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I had the OEM Yamaha accessory side cases for more than 3 years and nearly 40,000 miles. The only reason they weren't on the bike when I rode it out of the dealer's back in August 2011 was because the cases hadn't come in yet!
Yes, the reviews are, as you say, "mixed", but if you look closely you'll see that most of the people who say detrimental things about the Yamaha cases are those who have never owned them. By and large, those who actually own them and live with them like them, both here and on ADVrider, too. Yes, they have their quirks, just like *ALL* brand of panniers out there, but much like the Super Tenere itself the best quality of the Yamaha side cases is *balance*. They look like they belong on the bike, they fit tight and close to be as narrow as possible, they go on and off easily and quickly, when they're off the mounts are unobtrusive and almost invisible, they are top-loaders (my favorite, period) yet the lid stays attached when open, they open forward which makes them easy to load yet they don't get wider when open, they lock securely, etc., etc. My only wish is that were a bit larger in capacity, but again, that's part of the *balance*... They hold enough, and have held enough for me to do two-week trips and the like away from hope with little or no other luggage.
People bitch a lot about the locks, but honestly, if they are assembled carefully and you learn to operate the locks correctly then they function flawlessly. At least mine have for nearly 40-K miles and they are on the bike literally all the time, being opened and closed numerous times per day of riding. Pre-lube your lock cylinders with a *PROPER* plastic-safe lock lubricant, make sure you loctite and properly torque the screws holding the locks together when first assembled, and learn to press down on the lid when locking or unlocking the cases. That's all it takes.
The reason you have to press down on the lids when opening is on each case lid there are two spring-loaded *buttons* on either side of the latching pin. These are there to make sure the latching pin stays firm up against the hook of the case latch. Yamaha (or Shad, who makes the cases for Yamaha, and also makes BMW G/S cases, BTW) designed it that way for multiple reasons, all good ones. But it's these spring-loaded "buttons" that cause so many people such consternation. They go to turn the key in the lock on the case, but without pressing down lightly on the case lid, and indeed it feels like they are going to twist the key off... That's because they are not only trying to turn the lock and latch hook, but doing so under some pretty severe spring pressure holding the latching pin against the latch hook. Press down lightly on the lid and all that pressure is removed on the locking mechanism, and the lock turns easily - like butter.
There's also a couple of little tricks for working the mechanism for unlatching the cases for removal from the bike, and once you learn those the bags go on and off the bike quickly, easily, and smoothly. Again, once you learn why they are designed and made the way they are it all makes perfect sense, and you see th elegance and intelligence of the design choices.
I've dropped my bike about a half-dozen times on the bags... All low speed to zero MPH drops, but still the bags have survived literally unscathed. No marking of the aluminum panels at all, and only minor scuffing of the front plastic corners. This has been easy to dress back up with some simple file, sandpaper, plastic polish, and elbow grease. And the best part is that the cases have protected the rest of the bike, as well as my legs, on every drop. Every time the bags have not popped open, or otherwise had any problem of any kind. I picked the bike up and rode home, with the contents of the side cases perfectly intact.
Last, but not least, the Yamaha side case are 100% waterproof. I have ridden with them for hours in driving, heavy rain, and have never seen a drop of water in them. They are so waterproof I even wash them at the car wash pressure washer, and again, never a drop of water inside.
As you can tell, I'm a fan of the Yamaha side cases. You can do a whole lot worse, and it's hard to do better, IMHO. ::008::
Dallara
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