BMW side cases, waterproof?

[roger l]

How waterproof are the BMW side cases for the R1200R? They look to have a rubber seal for the opening. Will I need to put my gear in waterproof bags to keep it dry if I ride in the rain?

Thanks
Roger L

[fastdogs2]

Yes, the cases are waterproof. I have been through torrential downpours on the R1200R and with the same cases on the R1200RT with no moisture whatsoever. There is no need for intrernal waterproof bags.

You may wish to purchase some Cee Baileys nylon bag liners:

http://www.ceebaileys.com/bags/bmw_bags.html

These let you leave the hard cases on the bike and you can carry your stuff into the hotel room in the nylon bag liners.

Bill

[roger l]

Thanks for the information. My wife is very good with a sewing machine and she is going to make some liners for me. I wanted to know if they were water proof to see if I needed to buy the waterproof nylon material or if I could buy the cotton canvas to make the bags. It looks like I can go with the cotton canvas.

Thanks Again
Roger L

[deilenberger]

They're actually air-tight as well.. on a hot summer day, if I park the bike in the sun when I arrive at work, when I come out (and it's in the shade) the bags are difficult to open - and open with a "whoosh.." (vacuum created by expanded heated air forced out of the case, then the seals being pulled tight by the contracting cooling air.)

Finally fixed it - drilled a 1/16" hole between the inner and outer linings. No more whoosh.

[HowFast]

1. System Cases are waterproof.

2. You might want to use a liner to organize your stuff, especially if you are over-night traveling and want to bring your travel clothes and toiletries into a hotel. System cases are heavy and awkward, so a nylon liner with a shoulder strap is very helpful. One-up, I use a nylon liner in one side, and store loose stuff In the other and the top-case. The loose stuff includes tire-plugging kit, rain gear, flip-flops, etc. Two-up, the top-case gets a liner too, for the wife's clothing.

3. Liners are cheap, so you might want to spare your wife the effort. A $12 Walmart's duffel bag works great, and will provide features that might make your wife crazy at the sewing machine. Bob's BMW makes very nice ones that fit well and have pockets and such. I use Givi brand liners in my Givi top cases because they are very well made and work like suitcases. If you use PVC nylon, you get another layer of moisture and dirt resistance. Don't forget, if you carry the liner in the rain, it still needs to be moisture resistant.

4. Long habit has me packing daily clothes into zip-lock bags, because they compress and seal so well. Also keeps moisture out of clean clothes and odor in dirty ones. Also enables me to cram in 20% more stuff.

Have fun!

-Howard