Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Triumph Slant Panniers?

I've resisted having bags on the bike but have been thinking about it lately. For anyone who has the Triumph Slant ones, are they big enough to actually be useful? I carry around a small T-Bag glove bag for personal stuff, hat, rain jacket, etc. I guess having something there all the time would save a lot of hassle and the bags probably look better than the backrest bag. I ride 2-up a lot and don't want anything real big. I could use some input. Thanks.

Hi
yes i have the Triumph slanted panniers and im very pleased with them, i have had them for just over two years now with no problems. they keep there shape, are hard wearing and look good on the bike just the right size for the america. they would not be large enought for touring but i use mine every day to and from work with waterproof jacket and pants, lunch box and a few other odds and sods inside. at a push i can also fit a jumper and my leather jacket in there has well for my ride home on hot days. that would be about there limet. some say they are not that well made, but i would disagree as i said have been on my bike for over two years, they get washed then the bike does and some leather conditioner after washing (Dubbin) and still look as good as new. i would say these would be what you are looking for.
Hope this will help with your choice.
Herb

I've got the slant leather panniers too. They carry all I need for around town and do stand up well. I've had one snap come loose from the leather top. Would probably be an easy fix but just havn't gotten to it. The down side - overpriced for the quality. there's plenty of other good quality leather and fabric bags out there. One other precaution, if you get them or any bag with the leather yoke across the fender put something like neoprene under the yoke to protect the paint job. The laces will grind into the paint. Ouch!
Lately, I've been considering these...
Tour Master Cortech Saddlabags
Quite a bit cheaper and a little bigger. There's also a matching top bag.

Bob,
I bought the slanted bags new w/ my bike in '03.
I've really enjoyed them, never took them off, and overall have been really pleased with them despite the cost.

Starting to show some wear around the snaps now, and I am thinking of these:

Hard Bags from Brent

If these would have been available when I bought the bike they would be on there now.

I had the Triumph square bags when I bought my bike - they were decent for commuting - not much else. About a year into it, the zippers gave out. Had the zippers fixed, sold them on ebay, and bought a bigger set of bags for less.

I have to concur with everything that's been said about the Triumph slant bags. Mine came with the bike...it's an '02...so they are going on 5 years old now and in very good shape. They are obvioulsy well made, although some say overpriced. I'm not sure if they would be my choice if i was shopping for bags for the first time...but they still might well be the choice I'd make....looks, durability, functionality, can't beat that combo. I too have a T-Bag backrest bag which I only use for longer trips...the slant bags are my mainstay for everyday use.

The advice about protecting your rear fender when using throw-over bags is good advice. Now that my wife has her own bike, I'm converting to solo...removing the bags, backrest, pillion seat, rear hangers, etc and installing a chrome rack. I've discovered that my rear fender is scuffed badly and will need re-painting.

They are overpriced. I got a tear in mine on the top and had to take it to a leather repair shop to repair it. He said fugedaboudit. They are made with what he described as particle board leather. Cheap in his opinion. He made me a new top of real leather for $60.00 dollars.

He told me if I ever wanted some real nice complete new he could make me them for a lot less than what Triumph sells these panniers for.

I guess most of the bags have the leather throw over part. What is the best way to protect the paint? Seems like almost anything pressed on it for long periods causes some damage. I guess the reason I thought about the Triumph bags was not having to worry about getting the right mounts, stand offs, etc.

Kev, at $355 US, perhaps they are overpriced. If I was shopping for bags for the 1st time, I might get better bags cheaper. One of mine has a small tear about 1" on the lid part that doesn't need repairing yet. After 5 years and 20K km and an abundance of use and washings and even overfilling at times, I think they've stood up well all the same. Saddleman bags have a good reputation, yet I know some that have had more trouble with wear than I have had with my Triumph bags.

I have to admit that I haven't ever really shopped around for bags because I've been happy with these.

Yes. Hindsight being 20/20 I woulda bought some other bags knowing what I know now about hardbags and or better more durable throw over bags.

