Hi all, looking at buying my first XTZ. Hoping to do some decent long trips on it and wondering what is the best luggage option. Do I go for the genuine Yamaha units, the Touretech's or is there other options?
Any ideas?

Also, how bad does the luggage effect two up capability regarding comfort for passenger?

Allo mate,

have a look around in here - there's a thread titled something like 'tenere luggage- real world reviews' in there you'll find quite a bit of info from folks who have luggage of varying budgets - all the way from home made boxes and frames (myself included) up to the most spendy of the TT types.

there's plenty of info in past threads if you get jiggy with the 'search' tab at the top of the page.

welcome on board BTW, i hope your bike aint rusty just yet....
Pete

I've got the Yamaha tenere panniers and I would say that they are fairly small so could limit it to rider only if touring. Ie if going two-up I'd look at the larger spec ones like Darrens TTs. However the yamaha ones are great for commute use as they are fairly narrow so sliping between cars is only slightly reduced compared to riding naked (that is without panniers)
So they work for me .
PS the locks seem fiddly but once you know how to and take care they work ok.

It depends if you like to travel light or are more of a "The Grapes of Wrath" kind of guy. I have the OEM and no passengers have complained. They are too clumsy for 1-up traveling and offroading and I never use them, so mine are for sale. *hint*

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I have the trax ones, very good except the cheap keylock, I have done some light offroad too w/o problems.




have fun,

j.

I've had the OEM ones, and used them through more miles than I care to remember, I had them overloaded and they suffered a couple of 'off's' but still managed to complete 8000 miles around Europe without fault.

When I got back to blighty, I noticed a small stress fracture in one of the boxes (the one I fell against) and Yamaha replaced - I don't know how they did that, but they did and I didn't question it.

I did find them a litle on the small side to carry everything, and they wouldn't survive multiple falls - such as desert riding, or serious off road. They lack a rear stay, but for a mininal amount of cost and effort you could make something to do that job.

I never had any problems with the locks, I believe that people have problems because of poor PDI and poor maintenance, followed by a lack of respect for plastic fittings. Mine worked faultlessly.

However, I now have a set of Touratech Zega Pro's



These are not the kind of box you'd use for everyday use. They come in at the same width as the bars, so filtering is a bit hairy! They are however built to last, light and make comfortable seats!

The frame is a bit ugly when the boxes are off, but it does make for a very good rear 'crash bar', and is as strong as they come!

The inside of the mounting frame gives enough space to fit a couple of tool tubs for the really long range trips. Watch this space!

On balance, if you want to commute, and carry your books/files/laptop/lunch then the OEM ones are just the job, narrow, good looks, waterproof (to a point) easy to fit and remove, and the mounting frames don't upset the lines of the bike. If you want to do some serious travel - the OEM ones will do it, but you should consider something a little more robust, such as the SW or TT - Metal Mule have priced themselves out of the market on this though.

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