BLAST FROM THE PAST
Look, what a spanner…
Ortleib soft panniers £n/a adventurebikeshop.co.uk
» Simple throwover panniers are ace. They take loads of stuff, you don’t need a rack and the pillion seat is still usable. I’ve had these for 20 years, they’re still waterproof and all the clips still work. Brilliant. Except Ortleib, now selling exclusively through Touratech, no longer make them. Their current soft panniers are more complicated and require a frame to fit. Other brands are available, but secure them carefully so they don’t droop down onto the exhaust, causing your pants to catch fire. HW
Givi EA120 £64 givi.co.uk
» They’re world-renowned purveyors of luggage and clobber, but I do wish Givi would use more descriptive names instead of endless model codes. This simple, light, semi-rigid tailpack could be the Honest and Effective Bag. I can’t stand faffy kit, and so appreciate its straightforward form, quick-touse rain-beating roll top, and easy straps with D-ring attachment (I can never find enough bungees). They say it holds 15 litres, though one 12-bottle box of Corona Extra just squeezes in. MA
Kriega US-20 Drypack £129 kriega.com
» Kriega’s Drypacks come in many sizes – five to 40 litres – but can also connect to each other using interlocking straps. My two Drypacks have endured 80,000 miles over eight years and are still utterly waterproof. Ridiculous overconfidence in their quality led to the outer fabric tearing near the carrying loop (I was attempting to transport an entire mobile office and photography studio). Yet this hasn’t changed my mind on what is probably the best-engineered piece of motorcycle equipment I own. BL
Oxford Aqua T-70 roll bag £79.99 oxfordproducts.com
» 70 litre capacity may seem like a lot to strap to the back of your bike but when you need to a carry tent, roll mat, sleeping bag, clothes and other paraphernalia then this Aqua roll bag does the job very well. My recent trip to Wales (p130) was a real test but with plenty of points for straps and bungees it attached to the tiny seat of my Monster brilliantly. Waterproof, extra pockets, underseat strap, reflective panels... it has everything I need. PL
‘And so to Silverstone, to witness the best round-in-circles riders on the quickest bikes’