I have the Yamaha stock panniers. Dropped the bike once at standstill, nothing happened to the mount, just some scratches on the black plastic bit. Keys can be way better. Got poured once, and found two drops of water at the bottom of one of the cases. I think there is some gap between the outside alu part and the black plastic part where the water got in. Inside stuff could get dusty, so I used plastic bags to cover the top. I think they will hold up in offroad better than most think because of the design, but yes, the mount is plastic. I too bought them because of its looks (with the minimalistic pannier holder when the panniers are off) and I got a good deal from them.