Hepco Becker "Journey" side panniers

Hello Bandits, Does anyone have Hepco Becker "Journey" side Panniers fitted to their machine thanks?
If so, can you tell me if they will hold your full-face helmet with ease.
Cheers, GG

sorry no i have Givi V35 setup and can fit a medium Shoei XR1100 in them.

Just doing a quick check of the cost, it appears the HB Journey is $580 for the pair, and between $270 and $330 for the mounts - so about $850 to $910 depending on the type of mount.

The Givi V35 is $318 a pair, $128 for the mount, shipping from Italy $100 - $150, all up about $600.

A fair difference in price for the additional 8 litres, but if you're getting them at a better price it might be worth it. They do have a couple of extra features the Givi doesn't, but then again there are some things the Givi has not included on the HB.

Thanks very much fellas. I actually purchased the Hepco Juniors which won't take my medium Shoei helmet so opting to exchange for the slightly bigger "journeys" (2 Litres bigger) but would be nice to know may hat will fit in.
btw Barry, how does the Vario screen work for you. I have one and it doesn't seem to do much for me.
Cheers, GG

The thing with screens is that it is dependent on your height, body type, sitting position etc., a fraction of an inch tends to make the difference between two seemingly identical bikes.

I'm 5'10", the seat is a Corbin that drops me an inch lower, and I've got Renthal medium handlebars. So overall I find the Vario cuts out most of the buffeting I had with the Doublebubble, but I think it causes a little more wind noise. Rode from Canberra to Tassie (less the wet bit) with no dramas, I like it the best of the three screens I've had (original included). At least you get used to how to put a screen on and not loosing those captive rubber nuts.

GGiant wrote:how does the Vario screen work for you. I have one and it doesn't seem to do much for me.
Cheers, GG

My comment on the screen:

I'm 6'3" and the Vario screen is magic. Really stops buffeting at speed - legal speed limit that is

Thought I'd resurrect this post as I'm toying up which hard panniers to get for my new 1250FA. Looked at the V35 Givis and the Kappa equivalent. I've have a pair of the old Krauser 41L hard panniers for touring on my Katana for years and I love them. Shaped like a suitcase, dont stick out too far, waterproof and strong. In fact I've had one fall off a couple of times due to the original locking mechanism at high speed and they got a bit scratched but just clipped back on. I've since updated the locking mechanism with the newer Hepco Becker design.

I like the look of the HBs as they have a suitcase shape so will stand up by themselves. I don't want to put a helmet in them so I don't care about that capability. The mounting rack is removable which is a great feature so that the look is not spoiled too much when you're not using them. A bit more expensive than the Givi but not too much. In fact I think they're cheaper than some of the local Givi suppliers like MCAS.

So there's the 42L Journey, the 30L and 40L Junior and Junior flash. The Journey looks like it makes the bike very wide (not good for lane splitting) so I'm leaning towards the Junior in either 30 or 40L. 

Any comments or experience?

Phil.

lacko wrote:

So there's the 42L Journey, the 30L and 40L Junior and Junior flash. The Journey looks like it makes the bike very wide (not good for lane splitting) so I'm leaning towards the Junior in either 30 or 40L. 

Any comments or experience?

Phil.

I've got E41 Givis', helmet fits with room to spare but I have to be very careful if I want to lane split with them on

I have Givi V35s considering their shape they still stand up by themselves when they are off the bike.
They stick out a bit but I have still lane filtered with them, rarely and very carefully.
They come with an additional lock barrel that can be used on a later model givi topbox so they can be all keyed alike.
With the V35s you can buy inner soft bags, so you can leave the panniers on the bike and just take the bags inside.

Yes you can get a helmet in them.

I have a set of Junior 30li for sale if you want them, had them on my V strom with the evo racks, good quality bags. Was going to put them on the Bandit but as I have a givi top box rack the specific hepco becker racks would not fit so have to go the givi route.

Let me know.