Triumph saddlebags are purses. I have the rectangular ones...in my closet. Use EZ Brackets now with Saddleman Bags (about 3 bills for my current setup). Riding solo and traveling light, the purses are OK. They look good, but are not hide leather. Get some used or buy something else. They are too expensive for what they are to buy new. Have a look see at the hard bags newspeedmaster is selling...Me? I'll stick to my plexiglass reinforced saddlemans.

Appreciate the advice Moe, are the EZ brackets universal or is there a certain model for our bikes? I'll check out all the Saddleman bags. I guess what I really need them for is purses - something always on the bike to keep around town stuff in. I have a backrest bag and sissy bar rack bag I can add for travel. I would really like to know what the inside dimensions of the Triumph bags are.

5" x 11.5" x 8.5". The slant is at 60 degrees.

Thanks, Richard, I was trying to see if my leather jacket could cram in one. It's not a make or break thing - just would be nice. I'm thinking the small panniers would look much better than the T-Bag on my rack. I carry it all the time and it's smaller than one of the saddlebags.

Quote:

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These brackets were fashioned by nobby, modified by dinqua and I would have to say Biker.

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Actually my friend Steve did the weld job on these for Nobbster. Only because he was home that day and Ed was out and about somewhere. They are stainless barbeque forks he cut off and had clamped on the brackets. Steve just welded them instead of having to use the clamps, cleaner.

And to add to what everyone else said, Go with the Easy Brackets, they are slick as snot and the Triumph bags do not appear (all the ones that I have seen) to be made all that well, they are the pressed leather bits, (like leather spam) not solid hide leather. Much better for much less $$ available.

Moe, I think for larger bags the EasyBrackets are the way to go. Clean look with the bags off and you can use bags without any yoke. I think the Triumph bags would work fine for me, as I'd probably leave them on, BUT I'm a lille worried about damaging the paint under the pillion. I'm looking into materials to put under the yoke to protect the paint. I'll also look around for a used set of slants with hardware. I assume when EZ says "with backrest" it comes with longer screws due to the rack (or sissy bar/rack) additional piece.

Actually the screws are the same.....the spacers are different thickness.
You can order them either way. With or without the sissy bar/luggage rack brackets.
An extra set of mounting hardware for the other setup is about $20 from Easy Bracket people.

Bob - Sent you a PM.

I have a set and love them. Plenty big for a weekend getaway. I have a small bag that I pack and it fits just perfectly in them. I have also packed over a dozen cans into each one.

I love mine.

I ended up buying the Triumph Slants as I liked their small size. Coweta Custom Cycles (GA) sells Triumph parts for at least 15% off list. I got them for $300. and no sales tax. The freight was less than the sales tax in Florida would have been.

After getting them, I found an easy way to protect the paint finish from the leather laced yoke. I used a black collapsable huggie that had a thin vinyl outside and soft material inside. I cut the two seams, cut the bottom piece off and had two 4" wide pieces that I then cut lengthwise in half. I trimed the 4 pieces to the exact width of the yoke pieces and attached (hot glue to the thin vinyl side) to the underside of the yoke straps (2 end to end on each strap). It covers the leather and laces and totally protects the rear fender.

They look great - just what I needed.

I have the slant bags from Triumph on my 05 America. In slightly over a year I have had one snap break, (a second is about to) and one bag is developing a rip in the top leather right along the stitching of the seam. I sent an email to the dealer and Triumph, and haven't heard back from either. I suppose they will say they aren't covered on the warranty, etc.etc. Eventually, I'll replace them with something that will last longer. Florida heat, humidity and generally tough weather is probably the problem.

I have the Triumph slanted bags as well and for my day to day use they are just perfect. Having said that, I am looking at getting some larger ones with the ez brackets for longer hauls.

I also decided now that I have the bags, I don't need the tool bag I had mounted between the headers, bottom front of engine. I can keep the tools, rain suit, and whatever in the bags. I think they look fine on the bike and I do like the everyday convenience. Here's a current pic.