Brackets for new panniers, Suzuki M50 / M800

Made some brackets for my new panniers today.The reason for doing this is to take the pressure of the zips as the bags are removable.It is a bit of steel welded to make a channel to sit in the pannier cradle.It acts as a buffer sitting inside the cradle taking the weight of the pannier,and so relieving the zip of carrying the weight of the bag and contents.There is a good couple of inches between the exhaust and the bag also with the bracket there is no way it can slip down onto the exhaust.Why the makers don't fit these brackets is beyond belief.The bottom of the channel (bracket) is open in order to still be able to detach the bags by the zip.The panniers are from M&P and seem to be well constructed.

Very good idea Alfie, simple but very well thought out and very effective.

Clever idea that one as we all know how zips can fail and you could potentialy have a lot of weight in the bags

Good job Alfie and Nice looking bags As Crash says you can carry a fair bit of weight in the bags especially over winter, those brackets will carry most of it and take the strain from the zips, Like you say ,why don't the makers supply them ? Because they charge about £25 for some bits of plastic which you've replicated at a fraction of the cost

Alfie how did you actually fit the piece to the rear of the bags?

Drill and screwed into pannier with 1" washer on to take some of the strain,bearing in mind the wieght is on the pannier bracket mainly,this is only for the protection of the zip,plus they also stop the panniers flitting around,saves tieing the shoe lace so to speak.Hope that helps the bracket is actualy a u shape,I am going to make new ones at mt leisure to incorperate a small bar with a hole in,which will be placed under the pannier bracket and placed inside the pannier to accept a small lock,for security reasons only.I will place the plans on here when done,(Got to do something it's boring in the winter).

As already said, great idea & I will look forward to your upgrade.

alfie92 wrote:

(Got to do something it's boring in the winter).

I agree 100%, I have all sorts of ideas to keep me going through the winter. Thank god I have my little haven at the end of the garden to help me get through these miserable winter months.

Nice one Might stop a bit of scuffing as well. I had a pair of leather 'throwover' types where they zipped onto a leather centre panel, and that took the weight by hanging over the rear mudguard/under the passenger seat. But after just one trip to France, there were light scuff marks on the rear mudguard, which I think your brackets would help avoid.

It's so often these simple ideas that make the big differences.

Cheers lads when I said drilled and screwed,I ment drilled and 2nuts and bolts that is were the washers came in,sorry for any confusion.