I'm interested. After doing some measurements of my old Krausers I had pretty much settled on the Junior 30L as the Journey and Junior 40L are too wide. They are the same length and width as my old Krausers but not as deep. Guess I'll just have to take less crap with me!

I'll PM you.

I have Junior 40L panniers and a TC40 Journey top case on my 2012 GSX1250FA, all the brackets fitted up perfectly and with the 120L you have plenty of space.
I haven't tried to put a helmet in the panniers but you can fit one in the top case 
They don't seem to affect the handling of the bike - you know they are there but no real surprises even with a bit of cross wind. 
I think the whole set up cost around $1400.
Hope this helps.

The HBecker gear is all excellent quality I reckon. The pannier frames are easy to remove - on and off in seconds. For security the frames  can't be removed when the panniers are locked in place. When the frames are off the bike there is not much of the fitting hardware left attached - just a bit, so the Bandit still looks mostly 'original'. The panniers themselves (42L Journey) are also easily on an off. When on a trip i just remove them like suitcases. They seem to be sealed in the rain pretty well too.

The only down side with them is they are very wide and at max width for a motorcycle (as I recall). While they don't have an integrated look on the bike they still look very nice and add the touring business look to the Bandit. They are super practical and easy to use high quality gear. I would certainly recommend them. Price i reasonable. 


Any of the HB panniers smaller than the "Journey" won't take the Shoei helmut (TZX) I have, that's why I went for them, in black and silver to match the bike. With the 48L topcase (Astra Coocase) and panniers on and loaded there is a balance change and the first round-about can be a 'thrill' if I forget they are there. But on the highway it all runs like a dream and the Bandit feels sweet and great, as usual.


In my opinion the "Junior" looks slightly neater/prettier if fitting a Shoei is not a requirement.


Cheers GG

Thanks guys, I'm buying the "Juniors" from Rod and have just ordered the mounting kit. I also ordered the HB Sports Star 28L seat bag for everyday stuff like wet weathers etc when the panniers aren't on. I like the idea that I can get the bike looking pretty original without too much trouble.

After my first reasonable trip (Sydney Canberra return) my priorities are fixing the seat (what a pain!) and the wind buffetting. Bought a section of lambs wool from a local supplier and some foam from Clark Rubber. I'll let you know how I go. Also gonna order a double bubble screen. Gotta mount the Zumo, the heated handgrips, the cruise control........... things to do!

Phil.

I also have a set of 30lt. Junior Hepco & Becker panniers fitted to my 1250FA & I love em! I first had a set fitted to my CBR1000f for 10 years and had no problems at all in that time.

I really like the idea of being able to remove the mounting frames when not required giving that clean look.

I did however make some modifications to the frames so sat the panniers are 40mm lower & 50mm narrower.

A good quality alternative to Givi.

lacko wrote:After my first reasonable trip (Sydney Canberra return) my priorities are fixing the seat (what a pain!) and the wind buffetting. Bought a section of lambs wool from a local supplier and some foam from Clark Rubber. I'll let you know how I go. Also gonna order a double bubble screen. Gotta mount the Zumo, the heated handgrips, the cruise control........... things to do!

Phil.

Lacko. If your interested, I have a new Powerbronze Double Bubble Airflow screen which I don't want as well as a modified Eagle Screens touring screen for $60 each plus postage.

Thanks Kelpie. I've already ordered the dark tint double bubble. I'm mounting my Zumo 660 under it so the dark tint should make it easier to read in direct sunlight.

Lots to do!

BTW I'd be interested in details of the modifications you did to reposition the Junior panniers. 50mm narrower sounds good.

Phil.

lacko wrote:Thanks Kelpie. I've already ordered the dark tint double bubble. I'm mounting my Zumo 660 under it so the dark tint should make it easier to read in direct sunlight.

Lots to do!

BTW I'd be interested in details of the modifications you did to reposition the Junior panniers. 50mm narrower sounds good.

Phil

Yes, the dark tint does looks the best. Both of those screens I have for sale are and so is the MRA screen I have on now. How are you mounting your Zumo 660 under the screen?

