Hi,
I am thinking about buying some kind of luggage system... I have read the whole thread about panniers for Ten but still can't make up my mind.

First of all, I still cannot decide whether to go with soft luggage or pannier system. Being honest, on my V-strom I had H&B Junior system and I have used it once or twice. Mostly, I travel with one big role on the back, where I can fit my camping gear, clothes and food for 2-3 weeks.

However, I am slowly starting to plan a longer trip to Asia next year (that's why I bought Ten), and was thinking that some panniers could be useful.
And of course in my case, the price of the system plays an important role...

If I go with soft luggage (like Ortlieb) I need a rack, because I have LeoVince pipes. I know that the best racks are OTR and TT (H&B do not work in my case because I have modified license plate holder), but as you know they cost quite a lot (over 200 Euro). That's why I started to look for cheaper version and I have contacted the guys from http://heavyduties.ro/ . In two weeks they will have rack ready for Ten with LeoVinces.

Quote:
Hi Greg,

Our rack for 660 Tenere is a bit diferent the the one in the attached photo. We have been in contact with someone who gave us the measures and it seems the standard one will not fit. I think that in 2-3 weeks we will have available the adjusted rack, at a price of 90 euro.
Please take a look here for some more photos http://www.heavyduties.ro/fgxtz660/xtz660r.html


Best regards, Alex

End of quote.

This seems to be a quite good option for me. And would work great with soft luggage which is good for offroad riding (light, in case of crash go easy on the legs), but maybe not so good security-wise... easy to cut/open/steal...

2nd option would be to go with the alu panniers - cons: heavy, may cause injuries of legs upon tipover (as far as I've read, but never met anyone to whom it actually happened), BUT secure (lockable, for example laptop inside).
Of course the price is higher, but from that heavyduties "company", everything should sum up below 400 Euro, which is quite acceptable. The question is - what about quality? Does anyone of you have any experience with that company?

And finally, from the pictures on their website it looks that their panniers are not completely welded, but pierce riveted (? dunno whether this is a correct term for it ?).
Are welded panniers really so much better in case of crash (anyone with experience ?). ;-)

That's one long post... Thanks for any advice!
Cheers,
Greg