Pete - I just got back from a trip through Mexico, Guatemala, and
Belize on a KLR650 with the Happy Trails SU rack and aluminum
panniers. I was very pleased with them. Mine are powdercoated, I
think if you leave them bare aluminum they would get that black
aluminum oxide all over your gear all the time. The one bag did get
scratch when the bike blew over while parked in a Pemex gas station,
but what the heck, battle scars give it character. One of the nice
things about the bags is that you can put a lock on them. So when you
have to walk off and leave the bike, like at a border when you have
to go arrange your permits, or when you stop at a restaurant, you can
lock your stuff up. Tim usually makes the panniers 9" wide, but he
will also do them 7" wide, which is what I got. The narrower bags
were nice when going through large cities like Mexico City and
Guatemala City because you have to be able to cut through traffic,
split lanes, etc. to make any progress at all. If you don't split
lanes with them in Guat City, they'll split lanes with you, so the
narrower bags give you a little better maneuverability in the cities,
and I would guess they also have less drag, which would result in
better gas mileage. I was able to get about 50 mpg most of the time,
even fully loaded. Your chioce of width all depends on how much stuff
you like to carry, but my experience is, how ever much room you've
got, that's how much stuff you'll carry, so having the smaller bags
forces you to learn to travel light. I'm certain that I could live
indefinately on the stuff I have in and on those panniers, along with
my JC Whitney tail trunk and Aerostich tank panniers. Another nice
feature of the panniers is that Tim rivets some little tie-down loops
to the top of the lids, just perfect for threading some one-inch flat
compression straps (the kind you get at camp stores) through, so you
can strap on your tent, sleeping bag, etc., and the lids can still be
opened and closed with the stuff strapped to them. The lids have a
nice rubber seal, too. The bar around the back of the SU rack is
handy when you're moving the bike around, scooting it over, etc., and
I suppose it would also be handy if you are the kind of person that
loads their bike on the back of a truck (God forbid). That's about
all I can think of, soft luggage works too, and is cheaper, but for
what it's worth I'm glad I went with the aluminum Panniers. By the
way - you do have to drill the mounting holes in the panniers to
mount them to the rack. This gives you the option of where you locate
them by a few centimeters fore and aft and up and down. It isn't
difficult, just take your time, and use a helper. I did it by myself
but it would have been half the job with someone else to hold things
while I mark them, etc. Once you get the holes drilled, you just have
to loosen two allen screws on each pannier and they lift right off.
And be careful - when you get a KLR really loaded down in back, it's
a little wheelie prone off the line. I used some Aerostich tank
panniers to shift a little weight forward. Good luck -
I hope this helps.
Kevin - 'twotaildog'
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Pete Wittstruck" wrote:
> I'm interested in ordering the su rack and a set of aluminum
panniers from Happy Trails. I'm interested in hearing from anyone
who has experience with these. Any problems with installation?
Whether or not to have them powder coated? Should I let them chose
the location for the panniers to the rack? Will they fit with the
Big Gun exhaust I've ordered?
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Pete Wittstruck
> A16
> Turlock CA
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]