Pannier rack that doesn't waste space?

[loggamatt]

Apologies if this has already been asked... am a newbie!  Did a quick search and couldn't find anything though...

So, I'm taking delivery of my new Wee2 soon (hopefully!) and already have a Givi Trekker 52 litre top box and mounting plate to fit when it arrives. Now, I like the idea at some point of getting the Givi Trekker panniers as well, but think two of the 33 litre ones would be too small, and two of the 46 litre ones would make filtering a nightmare.

The obvious solution, of course, would be to have the 33 litre one on the exhaust side, and the 46 litre one on the other side... but bizarrely, from what I can tell by researching online, it seems that the Givi rack is equal width on both sides despite that wasting a load of space on the non-exhaust side :(

Just wondering whether anyone has a pannier solution that doesn't waste space? Would ideally like to have matching Givi Trekker luggage all around, but may have to do something else to get the right balance between luggage capacity and bike width.

[DesertStrom]

Hi there
You could fit the Givi V35 panniers but once you fit the rack you are stuck with them as nothing else will fit  




With the standard rails you can fit many different types & sizes.
From some of the pictures I have seen of the Trekkers they are not quite central!

[loggamatt]

That bottom picture of the Trekkers is very interesting! As you say, certainly seems like I was wrong about the rack being the same width on both sides... from the Givi fitting instructions it looked like it would be.

OK, a bit happier about going the Givi Trekker panniers route now!

Am in my 1st year riding so still getting used to filtering... a bit nervous about trying it with panniers making the bike a lot wider!  

[Juvecu]

From experience it doesn't matter too much if the one side sticks out more than the other if you've got the panniers on. Make sure they are of equal weight, more or less, and you won't even notice it. You can always stick a tool tube or such in the 'wasted space' to make some good use of it.

[greywolf]

You can always stick a tool tube or such in the 'wasted space' to make some good use of it.

Used space, not wasted space.

[loggamatt]

You can always stick a tool tube or such in the 'wasted space' to make some good use of it.

Used space, not wasted space.

A bike mounted rocket launcher?? That really would come in handy! ;-)

Thanks all, food for thought... I'm still in two minds between going the pannier route and making filtering a nightmare, or just using the top box and strapping a roll bag to the pillion seat. Might use both options depending on the situation.

Thanks again!

[mjc506]

nah, it's a JATO pod

[MartinW]

Great picture Greywolf.

I've always been put-off panniers by the gap that would be on the non-exhaust side. But the whole thing looks much more balanced with that tube in the space.

[Birdbrain72]

After seeing the pictures of the fitted trekker boxes I have just ordered a Givi rack along with 33lt and 46lt trekker panniers. Got them from Bykebitz who advised that on my 2012 strom I had to have different pannier sizes. On their site they have a picture of the frame on a 2012 strom with different size trekker boxes.