Comments on: Enduristan Monsoon review

By: Soft Bag Comparison: Adv Spec Magadan; Enduristan Monsoon, Kriega Overlander - The HUBB

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:11:21 +0000

[...] overland-ready soft baggage has got better than ever lately and in the last few months I’ve used Enduristan Monsoon throwovers in Morocco, been getting into my new Adventure Spec Magadans and had a mate drop by the [...]

By: FS: Enduristan Monsoon throwovers - £90 posted UK - The HUBB

FS: Enduristan Monsoon throwovers - £90 posted UK - The HUBB — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:28:45 +0000

[...] posted UK 30-litre Monsoons, see my HU review here, with a full review and plenty of pix on my www. Used for 4000 miles in Morocco slung over a rack; no burns or cuts, some rock-passing scraps. I [...]

By: Chris S

Chris S — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:50:15 +0000

Good idea those bars – not seen that before. That is all that’s needed to keep a bag out of the wheel on the road, and I suppose they could be used with any throw over. But when you crash or even just fall over that bar will surely fold in or at least bend a bit. One advantage of racks is that they can potentially strengthen unsupported rear sub-frames, making a load-spreading cuboid structure out of a cantilevered beam – something which has benefits whether your baggage is soft or hard.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:11:22 +0000

PS. There's always the thorny problem with soft luggage of the exhaust. I know you could drop your throw-overs on a bike already fitted with luggage racks as you've done but to me that seems a compromise, why weight the bike down with racks designed for aluminium cans? SW Motech seem to have found an elegant solution with their Quick-Lock system. They use a simple support bar, seen here which their bag slides onto, before the straps are put over the saddle. Just a pity the bags that go with them are far more suited to road than off-road.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:50:47 +0000

I too wondered about Kriega’s system. I could see the point of the two bags per side if they quickly and individually detached so that you could leave say your tools and spares on the bike whilst taking off the bag with your clothes and camping gear to take inside your tent, but you have to take the whole plate off which seems to defeat the point. I suppose it does mean you could ditch the plates and just use a single bag as a tail-pack? Also those quick releases are hardly that secure although could be replaced with Quik-lock system skewers, which have a removable lever.
Quite how tough Overboard’s bags would be when sliding down the road I can’t say, but they seem tougher than Ortlieb’s equivalent. The huge roll bag I had strapped on my pillion certainly copied with being dropped on, and the air trapped inside served as a nice cushion keeping the bike off the ground. I hope they can be persuaded to consider the motorcycling market, as indeed Lomo, who also make dry bags which could be tweaked and are even cheaper than Overboard.

By: Waterprrof Soft luggage? - Yamaha FZ6 Forums - International FZ6 Motorcycle Community Forum

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:25:48 +0000

[...] the wolfman e12 with a ortleib drybag strapped on top. this is for my ktm. new enduristan review. Enduristan Monsoon review | Adventure Motorcycling Handbook adventure spec is coming out with new bags. i think you need racks from them. they seem pretty [...]

By: BMW F650 twin tested in Morocco - The HUBB

BMW F650 twin tested in Morocco - The HUBB — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:22:43 +0000

[...] BB, the pans are Enduristan Monsoons, also reviewed on my www. Throwovers over a rack, not clip-ons, but bigger than Orts. I'm also a fan of Ort [...]

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:50:52 +0000

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the review of the moonsoon saddlebags.I was looking at them as a possible buy in the future but was also concerned by the way that they stick out and their durability.I`ve used soft luggage back in the nineties made by gearsack in australia not waterproof ,came with its own bungee straps which eventually broke off but bags themselves lasted a few years so no complaints really.I`ve been using an overboard ninja duffel bag for a while now and its a waterproof rollover,that I`ve used on small trips when its the only bag I bring and also on bigger trips when I combine it with side panniers.Usually if using ferries or parked up for a while I secure it to the rear rack with a pacsafe wire mesh and lock which gives me some peace of mind but thats one downside of soft luggage.Might give the giant loop great basin another look and combine that with the overboard for longer trips if I could keep my hard pannier racks on the bike and fit the giant loop over the seat.Regards Dave

By: Chris S

Chris S — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:29:22 +0000

Hi Mark, I’ve not heard of Cameron Barker but see how they would do the job for weekending.
I also had a close look at the Kriega Overlanders at Excel and have been on at them for years to make some AM panniers up to their high standards. I’m not sure why they went for 2 small bags which strap onto a plate which clamps to a rack. Dom explained it as better organisation/separation but that’s something better done inside one big bag. I suppose the modularity may be appealing in the US where journeys are shorter and those strap-on fuel/water plastic cans are popular. I’d sooner use bags for that. Perhaps two 15L bags make less individual strain? Also, I thought the use of four Q/D cycle ‘skewers’ to clamp the plate to rack looked a bit fiddly when demonstrated to me. You have to lift the lever and unscrew all four of them. I know we’re only talking about seconds, but a quick and foolproof mounting is important when you’re dozey/distracted in the mornings or knackered in the evening. There must be a simpler way to get around Ortlieb’s QL2 patents, if that is the problem. As I said, on a pushbike that system was effortless and stood up to two 1000-km rides on rough roads.
As it happens I’ve name checked Over-Board in the new AMH as a cheaper source to Ortliebs for roll-top duffels. I see there’s a lot of good stuff on there: the OB1026B could be a good pannier liner and the 30-litre OB1047C or cheaper OB1054B backpack could be the basis of a pannier itself. Much depends on how that material copes with sliding down the road under the weight of a moto.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:53:12 +0000

Thanks for the review, I had been considering these but have decided against as for serious travels they don’t as you mention seem up to it and for weekends away I’ve rather save £140, and go for the Cameron Barker roll tops at £65.

I see Kriega are making just the type of thing you mentioned, but with two of their 30 litre bags per side. Looked good at the MCN Excel.

I was also chatting to the people at Overboard, who do waterproof bags and cycle panniers and are looking at the motorbike market. I’ll send them your review so they can pick up ideas.