Lots of folks, myself included have the Pelican IM 2600 cases as panniers. They are about 35 liters a side. I have had them on from day one (I have a nuclear bike, July 2011 delivery), they have served me well and so far have been bomb proof. AND BONUS, they're cheap! After I retired and was able to take longer rides covering more ground and more climates I found I wanted something bigger. So last year a scooped a set of 45L SW-Motech aluminum Trax boxes. Size good, but they are top open hinged on one end. With the huge Givi (great big roundish thing, 52L?) top case and the dry bag full of camping gear tied on, you cant get them open. So they are on the way to an ADVRider inmate in Utah and I am off on a grand experiment.
I like what I have for most everything except extended rides encompassing multiple climates. And I recognize I take too much shit. There's guys doing RTW with less stuff. I have worked on culling, getting smaller stuff etc. Fact remains I am not a small man. My clothing is bigger, my sleeping bag is bigger etc. And I would love to ditch the dry bag full of the camping stuff tied across the pillion.
So I went googling and decided on the Pelican IM 2700. 49 liters, 4 latches but no wheels. Slightly larger than the 2600 in all dimensions. I have the Twisted Throttle adapters on SW-Motech racks. They have discontinued their universal mount kit, so if you have them do not break anything! I really want the same mounts as I want to keep the 35L 2600 cases for routine use. If it aint a simple swap it wont happen. So tomorrow I am meeting with a fabricator buddy and former colleague that has access to a 5 axis laser, multiple press brakes tig etc. I am hopeful he can fab me up a couple duplicate mounts. If he cannot do this, I will resort to the Caribou mount kit and probably sell the 2600's.
If this all works out I will post up some pics. If I mount the cases with the bottoms in about the same position as the 2600's the top of the case will be about even with the pillion and the rear rack. In my ideal world I get all my shit into the side cases, leaving that huge top case for adding removing layers of gear and having room for groceries when camping. And all of this is unfolding now cuz I am FINALLY going to Alaska! Gear to cover from 100+ degrees on the plains down to freezing or sub freezing temps in the mountains.
If successful, I will post up pics of both sets of cases. I hope this works. The couple extra inches of dimension will let me fit the tent poles, my camp chair etc.
Stay tuned...
I like what I have for most everything except extended rides encompassing multiple climates. And I recognize I take too much shit. There's guys doing RTW with less stuff. I have worked on culling, getting smaller stuff etc. Fact remains I am not a small man. My clothing is bigger, my sleeping bag is bigger etc. And I would love to ditch the dry bag full of the camping stuff tied across the pillion.
So I went googling and decided on the Pelican IM 2700. 49 liters, 4 latches but no wheels. Slightly larger than the 2600 in all dimensions. I have the Twisted Throttle adapters on SW-Motech racks. They have discontinued their universal mount kit, so if you have them do not break anything! I really want the same mounts as I want to keep the 35L 2600 cases for routine use. If it aint a simple swap it wont happen. So tomorrow I am meeting with a fabricator buddy and former colleague that has access to a 5 axis laser, multiple press brakes tig etc. I am hopeful he can fab me up a couple duplicate mounts. If he cannot do this, I will resort to the Caribou mount kit and probably sell the 2600's.
If this all works out I will post up some pics. If I mount the cases with the bottoms in about the same position as the 2600's the top of the case will be about even with the pillion and the rear rack. In my ideal world I get all my shit into the side cases, leaving that huge top case for adding removing layers of gear and having room for groceries when camping. And all of this is unfolding now cuz I am FINALLY going to Alaska! Gear to cover from 100+ degrees on the plains down to freezing or sub freezing temps in the mountains.
If successful, I will post up pics of both sets of cases. I hope this works. The couple extra inches of dimension will let me fit the tent poles, my camp chair etc.
Stay tuned...