Pros And Cons Of Jesse Bags

[downhillhunter]

I need more side case room on my 1100GS.

I have a 52L GIVI top case and regular side cases, but I'm getting really tired of having to reallly work at cramming in all the crap that I have to haul with me everyday.

I'm thinking about getting some Jesse bags for increased storage.

Who's got 'em and what do you think of 'em?

New or used?

Painted or plain?

Other than the cost (OMG) what's are the downsides?


Thanks,



Downhill Hunter

 

[pglaves]

I have Jesse bags on my F650. I like them. Plenty of room, top load, easy on/off, etc.

I liked them so well that I put a set on my R1150R. Same advantages, only larger.

Just last week I needed to break the bead on a tubeless tire (valve stem problem) beside the road. The two Jesse bags made a perfect height surface for the wheel and spaced apart they protected the brake disk from pressure while breaking the bead.

I have had a little moisture get in, riding in heavy rain. Now that I know it can happen I make sure to check, and dry anything that got damp.

Overall, I wouldn't have anything else that I know of.

 

[torinokuchi]

Jesse Bags

I've got the jesse bags + pizza box on top on the GS. They are a very sturdy product and can hold a great deal of stuff. I've dropped the bike in sand lots of times and in a parking lot or two with the jesse bags and pizza box fully loaded with no damage to mounting brackets or bags other than slight bending at the right side passenger footpeg bracket.

The left side bag tends to heat stuff up a bit. I think before really loading them this year I'll make a bracket that extends out from the mounting bracket in the back to hold the left side bag away from the pipe a bit more. We had some slightly melted nylon stuff last summer. I think the ideal situation would be a lower pipe and full size bag on the left as well.

I've heard about dampness/leakage from different people, but I've seen none so far. The locks and clamps can get sticky sometimes, and if I don't lock the top box it tends to unlatch. This is small potatoes though. Overall I like my Jesse bags quite a bit.

On another note, I've also installed the Jesse Kickstand extender which relieves me and my herniated disc from having to centerstand the bike all the time. I like it.

TNK

 

[charleshickman]

8 months and 5k miles

I bought a set of Jesse bags for my r1200gs in Nov of last year. I like them fine so far. I'm going to Alaska next week, so ask me when I get back.

If you look on the Jesse site, you should look at the adopt a bag button near the bottom of the list on the left of the home page. They sell seconds for $200 off the full price. I called the guy before I bought mine and was told that it's usually defects in the powder coat and it's cheaper to discount them than to refinish. Also not having to refinish helps them keep up with demand. I did not see any defects in mine, although I did not have a first quality set to compare to.

 

[DARKCLOUD]

I've had Milleniums and Odesseys. The next set of after market bags will be top loaders, probably Happy Trails, or Touratechs with the lowered exhaust.

Jesse's by nature force you to load your heavier and more durable items in the bottom of the case which is good. Then you fill the remainder with riding gear and other light bulky items. Top loaders, you just open the top and fill, if your bike is on the side stand, the left side Jesse is hard to load. Top loaders don't have the slanted sides at the bottom, so you don't have to put your larger items in the center. Top loaders have a nice big surface to work on, or strap gear to. Although you can strap not as much load on each Jesse, a load across both bags is the same. Jesse's you can open with a load on the top.

Then the top case. The Jesse mount could break. The 5 quart box below it is nice. If you carry and hard items in the Jesse on a rough road they will bounce around. Your pillion will have no backrest, and no tail light

Aerodynamics of the systems. Consider the air flow change for heat and cold.

 

[WLPMD]

odyssey bags are great.....

Disadvantages
-can't fit full helmet
-scrape on corners if you are an agressive rider
-black bags heat up.... consider light color
-not aerodynamic (gas and rear tire go quicker)
-when full it is very difficult to centerstand bike
-rubber seal easy to "macerate" unless you close lid properly everytime

Advantages
-lots of room
-very durable
-taken off= stool for sitting if no top brackets
-great company service (sent free rubber seal- see above)

 

[gregfeeler]

I've not owned any metal bags, so am just passing along what I've observed. There are a lot of good bags of this type on the market, but having looked at most at one time of another, if I were in the market I'd take a good look at the products from Happy Trails: http://www.happy-trail.com/. They look *very* well constructed to my eye. There's a review of one version in the July issue of Rider on page 113.

