Tailpack or panniers?

Which is best? I have not seen this discussion this year but looking
around I have found Oxford humpback panniers for £50 and humpback
tailpack for £40. The Sports tailpack is also £40 but bigger than the
humpback.

I am off to France in April for a mates wedding, near Lyon. Planning for
5 days total trip from Portsmouth to Le Havre overnight and then going
via Limoges. Its my first bit of foreign riding although I have driven
cars to Germany a couple of times.

 

Panniers, every time. Puts the weight in the right place, more capacity,
and less danger of them swinging off the seat and into the rear wheel,
as has happened to several people, including one poster here.

Make sure you use loads of bungees to hold them on, if they're
throw-overs.

 

If you can get away with it stuff everything into a tankbag so you can rest
your chin on the long boring bits/slow town bits.

 

Beelzebub says...

Agreed, I've never had a problem with a properly secured tailpack. I've
got panniers as well, but don't use them as often. I'd go for the Sports
tailpack, as it offers the extra room should you need it.

 

For me, the biggest tank bag for 'most' of my gear abd then if I really
need more space, it's a tail pack - mostly because I can't fit
throw-overs, but also because if properly secured a tailpack makes a
nice back rest for those dull/traffic-y moments. Of course these are no
good if you want to take a pillion at the same time.

 

Rufus T Firefly emerged from their own little world to say

I've got both as I acquired a smallish tailpack for nowt.

For a 5 day trip I'd use tailpack and tankbag. For a week or longer I'd
probably fit the fabric panniers and keep the tankbag free for spare
gloves, waterproofs, snacks, maps etc.

As others have mentioned, the tailpack has the advantage as it does not add
to the width of the bike.

 

Oxford Panniers. Dogs nads. (Thanks to WavyDavy). Get yerself a tank
bag too. A Bagster is highly recommended.

Stay away from Frank Thomas Panniers ass they're shite.

 

Aye not too bad I have not ridden it for months so I was thinking of
selling it (was going to email you ;-) but then I got the invite to this
wedding and a call from another mate (gixxer 750) and thence a plan was
formed. I am soooo looking forward to it.

 

I remember some debate from different camps, I see there is no one
answer (as in all of life) So I will probably go for the Sports tailpack
- stocks only in yellow so it'll be nice and visible!
Ta.

 

Noted advice.

Busy at work at the moment and there is not a lot on the work NGs.
Hows life down south so far? Enjoying the move?

 

Rufus T Firefly says...

Forest Edge Retail in Leicestershire do shitloads of Oxford stuff cheap,
I'm sure they'll have a black or blue one to suit your 9R

 

Lozzo wrote

I went HG a month back with the specific intention of buying a bigger
tank bag and picked up this Sports Tail pack thing by mistake. I
thought it was wonderful, at first, with all its expansions and extra
pockets and places to put stuff and frankly disappointed after being
told that the reason there was no magnets was not that it was "little
more that a cheap fucking retailers trick to get more money out of us
long suffering bikers" but instead one of the aforementioned tail pack
bags and didn't come with magnets as it bungied/stapped on and whether
she did or not was something I would be unlikely ever find out. So it
wasn't an actual no then which is a step in the right direction at
least.

 

steve auvache says...

What's your point?

 

Lozzo wrote

The tail bags seem to have more things to play with than the tank bags.

 

steve auvache says...

Which can only be a good thing, surely?

 

Lozzo wrote

I don't see it that way. You can hardly be seen to have a rummage in
your tail pack at the traffic lights and keep any measure of decorum can
you. At least when you are getting the flask of tea out of a tank bag
you can do it with a swift efficiency that impresses any beholders.

 

Don't they just, I've just purchased a tailpack for £15.00, and got
some panniers for £26.00 a couple of weeks ago.

--
Lesley
CBR600FW
SBS#11 (with oak-leaf cluster)
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18
Real burds don't take hormones, they rage naturally

 

Paging Ballistic...

 

steve auvache says...

Real men use roadside tea-wagons.

 

JackH says...

Some folk just don't know how to use bungees.