Which Sidecase Liner for the R1200RT (2014)?

[Mike]

Which ones do you recommend? I've had past experiences with RKA and Kathy's liners and they've been of good quality. The BMW Motorrad liners for the RT look nicer (IMHO), but the photos I've seen suggest that they may not fully fill the sidecases, losing a bit of potential capacity. Is that in fact true?

 

What's your recommendation?

[reg26]

Can't comment on the brands you mentioned but I bought the Cee Bailey's for my 2015RT . The price was very reasonable and when fully packed they are a good fit and there is no room left in the side case so no wasted room

[realshelby]

I studied on all the choices when I got my new RT. Ended up with Cee Baileys 3 piece set. Couldn't be happier with quality and function. They are liners that will be used occasionally. Couldn't see spending a fortune on something like that.

 

They must not be kept in stock, took a while to get them.

[Skywagon]

I had Cee Bailey on 1150RT. I moved them to the 2014RT and they look and work great even though not the same type bag i.e. 1150 vs 1200. Mine are now 10 years old and still look and function like new.

[strataj]

Mike, I'm using my H2W's bags from my 02R1050RT, if you don't have to have new they work great.

 

Jay

[powwow]

I'm another very satisfied customer of the Cee Bailey bags for my 2015 RT. I looked at a few others, but felt the Cee Bailey bags were made from heavier and more durable material.

[narcosis]

Cee Bailey's here too. Good quality and fits well.

[HuskerMark]

I went with Kathys and they have been terrific for my wife and I 2 up, or loading up top case liner with camping gear and panniers with clothes etc. simple cordura soft bags, can't comment on the others other than I looked at them and chose the Kathys

[moshe_levy]

Cee Bailey's! Absolutely cannot beat the quality and features for the price, plus made in USA.

 

-MKL

[Mike]

Looks like the votes are heavily in favor of Cee Bailey's. It appears that their R1200RT liner is the same for all generations of that model; is that correct?

[Sailorlite]

The beauty of the genuine BMW liners is that they offer some structure when not filled. Cee Bailey's and others are the floppy sack type. IMO the BMWs are better and the only reason to go with the Cee Bailey's type is to save money - which is a good reason of course. Once you eventually sell the bike, the used BMW liner bags can be sold here in Classified to help soften the original expenditure.

 

BTW I've had Cee Bailey's and they were excellent.

[realshelby]

It is true that some liners are "floppy". Cee Bailey included. That isn't always a bad thing. I find them easy to stuff into the side cases no matter how and with what they are filled.

 

The biggest advantage is that they fit into other bikes cases! I used them on trips in the V Strom luggage too!

[powwow]

Actually, I selected the Cee Bailey liners because they weren't floppy. I originally ordered the Kathy's bags, but they were made from a very thin material that did indeed allow them to just sag when not filled. I returned them. Not so with the Cee Baileys...the material is stiff enough that they still have some form even when empty.

[moshe_levy]

^^^ What he said. Mine aren't floppy either.

 

-MKL

[John in VA]

I've had Cee Baileys liners for 10 years, using them also for non-motorcycling overnighters, etc. They're still like new. Recommended!

[Knobby10]

Cee Bailey

[StuGotz]

BMW liners here.

 

Form fitted. Water resistant. Sealed zippers. Shoulder straps included ( great for schlepping them to your room.) Great pockets. Your stuff won't get smashed. You know exactly how much you can pack. Kinda like a semi hard case perfectly fitted for your saddlebags.

 

I like 'em.

 

Pricey.

 

MB>

[HuskerMark]

Interesting. I like floppy. Typically the way I pack, one side bag is only half full leaving room for a pair of shoes, rolled up touring pants if weather doesn't require them, water etc. without having to pull the bag, open etc. "make mine floppy" lol

[LAF]

BMW here on the 2015. I made the deal on the bike and told the salesman that I needed the bags liners to get my stuff home from my trade in.

 

He was not too thrilled due to eating the cost but I got them! IMHO well worth the cash if you have to spend it as they fit like a glove are sturdy and keep their shape and hold you stuff in the side cases. The separation they have with the mesh bag is very handy.

 

I have always bought factory liners for all my side bags as they seem to fit and work the best.

[BMWHELYUN]

CEE BAILEY...very good design and high quality! I love em

[Fathom]

 

 

Another Kathy's fan here. As someone who tends to, er, overpack, these have held up to the rigors quite well for over 3 years now, with no problem whatsover. They show little to no sign of wear and have helpful divider compartments sewn in. I've found the clamshell design to be very useful in getting everything I need (and I few things I want) in, with just a little room left at the top when inserted in the cases for stuff like a windbreaker, pair of Tevas, a Kindle... small stuff you don't necessarily want to dig for. Nice folks to deal with, too, as I recall.

[Ralphie]

I like both the RKA and BMW liners for different reasons. I like the cost and flexible nature of the RKA liners. Quality is great as well. Have used them on many bikes for many years and they are wonderful liners.

