Pannier questions....Tim received extensive feedback from a customer who rode 5,200 miles of dirt roads across America with Happy-Trail panniers. For Tim it was a good experience answer pannier questions and a beneficial exchange. There were many things the customer liked about his panniers. He liked the finished look they gave his bike, found them surprisingly waterproof in the worst of downpours, easy to pack with excellent loading capacity, light ... and great to use as a table when he wanted to stand and eat along the side of the trail!
He also had concerns and pannier questions, and Tim addresses these here:
Q. Panniers shake with the vibration of the bike, a bit too much.
A. This is probably a mounting issue. You might also just have installed the panniers and they are empty. I like to use Gorilla tape on the back of the pannier. This acts as a vibration isolator and it also improves the clamping.
Q. On even, smooth gravel they were quiet but when the trail became rocky, bumpy or just simply tough, the panniers rattled all the time. I kept looking back and down at them afraid they were coming apart.
A. Check the lower pucks. They are designed to take the sheer force, so check that they are tight. Check the SU Rack to make sure the mounting surface is flat. Sounds like the panniers are loose.
Q. It is impossible to oil the drive chain alone: I needed another person because the pannier impeded me from turning the wheel.
A. A center stand is the always the best.
Q. On single tracks the width of the bike with the panniers caused me to hit everything close by.
A. The bottom line is that a loaded Dual Sport does not really belong on a single track, yet even an innocent 2 track can wreak havoc on us with an alligator rock.
Q. If the panniers were not filled to the top, everything inside shook and bounced around, and ended up smeared with a silver film, if not damaged. I had to be careful to add more stuff from my riding partners when the panniers were not full.
A. Powder coating of panniers is the best way to go. The filthy black oxidation is frustrating and messy. I find that using bags to put everything in inside the pannier is the only way to go.
CC
