Thruxton Another Thruxton 1200 Pannier Option Reassurance Question.

Whilst I am aware that The Thruxton is a cafe racer and does not suit luggage all that well, I occasionally need to carry shoes and shorts (both the British and American versions!) and sunglasses. Yes, I know this is a rare requirement in the UK, but nonetheless, it gives me great pleasure to think that on the occasion that the sun does appear I can remove my four season jacket and trousers and make like I'm in the tropics.

Bare with me chaps....
I like the look of the Triumph canvas bags but am put off by the reviews.
I'm not looking for the ultimate touring kit but something that will hold on to a small amount of luggage for a weekend away would suffice.
I also don't worry too much about the fitting system as I can accept there are necessary aesthetic evils when fitting panniers.

So, my question is whether the Triumph brand nylon bags are up to the job.
Do they mark the paintwork?
Are they simple to remove and replace?
Do the waterproof covers work reasonably well?
Or, should I save up and get the SW-Motech German engineered roll tops in black?
Do the mounting bars fit when the Thruxton has the triumph brand racer tail light set fitted.

Any experience of the use of either of these bags would be of interest.
Has anyone ditched a set of panniers in favour of another brand?

 

My own personal option would be to get the dual seat then use a roll bag. Panniers will require scaffolding attached to the bike and the throw over type might interfere with the shocks or mark the paint.

 

Would one of these suffice, lomo products are definitely water proof.

https://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/dry-bike-tail-bag.html#SID=118

 

I got some sw Motech blaze for my speed twin and quite impressed. Quick and easy to fit and remove. Only downside is the brackets remain in place. Not to obtrusive though.

 

I’ve gone for the dual seat option with a Kreiga US30 on the pillion section...works great and you can attach more bags to it if needed...

 

Thanks for the help folks.
I will do some more research.

 

When I was looking for luggage for my Thruxton R I wanted something fairly small and unobtrusive. Also didn’t really like the idea of mounting rails being left on the bike when I took the luggage off.
In the end I went for these SW Motech bags which have a strap that I was able to install under my seat hump so it can’t be seen.
Only used them a couple of times but very happy with them and they suit my needs perfectly.
Suit the bike as well IMO.

https://www.sw-motech-shop.co.uk/Legend-Gear-saddle-bag-set-Left-LS2-13-5-l-Right-LS1-9-8-l-incl-SLS

 

I'm not keen on strap-ons (ooer missus!).
I have had near misses with straps coming free and bags shifting too close the rear wheel for comfort. I want to know that whatever is attached behind me is solidly secure. Straps also tend to rub paintwork on longer rides which would upset me quite a lot. My precious needs to stay shiny.

 

I'm not keen on strap-ons (ooer missus!).
I have had near misses with straps coming free and bags shifting too close the rear wheel for comfort. I want to know that whatever is attached behind me is solidly secure. Straps also tend to rub paintwork on longer rides which would upset me quite a lot. My precious needs to stay shiny.

 

Thanks doov29 (Is that your real name?!).
Do the straps make closure of the seat difficult?
Do the straps rub the paintwork?
Cooky

 

For me, these look practical but sit at an angle that looks awkward.
Looking for something that looks in keeping with the lines of the bike despite what I said in my opening statement. I lied, I do care about aesthetics!

 

it was a bit fiddly at first to set the strap up under the seat but got it sussed now. My bike has the fender removal kit so not sure how easy it would be if you still have the original rear fender. The way I got it set up didn’t rub the paint at all and I think you get some protective clear plastic with the bags to cover any paintwork if your worried.
You don’t even need to remove the seat to install or remove the bags.
When I was looking into luggage I found a really good thread about SW motech stuff on the triumphrat forum but not sure if it’s allowed to post a link here.

 

Thanks doov29. I too have the fender removal kit and for most fixed panniers it is difficult to find out if they are compatible with the Thruxton once the fender is switched. In fact, it is only by using the Triumph configurator that it becomes apparent that Triumph's own panniers (both canvas and nylon) will only fit with the original bulky fender in place.
It looks like I will be going down the sw-motech route as they seem to be well specced and waterproof enough. The fixed soft panniers may be the answer and I think they still fit with the fender removal kit in situ.
I don't mind the small black bars in place when I'm not using the panniers as they do not look to obvious.
Cheers
CB

 

I also was looking at the fixed ones but found some pictures of them installed they stick out a fair bit and were also at a funny angle.
Didn’t like the look of them at all.

 

On the Motolegends site, they show some attached to an RS with the fender removal kit, which look different and neater than the ones on the sw motec site. Perhaps they have been updated?

 

That’s quite possible. It was a while ago I was looking.
If you search the triumph rat forum for SW motech legend saddlebags, there’s a 4 page thread with some good info and photos.

 

I have them on my 1200R and pretty much fit them on every time I go out (just wip them off for parking in my shed). The chrome frames are unobtrusive and although the way the bags fit on doesn’t look that robust I’ve had no issues and no damage to other bits on the bike. I would not overload them beyond the recommended limit but their really good for day out/short weekend stuff. I’ve never tried the waterproof covers that are supplied in the kit.