BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Hi All,


I was fortunate to buy my RT (demonstrator) with panniers and the 49L topbox fitted.  The salesman said he'd taken off the panniers and just used the topbox as it made filtering a little easier and was generally quicker to get things in and out of the topbox.

It sounded reasonable to me, but I have to confess having slightly mixed feelings about the topbox which also has the high level brake light fitted.  I'm just not sure I like the look of it compared to the panniers, and having all three on seems a bit overkill just for regular commuting?


Any thoughts or preferences would be much appreciated. 

Dumb salesman.  Panniers make no difference to filtering and give you snd the bike some protection.  You will also stay a lot cleaner commuting through the winter with them on.  They also add to the bikes presence on the road. Lots of us are not keen on the top box but unless you stuff it full it has little effect on the bike and that brake light is bright.

It will also depend on what you carry. My 'work bag' contains two laptops, all the associated power cables and so on, plus a variety of other clutter. It's fairly heavy. There is also my camera kit, which fills a small rucksack and weights even more. Or my 'SOTA' portable HAM radio setup - another heavy little rucksack. Even if they would fit, I'm very much against putting all that weight on one side of the bike so I prefer the top box to keep it central.

I can also attest to the fact that the panniers make little to no difference when filtering. I thought I would feel more nervous with them there but I honestly haven't noticed.

Paggers wrote: Or my 'SOTA' portable HAM radio setup -

Shouldn't you have a GS for SOTA 

Pagers, did you have that lot in the top box yesterday? That a lot of high up weight.

Hi paulh,
Yes, all 3 luggage pieces are overkill for an average commute. I just use the panniers for my daily commute, and very occasionally use just the top box. I fit all 3 only when I'm off touring as you spread the load fairly evenly with such capacious luggage!.
Despite the panniers width, it doesn't hinder filtering at all.

Got panniers and 49litre top box. Filtering  and high speed handling not an issue, however tend to put heavier items low down in the panniers.

RTman10 wrote: Pagers, did you have that lot in the top box yesterday? That a lot of high up weight.

My medium format camera kit was in the top box so yes, it definitely adds to the top hamper. But I'm going with a comparison against my outgoing GS where I used the same Givi top box and carried the same kit in it. So the real difference for me was the different centre of gravity of the RT. But I won't argue that once it starts to go that extra weight is going to make it harder to catch.

on my 2007 RT the panniers don't make the bike that much wider, but filtering certainly needs more care as when you are moving around cars, eg overtaking a stationary car then immediately pulling in front of it to switch to a different lane, it's easy to catch the rear pannier on the front of the car

I think you might just get some helpful comments on how not to clip cars as you weave through them.

Top Box for me, Just seems more convenient to get my usual stuff out of :-)

Re: Top Box vs Panniers

Hi


The panniers are no wider than the mirrors  but if you are moving anything other than dead straight then the panniers may get much nearer anything you pass. If like me you filter a lot  then you risk catching vehicles.  I usually filter around 3-5 miles each way every working day ( When the M56 closed one morning a few weeks ago I filtered for 11 miles) I fitted city lids to my panniers to make it easier  to pass between lines of vehicles  often through a gap only a few cms wider than my mirrors and then have to move left or right to get past the next pair.


Watch this :-)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b424iGkWe0Q


I do have a top box ( not a BMW one) but I only use it if really needed or carrying a pillion. 

paulh wrote: Hi All,


I was fortunate to buy my RT (demonstrator) with panniers and the 49L topbox fitted.  The salesman said he'd taken off the panniers and just used the topbox as it made filtering a little easier and was generally quicker to get things in and out of the topbox.

It sounded reasonable to me, but I have to confess having slightly mixed feelings about the topbox which also has the high level brake light fitted.  I'm just not sure I like the look of it compared to the panniers, and having all three on seems a bit overkill just for regular commuting?


Any thoughts or preferences would be much appreciated. 

I found filtering round London's North Circular Road in the rush hour impossible with panniers, top-box or just plain nothing. I use a Honda SH300i scooter (with top-box!) instead. There is nowhere on my commute where it is legal to do more than 50 mph, so what on earth do I need the RT for? 
I worked out a long time ago that I can't see the top-box or panniers if I'm looking where I'm going. From this you will be able to discern that I'm a function-over-form person, GS riders even more so I would say.


I only ever have the panniers on the RT when I'm on holiday and need the extra space over the top-box.

 

I found filtering round London's North Circular Road in the rush hour impossible with panniers, top-box or just plain nothing. I 

same here

Thanks folks.


I filter every morning on the A1 southbound between Stamford and Wansford on my way in to Peterborough.  It's an 8 mile stretch and I probably filter for 5/6 miles of it every day and even on the RR it occasionally got a little tight between trucks!

I know I'll be a little less able to filter but the bike is so comfy and I'm not bent forward on my wrists!


My inclination is to go with the panniers and top box for a while and see how I feel. The fact that the panniers also provide a bit of protection for me and the bike, especially during the winter is an important consideration for me.