The thought of spending over $1k for the BMW panniers (that aren’t even water proof) is totally absurd to me. Other aftermarket options add up to >$700+ by the time you buy the special F800 adapter frame for them. I guess I just couldn’t justify such expense for something that will only get put on the bike a few times a year.
Soft bags can be had for very reasonable prices, but, the attachment straps are questionably secure and the paint abrasion/scratching from the bags moving with the bumps and wind is totally unacceptable. This left me with just one other option — spend some time build my own pannier racks to hold soft bags.
I found some waterproof Ortlieb saddle bags rated at 47L. It has a “drybag” style roll top, and semi rigid plastic shell on 4 sides. The fabric is heavy rubberized material — definitely waterproof.
First a shot of the finished product.
The frame is constructed from 1/8″ aluminum stock. Each side bolts using 2 bolts: the bolt in the side of the factory luggage rack to support the factory panniers and one bolt that holds a bracket around the lower luggage rack support.
Here’s the upper bolt attachment. Note that the bolt goes through from the inside the bag, through the internal support frame and into the luggage rack. The three small bolts attach the square stiffener tube a piece of flat stock that makes up the internal framework (not removed when the bags are removed).
The primary part of the lower attachment is 2 pieces of 1.5″ angle stock bolted together to make an upside-down “U” shaped piece. One face of the “U” bolts to the inside of the pannier, and the other side of the “U” is used to attach to the lower luggage rack. The “U” is wider at the front and narrow at the back in order to define the angle that keeps the bag from rubbing on the plastic under the saddle and to keep it from rubbing on the upper luggage rack at the rear. Not that this angle means the total width of the panniers is widest at the front, and narrower at the rear — which is fine with me as it keeps the weight hugged in as close to the center of the bike as possible. (please overlook my chicken strips 
)
The lower luggage rack attachment was the most challenging part of the design and I ended up throwing out the prototype and doing a second design here. The square tube is pop riveted to the inner face of the inner “U” shape and it supports the weight of the bags by resting on the top of the factory luggage frame. Note that the pop rivets only hold things together when it’s detached — the attachment bolt is the primary fastener for strength. Then, another piece angle stock is bolted to the inside of the square tube to capture the factory luggage frame on all sides.
And another angle of the lower luggage frame attachment point:
A wider shot of the lower attachment point. Note that the bit of angle stock hanging down is a heat shield to keep the heat of the muffler off the bag.
And, here’s another shot giving a good reference to the clearances to the luggage rack and the side plastic under the saddle.
Not shown is the fact that the upper & lower exterior frames are connected by means of a piece of flat stock on the inside of the bag connecting to 2 vertical pieces of angle stock at the front and back corners of the bag (all on the inside). This adds total rigidity to the system. There are no other straps/velcro needed to hold the bags on the bike — only the 2 bolts mentioned above.
So far, I’ve had them overloaded for an 1100 mile trip there’s been no issues.
Admittedly, it’s a bit hard to get all the details from the photos. If someone really plans on duplicating this work, I can come up with a cut-list and more detailed photos. It was a fun project needing nothing more than a drill, hack saw (I used a sawsall), a file and some patience. All totalled up I have less than $200 in the bags and materials.
john July 2, 2009
