Max gear weight for soft pannier

[brownie0486]

Does anyone take any notice of the really low limits put on their bags by BMW.?

The limits are there to limit liability, both in terms of what the panniers themselves can take, the rear subframe which takes the load and the effect that carrying 45kgs on the back of your bike might have on handling and especially high speed stability.

I would guess that 2x whatever Bmw specify is probably ok

On the last trip with eduristan panniers I was carrying about 32kgs, with 15 in the panniers, another 15 in a big bag across the rear rack and the rest in a tank bag. That’s with full camping and cooking kit.


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On my trip to Ak. last year, I couldn't get more than 17#'s each into the varios anyway.

[brownie0486]

Have you asked the manufacturer themselves what they recommend? As with everything with this passion, there are so many variables!

Don't forget the weight of hard panniers themselves hanging off a rack on what is essentially a couple of short bolts or lugs when looking at their weight capacities.

Also, I'd think something like an over the saddle bag would have a significantly higher rating than strap-on (careful)ones as the straps would be keeping things in place rather than literally holding them on. Likewise, the Kreiga OS range seem to be fitted tighter, with less movement and are shown as 32L with additional Kriega bags on top.

To actually give an answer to your question, I've had in the region of 10-12kg per 20L pannier in very budget ones that have the 3 straps going over/under the seat.
My personal guideline is half the capacity for a safe weight (each pannier 20L / 2 = 10kg each pannier.

Waiting for a reply email from them at this time.

[frenchy3]

Over the years i have drastically reduced the amount of gear i carry on the bike through experience of what i have used and what comes along for the ride. Because i require a full hammock camping set up with petrol stove,cooking gear,food,cold weather gear and water it can be a bit on the heavy side but no more than 20-30kg. When you look at some bikes the limiting factor is the strength of the subframe so i keep the tail pack that is strapped to the rack below 5kg. My soft bags which i pack with equal weight in both sides sits on the rear of the seat so impact to the rear of the subframe is minimised. Unless you are carrying depleted Uranium or a load of divers belts in the pannier you can generally assume that anything you can fit in the panniers will not exceed a recommended safe load if indeed one exists.

[brownie0486]

Over the years i have drastically reduced the amount of gear i carry on the bike through experience of what i have used and what comes along for the ride. Because i require a full hammock camping set up with petrol stove,cooking gear,food,cold weather gear and water it can be a bit on the heavy side but no more than 20-30kg. When you look at some bikes the limiting factor is the strength of the subframe so i keep the tail pack that is strapped to the rack below 5kg. My soft bags which i pack with equal weight in both sides sits on the rear of the seat so impact to the rear of the subframe is minimised. Unless you are carrying depleted Uranium or a load of divers belts in the pannier you can generally assume that anything you can fit in the panniers will not exceed a recommended safe load if indeed one exists.

LR replied with the following:

"30 pounds/bag is ok for MotoBags. We tested them with around 60 pounds/bag, though we do not recommend going much over 30 pounds/bag. Please let me know if you have more questions."

Which means I can move the blue bag contents to the saddlebags and reduce the drag and center of gravity on the next long haul trip.

[prg4967]

Another thing to consider is the overall weight that a bike can carry...with a pillion and loaded with luggage it’s easy to come close to these limits..


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[brownie0486]

Another thing to consider is the overall weight that a bike can carry...with a pillion and loaded with luggage it’s easy to come close to these limits..


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I've worked up the numbers for mine in US pounds

Max weight = 992
Left bag=30
right bag=30
racks=22
me=180
passenger=125
bike=525
camping gear=23
_____________________________________________
935 pounds total. If I'm solo, only 810. Give or take another 20 pounds leeway just to be safe and I'm still below max weight. I knew I was near max last summer on the trip to Ak.. Bike handled superbly for 8K miles in 19 days including up the Dalton to the arctic circle and back on dirt. Being able to go from max 44#'s in the Varios to 60#'s in the Lone Riders gets rid of the blue dry bag in that photo.