Featured Getting Ready For A Long Ride

LeezRyd
Yes can't beat the hard luggage. The other Sunday coming home from Liverpool we got absolutely saturated. My triumph bags were like paper and everything soaked. The gifts I purchased in Ireland have now gone in the bin. You know I got back to Warwick services and just wanted to dump the bike and get Tracy to pick me up. She brought me dry clothing and a few sugared coffee's and I decided to get the bike home. Then it stopped raining.
Joe

 

The only problem I ever had with soft panniers was not water but heat. I was very careless one day and the right hand pannier got burnt on the exhaust. There was a hole but my wife managed to find some suitable material and stitch things back together. I still have the panniers (Oxford) somewhere in the loft and although I tour on a Yamaha Tracer with hard panniers, the Oxford one's are always there as a back up if needed.
Just in case they ever let in water, which they never did, I always used to wrap my gear in plastic bags anyway.

 

Buying a few stuff sacks might be money well spent. Waterproof and flexible, available in loads of sizes.

 

I use a couple of FT Cargo soft throwovers and an Oxford holdall, both must be 20 yrs old now and never had leakage problems. If heavy rain is forcast with Motorway riding involved I usually do as andypandy has suggested and put everything in plastic bags first for insurance. I've ridden long journeys through torrential rain on the M6 numerous times and never had water get into the luggage. Good waterproof clothing is also essential and while not making the journey pleasurable means you can shrug off even the worst downpours.