How tough are the Yamaha boxes?

[UK Bloke]

Hi all,
I'm trying to find out how well the Yamaha boxes will survive the bike being laid on its side, do they fold up and the brackets brake or are they ok?
I'm planning on a week of dirt riding and thinking about upgrading the luggage, partly for more storage space and partly if I drop the bike I want the boxes to survive and help protect the bike.
Ta

 

[scott123007]

Well, they're kinda like riding gear,depends how you fall. Some swear by them, some don't. Same bike, different fall, different outcome.

Was that helpful? Didn't think so...

 

[UK Bloke]

Yea valid point, but plastic and metal have different strengths so that got me asking this question

 

[Checkswrecks]

You want to read this:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/yamaha-super-tenere/


I wouldn't re-use them but they stayed shut.

 

[bloodline]

Mine has been dropped on both sides a few times. No issues other than dents in the side of the boxes.

 

[Mark R.]

Hi all,
I'm trying to find out how well the Yamaha boxes will survive the bike being laid on its side, do they fold up and the brackets brake or are they ok?
I'm planning on a week of dirt riding and thinking about upgrading the luggage, partly for more storage space and partly if I drop the bike I want the boxes to survive and help protect the bike.
Ta

Most hard core adv riders opt for soft luggage, as it survives falls without breaking, and without breaking the rider's leg due to contact with the sharp hard edges of hard bags. It certainly protects the bike also.

 

[samps]

I reckon the Yamaha side cases have just the right amount of 'give'. They are hard enough to keep their contents (and make room for me to get my leg out from under the bike) but soft enough to not shatter into shards. The plastic gives, the aluminium gets dented and battle scarred. I am quite happy with them and I keep the locks well greased.....

Samps

 

[Checkswrecks]

Most hard core adv riders opt for soft luggage, as it survives falls without breaking, and without breaking the rider's leg due to contact with the sharp hard edges of hard bags. It certainly protects the bike also.

Yep, I use the top box and a duffel if doing something where the risk of the bike landing on me goes up.
I found that my kayaking dry bags strap to the back easily and cost a lots less than the Wolfman or other bags made specially for motorcycles.

 

[Travex]

Mine's been down in a low speed condition and the (left) pannier was merely scuffed on the black nylon corner material. I'm with Checkwrecks on the kayaking/dry bag approach. If not punctured, they're 100% waterproof. Carry duct tape for patching if you're going to get wild. Additionally, I use Kriega dry bags when going with soft gear.

Having used the oem cases from the start, I can say they haven't let me down in the least. As has been mentioned, keep the locks cleaned & lubed (graphite) and you'd be fine.

 

[Rasher]

The Yamaha ones are also quite narrow and tuck in very well.

I have not crash tested my SW-Motech, but they are much bigger and I would imagine more likely to dig in and trash the mounts in a fall at any real speed, I like them because they are about 30% bigger than the Yamaha stuff, but if riding solo and on dirt a lot I would probably want something slimmer.

So not much help on the Yamaha, but a thumbs down for toutine crashing with the Motech ones ::007:: But a thumbs up if you predominantly stay rubber side down and have a Mrs that likes to bring the kitchen sink ::008::

 

[Buckeroo Brad]

I dropped the bike one day doing a slow crawl through deep gravel. The bags held up better than I thought. I think they will hold up pretty good. They are thicker than my Vetter bags were and I dropped that bike on some pretty hard roads and a few slides in my early days. I like the little suit cases made for them. The cons are that they leak through the unlocking mechanism; they have to be lubricated all the time, or you'll bend the key, and they are a hassle to mount. They aren't as big as I would like them to be, but manageable with a large dry bag. I am thinking of getting the Jesse under seat storage and maybe the tail rack storage for little stuff and tools. I may eventually replace the stock bags with 10" Jesse mainly because I want a larger bag.

 

[Juan]

Some strange observations Brad.

My OEM side cases have seen some pretty heavy rain but they never leaked through the unlocking mechanisms - the inside was always bone dry!

To unlock you need to press the lid down a little because otherwise you'll be trying to turn the key against the pressure of the lid gasket.

Mounting and dismounting should take no more than 5 seconds, when you get used to it of course.

 

[Philistine]

Mine have survived one fall off the stand ::010::, one off in slippery mud at about 20kph : and a loss of the front wheel in a river crossing , the top box mounting plate broke at about 70kph and sent the box flying ??? leaving very minimal scaring, I have to say I'm quite impressed with how well they have handled it all with no tell tail marks to give it away what a lousy rider I am ::008:: ::022::