1050XT Soft luggage

[Stromming2024]

I'm doing a ten day tour from the UK to Portugal late next march and would like some new luggage for my 2021 1050XT.

I have a givvi topbox that I won't be using as I don't like the weight that high.  I've previously used a 70 litre Q Bag/roll bag strapped to the back seat on my VFR1200F but again wasn't keen on the weight that high nor the faf of everything being crammed into one compartment.

What (sub £200) options are there for soft luggage/panniers? 

Has anyone fitted the Cosmo rack and Lomo bags?  Oxford panniers?

Would panniers (it'll only really be clothes and a few essentials, no camping gear) feel worse than the roll bag strapped to the seat or better?

I'll add to this that whilst I've been riding for almost 20 years I've never really used panniers before so don't know how they "feel".  I don't have any room to up the budget so Mosko etc is not going to happen.

Thanks

[Rusty Nuts]

I wouldn't worry about the feel of the loaded top box. It'll still be lighter than a passenger, and not as high up. I've never used soft panniers, but I've had hard plastic ones and aluminium ones. The times you notice them are when you try and walk the bike and catch your heel, when swinging your leg over the seat and catch a pannier or the top box, and squeezing between bollards when you forget the width. (Especially when parking at Ambleside. ) Filtering is less of a problem than you'd imagine, but you do need to remember you've got the luggage there.

[Rixington43]

 
I always leave my top box on but like to have it as close to empty as possible for storing my lid at stops, it usually doubles up for carrying the sort of things I'll need at short notice like waterproof oversuit/gloves, emergency bungees and water and snacks.
With regards bag on seat vs panniers. Width vs balance really.
Yes the bag on the seat will feel slightly less pleasant than panniers lower down and wider apart (assuming they are evenly weighted of course) but you'll stop noticing whichever you choose after very few miles in my experience. If you can fit everything you need in the roll bag then maybe save the money and see how you get on. More storage is great but can lead to feeling the need to use it. At which point it's worse

* Cosmo and Lomo are both reputable brands and I have experience of both, very pleased with the quality and the price.

[Sage]

I've been using a Jofama bag for years, it fits almost every bike and keeps the weight low(ish) but is not as wide as panniers for filtering etc.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146057359985?var=0&&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&siteid=3&campid=5338980692&customid=jkp_Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJMuR6DotB9bubolinJdBc_67VQQTbsX65s5h0QhR4O-00sxnizlPUaArgJEALw_wcB&toolid=10001&mkevt=1&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJMuR6DotB9bubolinJdBc_67VQQTbsX65s5h0QhR4O-00sxnizlPUaArgJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146057359985?var=0&&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&siteid=3&campid=5338980692&customid=jkp_Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJMuR6DotB9bubolinJdBc_67VQQTbsX65s5h0QhR4O-00sxnizlPUaArgJEALw_wcB&toolid=10001&mkevt=1&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJMuR6DotB9bubolinJdBc_67VQQTbsX65s5h0QhR4O-00sxnizlPUaArgJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[porter]

I use home made supports and Givi sport planners on my 2014 1000. Always use a small topbox, 32litre with just the things a need during the day, waterproof 's etc.
  If I was to do it again I'd buy something like the Cosmo supports and some type of dry bag pannier like the Lomo's as my Givi's leak badly even with the covers on!
 Over the years I've used all types, hard luggage is best but expensive and I got fed up with how heavy they make the back of the bike. I only tour once a year so there not worth the money to me.
 Only thing I would say is pick your panniers carefully as the exhaust on the 1000-1050 can touch hence the reason I use sport bike panniers.
 

[Barbel Mick]

If you have room on the back seat then just use a roll bag. If it's for clothes only, then I would also use some stuff sacks to keep the various items separate & easy to select.
If it's your first tour you won't need as much as you may think you need. A few changes of underwear/base layers & any other 'biking' clothes you normally wear. For evenings a couple of 'T' shirts, maybe a spare fleece, trousers/shorts & shoes.
If you leave your top box on you don't have to load it, but it is handy for spare gloves, waterproofs, phone/camera, bottles of water etc.
In my case I have hard panniers, a top box & a pillion. The only time I ever notice any sort of weight is when I'm stationary. Moving & it's the same bike as when I'm on my own, without the luggage.   

[Pannier Down]

Cosmo rack and Oxford P60 panniers. I find this a great set up.

[Phild]

Take a look at the LOMO stuff.

I don’t like using panniers anymore, so I use a Givi Trekker top box and a roll bag on my pillion seat. My 40L Held roll bag will be replaced with a LOMO Vizallo one when they have new stock in, in December. I’ve also got a set of their crash bar bags, but not used them yet.👍

[Stromming2024]

Thanks blokes, some good info there.

Yeah, I've done multiple UK tours before and France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Luxembourg earlier this march. 

I'm a ceoliac, so have to be extremely careful with what I eat - hence the need to be able to pack the odd bits of food in case I can't find anything I can eat. What with that and having to carry different types of gear I think the modular stuff makes more sense. 

[Phild]

Take a look at the short video.👍

https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/vizallo-40l-motorbike-bag/

[mrp192]

I went from topbox and panniers on my Glee to just a big top box on my 1050.
This was purely because of the width and weight involved badly affecting my enjoyment of the ride.
My fully loaded topbox, clothes and tools for a week, comes in at about 16kg (I know that’s more than the limit) and with a bit of preload added to the shock you don’t know it’s there and the bike handles the same.

[Stromming2024]

Thanks all.  I managed to pick up a set of Oxford P50R in blue and P60R in black.  Just trying to judge which is best now.  Must say that the P60s are MASSIVE

[Stromming2024]

P50

[Stromming2024]

Comp of the two

[porter]

Go with the blue one's, that way you'd be able to shorten those pannier rack spacers and bring everything closer to the bike. My home made supports sit much closer than that and never get near the exhaust.
 Ps. Also a celiac here to, it's a right pain when touring!

[mjt57]

I don't know if you folks in the UK can buy Rjays but I have these throwover bags.

Local bike shop had them for $70 AUD (around 35 lbs).

And the bag on top is a Ventura bag which has seen life over 4 bikes since 2004.

[Stromming2024]

That's what I'm leaning to.  The only thing is the bike has these (OEM?) hard pannier supports that when removed don't seem to have a normal cover.

[Gert]

If I may ask, why do you want to remove the OEM pannier supports?
I would have thought that you would opt for some sort of protection to keep the saddle bag further away from the rear wheel, to prevent a possible rear wheel lock up (see the pix below that I copied from the StromTrooper site).

An option perhaps, if you can buy or fabricate something similar to these as advetised in https://www.adventuretech.biz/saddle-bag-guards.html.

[porter]

The infill panels I think can be bought from your dealer. Look up the parts list on Fowler's motorcycles.
 You will need something to hold the panniers out a bit, the right side is not to bad with the exhaust and bracket but the left side really swings in and soft panniers always move about so better safe than sorry.
  I made similar supports that Gert has pointed out in his post above with some pipe and flat plate from B&Q for under 20 quid. But the Cosmo supports do look much neater.

[Stromming2024]

With the OEM (hard luggage?) supports it adds about 1.5/2" of width each side, which when combined with the Cosmo racks, makes the bags stick out further than the bars. 

Luckily, I found out on the Facebook group that you can replace the OEM pannier supports with a sort of blanking plate that comes as standard with the non XT version.  Albeit I'll see if I can cut the oem ones down first so I don't need the spacers (and thus the width) for the Cosmo stuff.

I think the Cosmo racks, modified oem/non xt pannier support blanking plate will give more than enough support for soft bags but also allow me to keep the width within that of the bars.