Luggage

[oldgoat01_imp]

Just an FYI for those still considering luggage options. It has been a long and frustrating path for me on the luggage front. Problem being I have competing needs. First, I need enough space to hold my jacket and I want it to be lockable. Second, I need top loading based on previous unpleasantness of Pelican style/suitcase opening cases. Finally, I want something that I think looks good with the bike. That last one is the killer. I do not like the looks of top cases in general...seems like a small UFO is hovering slightly above and behind the bike, always there, following your every move. Since the Xplorer from Hepco Becker is square it doesn't bother me as much and I did consider that option. I also think wide panniers detract from the look of the bike. Bottom line is I wanted as narrow a profile as possible that would still hold my jacket. Lo and behold I find the Krauser Skyline. Krauser is owned by H-B and makes some of the H-B bags; although H-B changes some of the cosmetics. The H-B Strayker are the same as the Skyline; however, I like the look of the Skyline better. Here it gets interesting. The width of the Strayker is listed at more than 2 inches wider than the Skyline. Per Strayker distributors, the width is correct for the Strayker. Per direct correspondence with Krauser, the width of the Skyline is correct and the H-B catalog is wrong. One dealer even said they measured the Strayker. Given that the cost of these bags with the mounts puts it at about $900, I got gunshy. So, I ended up ordering the c-bow mounts (which is the mount for the skyline and several other H-B bags) And, for now, I went with the H-B streetbags. I'm hoping the bags look OK. Since they are zippered, I can treat them as top opening, they are lockable and lock to the mounts so it has a reasonable level of security. It appears that the c-bow mounts are tighter to the bike than the normal H-B pannier mounts and the bags are narrow but should be large enough to hold my jacket. As you can tell, I'm not enamored with my decision but I figure it may be OK and allows me to upgrade to something else if I want. In any case, they are on order and should be here in the next couple of weeks. So if anyone was thinking about heading down this path, you may want to hold off until I get mine and can post pics and provide a review.