 

BMW liners are a silly cost but the rigid structure can make them easier to pack and fit into the case when pushing the capacity of the case limits. I don't think this benefit outweighs the huge price premium for the BMW bags but they are nice.

 

Both the RKA and BMW liners are made to fit specific cases. Cee Baily uses the same bag for many cases which will get you pretty close. I pack my bags pretty full and like the liner to match the case pretty well to use all available space. Look at the detail on how the RKA liners work and you will see they let you squeeze a bit extra into the liner because the liner is made for our specific cases.

 

If budget is the primary focus and you don't mind giving up a little bit of space in your case Cee Baily is hard to beat. RKA does not have an unreasonable cost at all and will match your cases shape better. BMW has a crazy price but gives you not only matching liner shape to case like RKA but also gives a semi rigid structure which can be beneficial. BMW also offers more separation within the liner to organize within the liner.

 

I don't think any of these three choices would leave you wanting. They all have been at it for quite some time and are good products.

[bigco]

Seems like the Bailys fit the same for recent RTs. Went from hexhead RT to RTW without problem

 

[Mike]

This is a sure sign of mental illness:

 

After starting this discussion, a few days ago it struck me that I had an old set of Cee Bailey's liners squirreled away in our barn (our "barn" is actually a respectable pole shed/garage). It had not occurred to me that the company still sells the same liners as a universal BMW solution for a number of different models and generations.

 

I dug around and hauled them out, then did a test load to re-acquaint myself with them and see how they worked with the RTW. Being semi-floppy, they indeed do fit the wethead cases pretty well.

 

But, never being satisfied with a "good enough" solution, I was still intrigued by the BMW Motorrad liners, so I ordered a set from Hermy's (Port Clinton, PA). They arrived a couple of days ago.

 

Once I get a chance to play around with them a bit more, I can perhaps offer a more enlightened perspective. For right now, this is what strikes me:

 

-The Cee Bailey's bags are very nicely constructed. The circumference of the liners has a thin support layer that gives them some structure, though they're pretty floppy. They have circumferential zippers on both sides of the bag that open fully to give you access from either side. That's a nice feature, I guess, but back in the day when I was using these (clearly a while back), I don't recall that I ever availed myself of the option of opening one side versus the other to get access to a particular item.

 

-The BMW Motorrad liners are really, really nicely constructed. The look, feel, and construction of the BMW liners is head and shoulders above the Cee Bailey's liners. Rather than having zippers at the edges of the liners, like the Cee Bailey's do, the BMW liners have a single center-located zipper that opens up to two roughly equally sized halves. One half has a mesh cover that zips closed, so that the contents can be neatly divided into two compartments. They BMW liners are semi-rigid on all sides, and conform pretty closely to shape of the panniers themselves.

 

I'd have to give the nod in overall capacity to the Cee Bailey's product. They're a little larger and since they're fairly unstructured, you can load the heck out of them and smoosh them into the panniers. They one negative that presents itself is that you have to take some extra care to ensure that they don't get caught in the seams or closure mechanisms of the panniers. it takes a little extra care to load them.

 

On the other hand, the BMW liners pop right into place since they are custom-shaped to the interior of the panniers. I personally like the configuration of the BMW liners a little better because of the fact that they open into two semi-rigid halves that maintain their shape. Since half of each liner is mesh-covered, you can open them up and more easily access what you've packed. I'm a pretty light packer and like to keep organized when I'm traveling, so this appeals to me. From a strictly cosmetic perspective, the BMW liners are nicer, sporting the Motorrad logo and a little roundel on each. The materials seem to be of higher quality, though probably not any more durable that the Cee Bailey's.

 

So, here's my tentative conclusion: The Cee Bailey's liners are well constructed and versatile. If you like to pack the bejeezus out of your panniers, they're probably the better choice, though it'll take a little more effort to get everything closed up without the liners getting jammed in the panniers' locking mechanisms.

 

The BMW liners offer a packing approach that makes it a little easier to find your stuff and which permits you to keep things organized a bit more neatly. Aesthetically, they're quite a bit nicer than the Cee Bailey's. But, you probably pay a bit of a price in the sheer volume of stuff you can stuff into them.

 

I like the BMW liners better; they're of really high quality. But the question I'd suggest you ask yourself is whether, for you, they're worth three times the cost of the Cee Bailey's liners, which are well constructed and versatile, if not quite as easy to organize and load.

[LIRider]

Very nice review

[gordiet]

This is a sure sign of mental illness:

 

After starting this discussion, a few days ago it struck me that I had an old set of Cee Bailey's liners squirreled away in our barn (our "barn" is actually a respectable pole shed/garage). It had not occurred to me that the company still sells the same liners as a universal BMW solution for a number of different models and generations.

 

I dug around and hauled them out, then did a test load to re-acquaint myself with them and see how they worked with the RTW. Being semi-floppy, they indeed do fit the wethead cases pretty well.

 

But, never being satisfied with a "good enough" solution, I was still intrigued by the BMW Motorrad liners, so I ordered a set from Hermy's (Port Clinton, PA). They arrived a couple of days ago.

