone, without the bags.

After using the bags for some months here are a couple of Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- The bags look really nice with the xsr.
- The bags can unfold giving an extra ~50% more space. They have more than enough space for daily commute and for small 2-3 day trips.
- After a really rainy winter I can say with confidence that they are 100% waterproof.
- The rack + bags costed around 150€, which is extremely cheap when compared with e.g. sw-motech (+500€).
- Build quality is nice.
- The bags include a shoulder strap in case you want to to take the bag with you when you're not riding.

Cons:
- The rack alone looks really ugly, however it's completely hidden when you use the bags.
- Opening and closing the bags is a bit annoying. You have two buckles on the side plus a central buckle. Sometimes I end up taking small things in my pocket just because I don't want to open and close the bag.
- The bags are not locked to the bike, i.e. you don't need a key to take the bag out. And the bags themselves are not lockable. This means you either take the bags with you or you don't keep valuables in the bags when you're not next to the bike.
- I leave my bags on the bike 100% of the time but I get the impression that removing the bags from the rack frequently will cause a lot of stress on the hooks that attach the bags to the rack.

John A said:

Could you please tell me what your reservations are, as this is one combination that I'm thinking of? Might use the Givi side stays.

Other thought is to use Givi's MT501 side cases on the Givi racks.

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I think the SW Motech racks are really the only ones available for the bike that don't look over utilitiarian (or just plain ugly) when bags aren't attached.

As for the Kriegas, they use a pair of single straps (per bag) to both fasten themselves to the rack and to fully close the bag (to keep the top 'flap' in place).
These straps are anchored to the rear of the bag and must first be passed behind a rail on your rack (to prevent the bags from flapping around) and then underneath the bag, finally fastening to the hooks that dangle from the flap at the front.

There are several problems with this.
First, it's unnecessarily fiddly - every time you want to get into the bag, you need to unhook these straps from the hooks at the front, which requires 2 hands, whereas a simple buckle would only need 1.
Further, when the straps are unhooked, they simply fall away and down (as there is no keeper/loop on the bottom of the bag etc.), dangling close to the floor.

This is again a pain as you need to bend down to grab the straps when you want to close the bag up, and, should you be in a hurry or distracted and forget to fasten the straps (easily done, as they are out of sight and the bag will essentially looked fastened at a casual glance, since the flap falls in to its natural position) they will be dangerously close to moving parts!

Overall, some of the design choices for these bags are dreadful and really only suited to touring, where you may only need to get in to the bag a couple of times a day and can take more time and care with the fastening.
Considering these are marketed more as an every-day bag, for use with bikes including those in the more 'form over function' category, they really should have have made some different choices (like separate straps for attaching the racks and for closing the bag with buckles instead of the hooks).

Other minor quibbles are that the bag base is not rigid enough, so if carrying anything dense, the bags' bottom sag.

I have had to (non-permanantly) modify mine to make them more convenient to use (adding buckles, a plastic inner base and strong magnets to retain the straps when unfastened).

Quality of manufacture though is very good, as is the syle (at least when packed - they deflate rather when empty).
I believe that the MT501 bags would be more convenient to use but, imho, they just look wrong - way too feminine and 'refined' for the bike,

Hi Guys,


I have a Givi SR2126 Yamaha XSR700 Luggage Rack, in under one year it has started to rust. My bike is used every week day to get to work and the odd weekend bit of fun. I certainly wouldn't expect a brand new product such as a Givi rack to rust in this amount of time.


Saying that my swing arm is rusting as is a few bolts, corrosion on the water pipes as well. All the Yam bits are getting replaced when I take the bike for the 6000 mile service.


As for Givi, either paint the brand new product you buy to ensure it lasts or look at an alternative.


Let us know what you go for.


Jamie

nightic said:

I think the SW Motech racks are really the only ones available for the bike that don't look over utilitiarian (or just plain ugly) when bags aren't attached.

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nail on head - this is the no.1 reason why i went straight for SW Motech Legend panniers.

Legend LC2 vs Kappa CR601:

Pros:
- The Legend bags look 100% excellent. quality is all the way up there.
- they hold their shape well even with nothing inside.
- mounting/demounting is great. i run with one all the time and then add the 2nd bag when I need to carry more.
- the rack brackets are about as subtle as you can get for a quick release system, realistically.

Cons
- The legend bags are a bit of a fiddle to get in and out of, although you soon get used to it. The centre cinch is the biggest pain because it doesnt tighten/loosen easily like the two side ones.
- they are NOT waterproof, not at all. they are maybe splash proof if you are really careful with the splashes...! They come with waterproof liners which about makes up for it, but then you have to faff around eveen more when opening/closing the bags...
- they dont feel particularly sturdy when loaded with heavy items - i.e. 12 cans of beer in one side makes the rack bracket flex quite a bit. Not dangerously, just enough to make you wonder if you shouldnt have bought as many...
- they are not lockable on the bike. however, if you have imagination and a drill, you can make a padlock work to lock the catch. (also you've then just drilled into your very expensive bags)


I would say (without having used the CR601) that the kappa is probably more practical and value for money than the legend bags.