After much deliberation and procrastination, I finally decided to pull my finger out and replace my five year old Yamaha panniers with 38L Holan Nomada Pro II boxes in my quest for a little more space. It would seem as though, perhaps a little oddly, that the Holan option is not an overly popular one in XT660 circles? In fact, I don’t recall seeing or hearing of anyone with them? So, to help anyone perhaps thinking of aluminium panniers, here are my initial impressions and a few photos…

The Nomada Pro II panniers are quite similar in design and operation to the Touratech Zega Pro; welded main body with a riveted bottom tray, double-function catches that act as hinges but also allow the lid to be removed completely. The main differences are their less curvy appearance, the way the lid seats/seals and the finish options; powder coated or bare aluminium, rather TT’s offering of bare or anodised aluminium.



Having owned, and been pretty happy with, TT Zegas (admittedly not the pro version) on the BMW I once had the misfortune to own, I did look again into the Zega option, this time the Pro, but just couldn’t bring myself to part with such an excessive pile of hard-earned cash for them. I’m also not a huge fan of the lid sealing system on the Zegas, which is/was (I found) nigh-on impossible to get a watertight seal after a knock. The two seal system on the Holan panniers (and some others) allows much more flexibility of movement and doesn’t rely on a millimetre perfect fit. Incidentally, I also considered the G+G Premium boxes, but the catches, hinges and locks looked a bit feeble and the slightly agricultural all riveted construction put me off, although they are anodised and only cost �330 (without rack). ARD cases came into close consideration too, but I do like hinged lids. The ARD case bottom also has a rather sharp edge/lip round the opening to catch things on, and along with racks they were getting more costly than the Holans.



The whole Holan system (rack, mounting kit and locks) came in at �612 including delivery, which took 10 days (the bare aluminium version I think is �40 less). This is massively cheaper than the �900 (if you include the locks) that TT are asking for the Zega Pro 38L system for the XTZ in bare aluminium, and the eye-watering �1060 for the anodised cases. I went for the powder coated version to avoid aluminium oxide residues inside and salt pitting on the outside, and because the matt grey colour they offer is a perfect match for the grey plastics on the T�n�r�!

As to the construction, the Nomada cases themselves are very well put together indeed, belying their cost – tidy welding (perhaps not quite as perfect as TT), clean riveting, high quality catches/tie downs and a thick, blemish free powder coat. The rack appears strong, well braced and neatly welded, but again not quite up to TT standards (but it is �100 cheaper!) The mounting kit is strong and includes bracing for the inside and outside of the case. The locks are a bit pony, but no more so than any other pannier lock I’ve seen including those from Touratech (in fact I’m sure they’re exactly the same as these and the SW-Motech items). There is hole for a padlock should you desire to bolster security further.



Fitting the rack was very straight forward. (Just as well, as there aren’t any instructions!) All the bolt holes lined up and on completion everything was level, straight and symmetrical. The only small problem I found was that the bungee points on the top of the pillion footrest mounts touched the rack’s tubing, so I did have to bend them outwards a couple of mm, but I can’t honestly say this is a fault of the Holan rack because the bike has been down on both sides with the Yamaha panniers fitted (which mount here and take all the strain), so the footrest hangers may not have been perfectly straight and true?



Again, with the pannier mounting kit, there were no instructions! After a bit of head-scratching and a half hour game of chess, slowly moving pieces around into countless positions on the work bench, it eventually all fell into place. A simple template would have been really useful, if not a set of instructions, perhaps even in Polish! However, I did find a really good video on You Tube made by a chap in California who runs through fitting them on his F650GS Dakar. Anyway, to cut a long story short, it all worked out and the cases are rock solid on their mountings and I am more than happy with them.



I am also chuffed I got my calculations as to the width of the Holan setup correct. I wanted a pannier set that was the same as, or narrower than the bars, and it is. Each case is 245mm wide and the overall width on the bike is 940mm, which is 20mm narrower than my standard bars with Barkbusters (the Barkbusters being the widest part). They are slimmer on the bike than the equivalent 38L Zega Pros, mainly because the Holan rack is 430mm wide and the TT rack is 450mm wide.

