hard of soft saddlebags?

[Lion_Lady]

Keep in mind that if you ride alone, or ride off road and are more likely to take an occasional spill, hard bags can fall on your legs and cause a lot of pain and damage. I was reading a post on another forum just today about a guy who took a low speed spill in mud and ended up with his leg broken in three places as a result of his panniers hitting his ankle and leg as he went down.

WOA!!! I'm trying to picture how this could happen.

I've heard about hard bags SAVING legs from damage, but never causing damage. That must have been some kind of messy crash. The bike got hit from behind, maybe. OR just the cases got hit and knocked into the rider...

My hard bags are behind the seat (basically at the rear wheel). If I go down, they'll help support the bike's weight OFF my legs. Hard bags are more secure, AND generally water/weatherproff. You can leave stuff in them while you're away from the bike and be confident that everything will still be there when you get back.

P

[Bubba]

You can leave stuff in them while you're away from the bike and be confident that everything will still be there when you get back.

What a false sense of security. If they want anything out of your bag, do you think one tiny lock will stop them. They'll be in there in 2 seconds and leave you with one messed up bag.

Best not to leave anything worth while in your bags so when they get in nothing of importance is lost, if they bother to take anything at all.

[Lion_Lady]

Who's gonna break into a bag if they don't even know that there's anything IN the bag? Same theory as with a bike cover. Won't stop the truly determined, but will make the casual thief look elsewhere.

Sure, NOTHING is 100% theft proof. (I hear that some BMW sidecases can be knocked off the bike to be carried off and opened later ), but out of sight, out of mind.

P

[Bubba]

Who's gonna break into a bag if they don't even know that there's anything IN the bag? Same theory as with a bike cover. Won't stop the truly determined, but will make the casual thief look elsewhere.

Sure, NOTHING is 100% theft proof. (I hear that some BMW sidecases can be knocked off the bike to be carried off and opened later ), but out of sight, out of mind.

P

Last year while waiting for my daughter to come out of a grocery store, a car pulls into the lot. One guy goes into the store to get something while the other three guys start ransaking cars for what ever they could find.
Thats who would would "break into a bag if they don't even know that there's anything IN the bag".
Hope this never happens to you.

[Lion_Lady]

Last year while waiting for my daughter to come out of a grocery store, a car pulls into the lot. One guy goes into the store to get something while the other three guys start ransaking cars for what ever they could find.
Thats who would would "break into a bag if they don't even know that there's anything IN the bag".
Hope this never happens to you.

My guess is those guys weren't BREAKING into cars, just hitting those that were unlocked... did you call the police?

I refuse to live my life under siege. I do what is reasonable FOR ME, and let the rest be as it may. I've got insurance that will cover "stuff" in case of theft.

P

[Brackstone]

From the safety side soft saddle bags come with their own risks. My first set of soft saddlebags came along when I was 15 and I used them for years on many trips and in lots of bad weather. They were starting to look a little worn when a few of us left for a trip to the U.S. in 1998.

I started believing you up until this point. I know your lying cause why would you want to come down here from Canada! Nobody takes trips to the US for bike riding! I've seen some of the images of Canada people around here have posted. It seems like you guys are sitting in the middle of national beauty. Around here (well at least where I'm from) you have to HUNT for that kind of scenery.

Hell the road you wiped out on looks great! If I was sliding down that road I'd still be saying, wow that's a really beautiful sky.

Coming to the US from Canada is like taking Day Trip to Guantanamo for the atmosphere

BTW Wow that's a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly long skid mark, glad you're still with us.

[Bubba]

Last year while waiting for my daughter to come out of a grocery store, a car pulls into the lot. One guy goes into the store to get something while the other three guys start ransaking cars for what ever they could find.
Thats who would would "break into a bag if they don't even know that there's anything IN the bag".
Hope this never happens to you.

My guess is those guys weren't BREAKING into cars, just hitting those that were unlocked... did you call the police?

I refuse to live my life under siege. I do what is reasonable FOR ME, and let the rest be as it may. I've got insurance that will cover "stuff" in case of theft.

P

No one need to "live life under siege" but you should live your life under common sense. If you don't mind the hassle of losing your items, damage to your bike, dealing with an insurance company and generally being pissed off, it's your life. Live it as you choose.
As for me, I don't like the hassle of losing my items, damage to my bike, dealing with my insurance company, not to mention the increase in premiums, or generally being pissed off, so I use common sense and don't advertise that they should try and find what they can't see. I don't leave anything worth the effort to steal and if they do, who cares. It wasn't worth anything anyway. At least I don't have smashed locks as well as smashed bags.
To each his own, as the saying goes.

[High_Side]

I know your lying cause why would you want to come down here from Canada! Nobody takes trips to the US for bike riding! I've seen some of the images of Canada people around here have posted. It seems like you guys are sitting in the middle of national beauty. Around here (well at least where I'm from) you have to HUNT for that kind of scenery.

Hell the road you wiped out on looks great! If I was sliding down that road I'd still be saying, wow that's a really beautiful sky.

Coming to the US from Canada is like taking Day Trip to Guantanamo for the atmosphere

Canada is beautiful but there is good and bad just like the U.S. (but with a hell of a lot less people!). A lot of my shots in my trips and pictures thread (see my signature) are from the U.S. because there is amazing stuff to see there. Eastern Oregon, Colorado, and Wyoming have scenery and riding that is as good or better than anything you find find anywhere. I haven't ridden in your neck of the woods yet so I'll have to take your word for it. On the positive side, you have all the motivation you need to get out to ride the rest of your country and mine!