Oxford 1st soft panniers - fitting

[hongman]

Hi

I got a set of Oxford 1st soft panniers from a bike mag subscription.

They look perfect, not too big, not too small.

The fitment looks straight forward enough - 3 opposing velcro straps, of which the middle one goes under the pillion seat.

Problem is it looks really flimsy, notably the strap closest to my back side keeps sliding off the pillion and onto the rider seat.

Would this cause a problem? Would the forward moving motion keep them pinned back so to speak?

Also, it came with 6 or so shaped stiff cardboard inserts, to help it keep shape. Cant for the life of my figure out where they are supposed to go! Instructions arent great.

Just wondered if anyone had these, any tips on fitment or are they ok as they are.

[yorkie_chris]

Soft panniers are generally quite crap at staying in place when empty.

Stuff them with all the kit you're going to carry, strap them on, wobble them about. If they are still in place and not in the way of your feet, your pillions feet or sat on the exhaust then they're fine!

[hongman]

Thanks YC.

Just for the record, and for future searches, RichT recommended I get a towel or "Oxford Blanket" or something similar to stop the straps rubbing, as it'll likely damage the paintwork - something I hadnt even considered.

[yorkie_chris]

Be right, if you take a pillion her boots will rub the paint anyway.

Tool grip is what you want if you care, rubber mat you normally put in rollcab drawers to stop tools sliding about

[hongman]

No pillion, missus is staying home to look after the sprogs!

[yorkie_chris]

if no pillion why you need panniers? Just bungee everything to the seat

[hongman]

Well, I was looking for a bike subscription anyway, and they came free, so I just thought, what the hell might as well use them!

They'll be used for work as well, to carry bits and bobs. :)

[Dicky Ticker]

As you are solo[no pillion]when I used soft luggage I adjusted the straps so that the bags sat on the rear footpegs and I never had a problem with them moving

[Woz]

RichT recommended I get a towel or "Oxford Blanket" or something similar


Don't pay for the Oxford or Motrax stuff. Go to a cheapo homewares place (The Range, Home Bargains, Instore etc) and you can get the stuff for a quid instead of a tenner.

[hongman]

Don't pay for the Oxford or Motrax stuff. Go to a cheapo homewares place (The Range, Home Bargains, Instore etc) and you can get the stuff for a quid instead of a tenner.

Dont need to tell me that twice, LOL.

I'll be hopefully getting the last of my camping bits this weekend, so I'll load her up and maybe even go for a quick blast with it all on, assuming my bike is back on the road by then.

[Steve_God]

What I do with mine (on top of putting one loop under the seat):
Two bungee cords:
Place each one through the middle triangle of the rear pegs, and hook onto the rings at the front of the panniers - do that for both side and they won't move an inch! :)

[Nick_69]

I tend to tie the ties to the pillion foot pegs and then underneath the back of the bike

[RichT]

Just want to clarify

I have the anti-slip stuff you typically get in a £1 store and generally it is fine. You can see it under my tank bag in the pic. IMO the grade isn't the best however. I had to repair a patch on the rear tail section where my tent took out a bit of the lacquer.

The Oxford Blanket is a heavier grade of the same type of thing, but I wouldn't pay £10 for it, so I wasn't suggesting you do, but certainly look for something to use for this purpose.

I take a pillion fairly often and have never had a problem with boots in the same way YC mentions, but that might just be luck. So one to watch out for.

[yorkie_chris]

Problem we had was I could not get my toes up on the pegs for MYCs feet. But that is with aftermarket rearsets and different pillion pegs too. So not sure that has any relevance for stock SV :-P