It is of course early days yet, but overall I’d say the Holan set up is a pretty damn good one, especially when you factor in the cost. They’re not the cheapest (see Heavy Duties of Romania), but then again they aren’t anywhere near the most expensive (see Metal Mule of Cloud Cuckooland), but they are a good quality product that I feel is priced about spot on for what you get. We’ll just wait and see how they fare after a few more miles and a few more falls…



I should also give a big thumbs up for SDoc100 Gel Total Cleaner - never has getting a shiny bike been easier!

__________________

Excellent write up, many thanks for that

Strangely enough my Ten might end up being a straight copy of this because I have been eyeing up all the same mods.....mudguard, TT rear rack, Nomada, tail tidy, Barkbusters etc.

Peas in a pod coz it's black as well!!!

Great write-up, and a good alternate pannier option, I like the price.
Thanks for sharing, seeing them fitted and on the bike helps alot. Looking forward to a follow-up review in a couple month's. They are now on my option list.

__________________

Just discovered today that an open face lid fits inside, well at least my medium shell Airoh lid does - bonus, didn't expect that!

__________________

I am thinking about purcasing a set of these Holan panniers for my Tenere. Any more info about yours by now after some time and experience?

Excellent write up and pics, thanks!!!!

__________________
(Now sold on, sob) 2011 Blue XT660X with gold wheels, was 26,500 km.
Engine mods: K&N Stage 1 filter, DNA Stage 2 filter, snorkel removed, Kev fuel mod fitted.
Plus: smoked Puig screen, Yam aluminium sump guard, Yamaha / Acerbis handguards, Givi Trekker aluminium side cases, Leo Vince X3 cans plus Kev front fork mod and Fender Xtender. Just fitted Michelin Road Pilot 3 tyres.

SOLD the XTX for a Super Ten 1200. And just bought a Raptor 700 so staying on here for some tips....

I've had them eight months now and they're still as good as new. No problems, evrything still works - no leaks, or rattles and the winter road salt has unaffected them.

The racks slightly scratch where the mounting go, but that's an inevitable fact of life. easily touched up though if you were fussy, but it'll end up going the same way in the end. I've tried tape before to stop this before, but it just wears through and the result is the same.

The stickers started to peel off, which I knew they would as the finish is textured, so I removed them. All I'd say is, if you're a fan of stickers on your boxes, then the powder coated version will not be for you!

I've made two additions:

(1) Fitted a Powerlet socket to the left hand box, so I can get power into it from under the seat when required. I've put a Superseal connector on the inside so I can choose from different charging cables, socket and other bits and pieces I've made up.





(2) Put some 3M anti-slip deck tape on the lids, partly to protect the lids from scratches, but mainly to stop stuff strapped to the top slipping about.



All in all, apart from the minor fitting issues mentioned in the OP, I'm well impressed and would thoroughly recommend them.

__________________

Thanks so much for your answer Pleiades. Very useful.

I just have one additional question if you have the time and energy to answer.

I couldnt see from Holans netsite if there are any "quick lock" system between the panniers and the rack. Is it difficult and time consuming to take the boxes off the rack? If youre only going for a short ride or commuting....

Thanks in advance!

Hi Pleiadis,

I wondered if you would help me. I have purchased exactly same Holan II paniers directly from Poland like you really impressed by this article and the finished product. I have fitted the rack and now about to drill the mountings.

Could you possibly describe or take a quick picture to show me where best to drill and mount. I assume you are happy with the position and can passengers still sit ok with the chosen posn?

Was the box mounted at an angle to the frame loop or parallel for example? and how far back forward up and down ?

Mant thanks KTMCAL

I mounted my boxes parallel to the frame hoop's top. I think you'll be able to gauge the positioning from the photos below. Sorry they're a bit rubbish but a did them in rush when I got in from work. Also I should have put the ruler up against the pucks, not the stiffeners! Anyhow, they should give you a rough idea. The way I have them mounted is fine for pillion riders.

The key factor in mounting them is to do the bottom two pucks first. Double-sided tape is a big help with this. Get someone to hold the pannier up to the frame and position as you require, then stick the two pucks in place. Then drill and temporarily mount the pucks (without the stiffening plates as they tend to confuse things). Then the pannier can be lifted back up and will support itself while you stick on the upper two pucks. The rest is self-explanatory.

It is worth noting that you want to get the pucks to fit as tightly as possible inside the hoop when initially mounting as the paint wears on the frames and they will get a tad looser over time.

BTW - All the photos below are of the left hand pannier.

__________________