When I get some time (and figure out how to post them here), I'll take some pictures of my panniers & frames to show you how I modified them.

Hi Kelpie, I plan to copy one of the other forum members and use RAM mounts off the top of the dash. I've bought this RAM mount from Jonny Appleseed https://www.ja-gps.com.au/RAM/ram-b-346u/ and then use the standard clamp and RAM bracket that came with the ZUMO. Should fit just under the screen if my calculations are correct.

The Zumo will then be front and center and wont require too much eye movement to see the screen. Also the dark screen should make seeing it in daylight easier. I've mounted my Zumo similar to this on my Katana and I like the position. I've also got another weather cap for the Zumo mount (I've left my original mount on the Katana) and plan to mount a cheap LCD clock on it so when the Zumo is not mounted I have an easy clock to see. Handy for school zones! pity you cant get the clock and the odometer up on the FA screen at the same time.

Phil.

Hi Phil - I looked at a couple of different mounts and postions for my Zumo, including the fluid reservoir mount you intend on using.  I was a bit unsure of the reservoir mount as I thought the weight and stress of the Zumo (I also have the Touratech V2.0 lock) would be too much as I was concerned the strain could strip the threads in the reservoir.  I also found that by moving the GPS too far from my left hand it made it difficult to perform enquires/adjustments to the GPS whilst on the move (some may say that is a bonus    ).  

So my setup is a Motorbike Bar clamp (RAM-B-309-1U), with 2 short Double Clamps (RAM-B-201U-A) and a double Ball Set (RAM-B-230U):





Even though it probably wouldn't work for me, I do like this mounting system (unfortunately I'm not sure where I got this photo from, might have been a Twisted Throtle catalog), though it might be a bit low for what you are after:



And there is also these  handle bar bolt clamps


BTW, the Touratech was purchased mainly to ensure the GPS doesnt come off the mount, I had lost a weather cover when it wasn't fully clipped down one day, I'd be really peeved if the Zumo went bouncing down the road

After I bought my bike 3 years ago and was setting it up for a trip to North Queensland I wanted to get a bike specific GPS and RAM mounts but after paying for the bike a full set of new riding gear for my daughter cash was running out, I eneded up buying a Garmin Nuvi40 on sale for about $100 and this holder for somewhere between $20 and $30 on ebay, I've ridden with it in a couple of torrential storms and the GPS has stayed nice and dry, all up GPS, Holder and a fused wiring loom/socket was under $150 

barry_mcki wrote:Hi Phil - I looked at a couple of different mounts and postions for my Zumo, including the fluid reservoir mount you intend on using.  I was a bit unsure of the reservoir mount as I thought the weight and stress of the Zumo (I also have the Touratech V2.0 lock) would be too much as I was concerned the strain could strip the threads in the reservoir.  I also found that by moving the GPS too far from my left hand it made it difficult to perform enquires/adjustments to the GPS whilst on the move (some may say that is a bonus    ).  

So my setup is a Motorbike Bar clamp (RAM-B-309-1U), with 2 short Double Clamps (RAM-B-201U-A) and a double Ball Set (RAM-B-230U):





Even though it probably wouldn't work for me, I do like this mounting system (unfortunately I'm not sure where I got this photo from, might have been a Twisted Throtle catalog), though it might be a bit low for what you are after:



And there is also these  handle bar bolt clamps


BTW, the Touratech was purchased mainly to ensure the GPS doesnt come off the mount, I had lost a weather cover when it wasn't fully clipped down one day, I'd be really peeved if the Zumo went bouncing down the road

very curious, what is the device on the screen?

It looks more like a 747 than a bandit Barry 

paul wrote:


It looks more like a 747 than a bandit Barry 

The gauges look vaguely familiar 

 

I think some of Barry's controls are used to activate the dog-wash function of the sidecar! Leroy likes a light warm-air dry-off with the onboard hairdryers after his wash.