Soft saddle bags for serious motorcycle travellers
Please contact us if these are required in a hurry, as these are essentially superseded by Avduro Pannierz , we will need to make them for you.
NOTE - When using our Pannier systems on frames other than ours, you will most likely need our Extensions to get the bags a bit further apart.
Andy Strapz®panniers are quite simply the toughest buggers on the market.
Complete with my frame sets the whole package weighs in at around 4 kg! That's less than the weight of one hard box!
Necessity is the mother of invention. Simple and durable motorcycle luggage for the long haul wasn’t something I was prepared to compromise on. Call them saddle bags, throw overs, side bags or panniers, the design of the Expedition Pannierz is now well over 10 years old and really sets the standard for tough and simple motorcycle saddlebags. Proving this, I recently noticed a rival company has copied my pannier design, albeit it with lower-quality materials, and has even given it the same name! I must be doing something right!
The logical idea over a decade ago was to start with the bicycle-pannier concept and give it a roll-top closure. That way, the volume is variable without increasing the width of the bike. The dimensions were determined by the length of an average adult pillion’s thigh. The webbing and strap system needed to be quick and easy to use while spreading the weight across the pillion seat and subframe. The cut ensures there’s nowhere for water to pool on the bag’s structure and the stiffened opening and pleated gusset guarantees an accurate and reliable seal for years to come. There are deliberately no zips to swear at, break or get clogged up with dirt.
Expedition Pannierz include rear securing straps to stop the bags vibrating forwards on rough roads and there’s a hard plastic panel on the inside to give it added strength and rigidity.
Over the years and with the help of user feedback, I have refined the design to make them as tough and easy to use as I can. But in reality, they have changed very little from the original prototype I made. Why didn’t I just opt for hard panniers? I’m glad you asked. Have you ever seen the contents of an alloy box after it has rattled along a bush track for an hour or two? They’re heavy, they pose a leg-injury risk if you crash and they’re virtually impossible to repair on the side of the road. Crash damage to Expedition Pannierz can be fixed in almost any small village anywhere in the world. Quite simply, they’re the toughest little buggers on the market!
Security is the one inescapable downside of soft panniers, but one solution that allows the best of both worlds is the Pacsafe mesh system.
Many bikes will need a simple frame to prevent the bags contacting moving wheels or hot exhausts. As most of the weight of Expedition Pannierz is held across the seat, a frame merely needs to hold the pannier bags out, nothing more. We recommend you buy the pannierz before you build your frames to make sure they fit exactly where you want. But if you can’t be bothered, buy Andy Strapz Framez. After all, they’re made to fit my panniers exactly.
Made in Australia to the highest standards, meeting Military specs, CS12 T/S (tear stop) is 100% Corespun. This ensures that the fabric is suitable for any situation where great strength is required.
Tear Resistance: WARP – 250N, (AS 2001.2.10) and WEFT – 190N via a polyester ripstop thread
Breaking Force: WARP – 3200N, (AS 2001.2.3) and WEFT – 2870N
Hydrostatic Head: 800mm min, (AS 2001.2.17)
Unlike coated fabrics after weaving the thread into cloth our supplier immerses it in their chemical formula and then squeeze it through the actual threads deep into the fabric. This makes it waterproof and breathable. Specially treated to resist mold and mildew.
Corespun
A traditional canvas thread comprises of a blend of fibres which can be all cotton or a mixture of polyester and cotton or just polyester which are grouped and spun together to create a single thread, which is then woven into a canvas. Corespun canvas is a much more complex process. Each thread consists of a strong centre core of polyester, which is then tightly entwined in a 100% cotton outer layer. This creates a very strong dense fabric that is considerably lighter and stronger, which achieves the better performance than a much heavier traditional canvas otherwise would. Some companies are known to just put a corespun thread in the tears top lines and call it a corespun fabric whereas a true corespun is where all the threads including the tear stop one are corespun . Defence Forces usually only specify the 100% corespun fabrics because of the strength and performance capabilities of these fabrics
Ive had these now for over a year and would never get anything else. They are really easy to manage, keep things dry and with the inserts you have an easy way to unpack if you are going to be away from the bike overnight. I recently found an added bonus ...... on a trip away I dropped the bike twice while crossing a couple of rivers. With the panniers the bike was held up out of the water enough for there to have been no water damage to the bike, p,us
I've got the Expedition Pannierz for my suzuki dr 650 and are absolutely amazing! I can use them both for everyday ride and for long trip because they have a closing system that allows you to use all the space and load them with a lot of stuff. Are extremely robust and very well finished. They are really 100% water proof and also after a heavy rain the tissue dries immediately! Money well spent and a real value for money. Andy is a nice guy and is very helpful.
G'day Andy, We've been busy beating the crap out of your kit for the past 7 month and have to say that your stuff is not just tough it's AFRICA tough! So much stuff has failed to take the abuse over here but your A Bagz, Expedition Pannierz and Avduro Pannierz have been holding it all together from the bottom of Africa now to the top!
I have been using these bags since 2007, I had them on my KLR, then I ran a giant loop set up on my Huskey TE630, I am now going back to your bags as there just a better option, And I am not shy on telling everyone I know, Thanks for making a great product, 10 years old and they have a few trips left in them yet, Very happy.
Have had these for a couple of years now and am very impressed. Being multi fit we can transfer between bikes and also use as carry on with Jetstar when we visit OS and plan on hiring a bike. Water resistant and carries heaps. Just ordered the Tank Pannierz based no how good these are
I've had my Expedition Pannierz for nearly ten years now and cannot fault them. They've never let me down despite a couple of falls on my 2008 R1200GS. I've had them in some mighty heavy rain too and yet all items inside were nicely dry. I like the way I can transfer them to other bikes too, provided I have some form of frame on the side to ensure they stay clear of the rear wheel, exhaust and such like. What I have found useful too, is to find a couple of cheap 20L plastic water containers, which are a snug fit to the Pannierz, which I then basically cut in half and shove the bottom halves down into the Pannierz. Just makes it easier to load items into the Pannierz on the bike. I would well recommend this product to any rider looking for a cheaper, durable, quality, alternative to the (usually) hugely expensive, bespoke OEM product.
Your original panniers have been going strong since 2009 and over 50,000 km. This will be the third bike they will go on :)
I’ve had my Expedition Panniers for nearly ten years, they have been on three different bikes, now on my R1200gsa. I’ve slowly converted all my mates over to your Panniers, because they seen how well they worked for me. I’ve never had anything wet, never had any issues. The panniers nearly live on my bike all the time, when commuting to work. A great Australian product!