 

Once I get a chance to play around with them a bit more, I can perhaps offer a more enlightened perspective. For right now, this is what strikes me:

 

-The Cee Bailey's bags are very nicely constructed. The circumference of the liners has a thin support layer that gives them some structure, though they're pretty floppy. They have circumferential zippers on both sides of the bag that open fully to give you access from either side. That's a nice feature, I guess, but back in the day when I was using these (clearly a while back), I don't recall that I ever availed myself of the option of opening one side versus the other to get access to a particular item.

 

-The BMW Motorrad liners are really, really nicely constructed. The look, feel, and construction of the BMW liners is head and shoulders above the Cee Bailey's liners. Rather than having zippers at the edges of the liners, like the Cee Bailey's do, the BMW liners have a single center-located zipper that opens up to two roughly equally sized halves. One half has a mesh cover that zips closed, so that the contents can be neatly divided into two compartments. They BMW liners are semi-rigid on all sides, and conform pretty closely to shape of the panniers themselves.

 

I'd have to give the nod in overall capacity to the Cee Bailey's product. They're a little larger and since they're fairly unstructured, you can load the heck out of them and smoosh them into the panniers. They one negative that presents itself is that you have to take some extra care to ensure that they don't get caught in the seams or closure mechanisms of the panniers. it takes a little extra care to load them.

 

On the other hand, the BMW liners pop right into place since they are custom-shaped to the interior of the panniers. I personally like the configuration of the BMW liners a little better because of the fact that they open into two semi-rigid halves that maintain their shape. Since half of each liner is mesh-covered, you can open them up and more easily access what you've packed. I'm a pretty light packer and like to keep organized when I'm traveling, so this appeals to me. From a strictly cosmetic perspective, the BMW liners are nicer, sporting the Motorrad logo and a little roundel on each. The materials seem to be of higher quality, though probably not any more durable that the Cee Bailey's.

 

So, here's my tentative conclusion: The Cee Bailey's liners are well constructed and versatile. If you like to pack the bejeezus out of your panniers, they're probably the better choice, though it'll take a little more effort to get everything closed up without the liners getting jammed in the panniers' locking mechanisms.

 

The BMW liners offer a packing approach that makes it a little easier to find your stuff and which permits you to keep things organized a bit more neatly. Aesthetically, they're quite a bit nicer than the Cee Bailey's. But, you probably pay a bit of a price in the sheer volume of stuff you can stuff into them.

 

I like the BMW liners better; they're of really high quality. But the question I'd suggest you ask yourself is whether, for you, they're worth three times the cost of the Cee Bailey's liners, which are well constructed and versatile, if not quite as easy to organize and load.

 

BMW liners are great and still have them but

 

... I use my Cee Bailey's because they take up a lot less room!

 

GT

[realshelby]

That is a very good review of two good products. I would have been happy enough with the BMW liners. But after reading about them I think I prefer the double zippers of the Cee Bailey. I use them often to get rain gear, visor, etc. out of the liners. Means I don't have to remove the liner from the sidecase to access them. I really like the built in stretch webbing on the Cee Bailey, I keep extra gloves in them and my security cables. As much as I tend to stuff in them, they look more like hard cases than soft! When out of the bike between trips the Cee Bailey gear packs up small.

 

But mainly I just would not have paid the price difference. Just cheap I suppose!

[MotoBones]

I have the Cee Bailey's bags. Don't always use them, but they are handy for putting your stuff in a pannier to keep it from moving around and falling out when you open the lid.

 

The Cee Bailey's top case bag is a great airline carry on.

[LAF]

Well the other reason the BMW liners are more suited to me is I never take them out. You unzip the center and down the side a little and your stuff is accessible and DOES NOT go rolling off into the street. The rigid construction holds the bag in place and the cross bands in the case hold it in place very nicely.

 

As far as capacity,not sure how much more you can get into the case with Cee Bailys or why that would be so. The BMW bag fills the case exactly so if it is full your case is full. I have had to rearrange stuff in the BMW liners to close my bag. I think my 32 OZ StarTron squeeze bottle I carry in the high side bag in the mesh part of the liner is a very close fit top to bottom.

 

Again not saying anything negative about Cee Bailys at all. But I have found the factory liners for bags over the years are very hard to beat for everyday use and filling factory bags to capacity. Plus they carry very nicely to the room for the night.

[kellenbenz]

These have not been mentioned....has anyone tried them?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bestem-LGBM-K16-SDL-Saddlebag-K1600GT-R1200RT/dp/B00IAQ7TGE

 

Price seems right.

Ron

[greiffster]

These have not been mentioned....has anyone tried them?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bestem-LGBM-K16-SDL-Saddlebag-K1600GT-R1200RT/dp/B00IAQ7TGE

 

Price seems right.

Ron

 

I've got an older set for my '04 RT made by Bestem to include a liner for my Givi topcase. They work as advertised. Quality seems fine, I use them a lot.