Disclaimer: Tim Bernard, owner of Happy Trails, is a personal friend of mine and I'll vouch for his integrity, but you should make up your own mind.

 

[swall]

I put the Happy Trails bags on my brand X dualsport. I like them, but the lids leak. My riding buddy's also leak and a guy we ran into in Alaska said that his leaked.

 

[sagerat]

I run the stock Beemer cases on my GS and my best riding buddy runs Jesse bags on his GS and has for three years.

The + side: sturdy as all get out; his left bag kayoed a deer two years ago and only slightly warped the box. Very durable bags and hold a ton of stuff. The top lid has a rack that goes inside so rather than being dead air it's a great storage space for small soft bags like shaving kits.

The - side: the locks suck. Besides my buddy, I have another GSA acquaintance who runs Jesse bags and his locks grenaded on him. My buddy's locks also went toes up on him. Both of these guys ride dirt and that seems to be the key (pardon the pun) component for locks to rattle loose for fail. The left side bag heats up, which is almost at much fault of BMW as the Jesse design. A muffler extender solves that problem.

After leaving bambi spinning on the ground like top, he did have to send the pannier back for straightening, which the company did. I can't remember if they even charged him or if they did it was less than $200.

 

[DARKCLOUD]

I run the stock Beemer cases on my GS and my best riding buddy runs Jesse bags on his GS and has for three years.

The + side: sturdy as all get out; his left bag kayoed a deer two years ago and only slightly warped the box. Very durable bags and hold a ton of stuff. The top lid has a rack that goes inside so rather than being dead air it's a great storage space for small soft bags like shaving kits.

The - side: the locks suck. Besides my buddy, I have another GSA acquaintance who runs Jesse bags and his locks grenaded on him. My buddy's locks also went toes up on him. Both of these guys ride dirt and that seems to be the key (pardon the pun) component for locks to rattle loose for fail. The left side bag heats up, which is almost at much fault of BMW as the Jesse design. A muffler extender solves that problem.

After leaving bambi spinning on the ground like top, he did have to send the pannier back for straightening, which the company did. I can't remember if they even charged him or if they did it was less than $200.

Muffler extender word of caution, it has to direct the flow of exhaust away from the tail light, or it will melt the varmit. Consider using a tail pipe turn down extension from an auto parts store and making your own bracket.

JON

 

[DRRAOULDUKE]

Jesse Bags

Have a set on my 99 R1100GS and they have never let me down. Even sent them in for new locks when Al upgraded them several years back. Not a problem or complaint in 7 years or so? My 2 cents. See you all in West Bend.

Cheers,

Dr. Raoul Duke

 

[Rasbutan]

Love em!!

 

[belquar]

Also take a look at the Micatech Pilot Cases. Light and Strong and bigger than Jesse bags. Side entry also which can be nice. Here is my ride. This is their site.

 

[goldeneyes]

jesse bags

I had a set of jesse side bags on a 2001 R1150GS, after having a GS with BMW side cases. The difference was profound. Jesse's hold more, are narrower, are more easily accessed, and allowed me to carry almost all my load in the jesse bags. I almost stopped using the rear BMW case I had because the Jesse's held all I needed. I found I rode more, because if I needed to go somewhere that required carrying something heavy or large, having the jesse's made me less hesitant to leave the bike home and take a car. I could stop by the grocery and get milk, canned goods, meat, bread, and still usually have room left over.
I have not seen the most recent Jesse designed bags in person, but the pictures look like they are at least as functional with even more style.
When I first got my used bike with Jesse bags already mounted, I mistakenly thought a hinge was not operating correctly. I called Jesse, and without cost to me or proof of my ownership or the history of the bags, they mailed me a new hinge.
I change bikes every couple of years, and I am sorry my current bike does not have a jesse bag model available.

 

[JimMoore]

Other than the cost (OMG) what's are the downsides?

I like mine. They seem expensive, but they are only a few hundred bucks more than the regular BMW bags, which leave a lot to be desired IMO. Also, price out a set of bags for the Adventure. You will immediately feel better about the Jesse bags.