| Author | Message | ||
     Mke |
So the PO did "scrape" the HB Journey bags up a bit, so I put a new seal on the low side bag(kickstand side), and it still lets water in. I've tried a few things, but I can't get it to stop leaking. I even took it inside and tried to shower water on specific areas in order to find the leak....to no avail. Anybody else had this problem or had any luck creating additional sealing with RTV or something? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Mine always leaked a little bit. Others told me it was simply water collecting around the seal/latch, and when I opened it all that water rushed inside. I never believed it. I don't recall ever having water in there after riding in the rain, but if I parked it in the rain there always seemed to be a bit in the bottom. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Mine leak too. I think the path of leakage is where the "deckle-halter" strap is riveted in. it's tubular rivet. Water collects on the top of the upper seal and then runs down the side to this rivet. Here's the weird thing: Mine DOESN'T leak in torrential downpours on the highway or even if I'm moving at all really. Mine only leaks if I park it in the rain. It only leaks on the kickstand side too. | ||
| Mke |
Both of your experiences sound familiar. I forgot to add that fact....it only happens when the bike is parked in the rain, and low side only. I'll try RTV around those rivets and see if that help....but I'm not holding my breath. If it doesn't work, I'll probably try to sell them (full disclosure of course) and get myself those Ortleib Moto Bags that will snap right onto the existing racks....or at least I hope they will. The Hepco bags have just been a PITA leak wise. AND they're $600 a pair! WTF | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
I feel your pain guys. These bags are not perfect but there are cheap and easy solutions to keep your stuff in them dry. 1) If it is gonna rain or be humid when you need to leave your bike outside, cover it. We got an effective bike cover from j and p cycles for about $25. I used mine several times I was staying with non-garage owning relatives last summer and summers before. We bought it in 2006 when we had our sporty and it has served us well on several bikes. 2) Get yourself some effective liners. These work on both the H-B and givi bags we have on our ulys. $2 each from ikea.   | ||
| Ratbuell |
Hefty, Hefty, Hefty. Got a box of 'em in the kitchen, if I'm going on a long trip I use a pair as stuff sacks and toss in a spare pair for the ride home. It's a motorcycle saddlebag, not Fort Knox. | ||
| Mke |
Please tell me you're kidding Rat. At $600 a pair, I expect AT LEAST water resistance in a moderate rain. If I have to stuff my helmet, gloves and other sh#t into a hefty bag every time it rains, you better bet I'm gonna bitch and moan. Besides, if Pelican can make a case that is actually buoyant, then HB better make their bags water resistant. | ||
| Froggy |
H&B offers some models that are waterproof, the Journeys aren't one of them. It even says on their website, "Highly water resistant with incorporated 42Lt Space per side" (Message edited by froggy on May 09, 2012) | ||
| Reepicheep |
I ordered three of these.. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BJ7WPQ/ref=oh _details_o00_s01_i00 One for each side case, a third to bungee across the top if necessary. I don't have (or want) the top hard luggage. I'll post how they work out... I think I got the medium. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
there were 2 different journey bags one had a wider seal than the other so where the seal goes the place to fit it in is different. But seals are dirt cheap maybe 10$ a piece. | ||
| Etennuly |
I always pack mine in garbage bags. Frequently I have found that I can over load them or pinch something just enough to make a seal leak. Double coverage for nearly free, smart investment. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I love them for the security and ease of handling once you get to your destination. If they leak and you know they do then just waterproof bag your gear as others recommend and quit worrying about them. Still way better than just bungee cording gear to a seat and hoping no one rips it off. | ||
| Reepicheep |
That's why I went with the more durable liners... easy to put a little hole in a garbage bag. The durable liners also let me double my storage capacity... put the liners in the bags for the normal trip, then if I need to add something I can just use the cases as cases, and use the liners as dufflebags to bungee on the back in the open. | ||
| Reepicheep |
They also go a long way to saving a lot of expensive damage when you bounce a bike. DAMHIK. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm completely serious. Buy a car. Or buy a bag that's advertised as "waterproof". Or buy a waterproof liner. But don't expect a duck to bark like a dog. If the bag isn't advertised as waterproof, don't expect it to behave like it is, and don't piss and moan when it behaves like its advertised - "highly water resistant". My stuff got wet. Once. I bought bags, line everything - it takes a whopping six or seven seconds per side to do it - and my stuff doesn't get wet anymore. Simple, cheap, and most importantly QUIETLY DONE. Problem solved. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I'm personally under the impression that hardbags, especially those from an established manufacturer, should be waterproof. If I wanted to deal with bag liners or trash bags or wet gear, I would have just gone with soft luggage and saved the money and weight. When this: or this: Is all it takes to make a bag waterproof... I simply don't have patients for non-waterproof boxes. | ||
| Tiltcylinder |
You'll find they only leak... when it's on the kick stand! I don't seem to get any water in them after hours of riding in the rain, but park it in the rain, outside the diner, look inside the left case, come out after lunch and check again... sure enough... water. I use that case for... rain gear and other bits of gear I always want on the bike (things that need to stay dry are in a roll top dry sack). I use the right side case for clothing... trash bagged just in case, although I've never found water in that side. Bought a roll of 3/16" closed cell weatherstrip foam with the sticky backing, but have never gotten around to trying it as a solution. | ||
| Crusty |
If you think the Journey bags are expensive for hard bags, then you're gonna shit when you price out those aluminum boxes. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
That'll keep you good and regular. | ||
| Mnrider |
I like the Journey bags mostly because you can store helmets in them. Also they are tough,my bike slid down the highway on its side with only scratches in the bags. I have Happy Trails alum. boxes on my KLR but I prefer the Journeys. I little water doesn't bother me at all. | ||
| Britchri10 |
I bought a set of Journey's second-hand. They spend all their time on the Uly. They will let in a small amount of water over time but I just bag anything I don't want to get wet. Second-hand, they were expensive enough for me. I looked at Aluminum boxes but the $$$ just couldn't be justified in my case. Chris C | ||
| Tastroman |
I have to agree with Mike5000 on this one. I felt it was safe to assumed the hard luggage on a 13k bike would be water tight. I found out the hard way when on my 1st trip my manual soaked up the seepage. Yes, I pack everything in a plastic bag now, but it sucks that I have to. | ||
| Mke |
Froggy and rat, the official Hepco-Becker.de web site, says the Journey bags are listed as "Watertight" which translated means it should withstand "quick submersions" and will float if dropped in the water. It does say "highly water resistant" on the .au web site, but to me it doesn't matter either way. They shouldn't leak when they're sitting in the rain. If they do, they are neither "watertight" nor "water resistant"...definitely not "highly water resistant". I guess I just have higher standards than others in that I expect products to perform as advertised....having been in consumer product development and all. Specific standards do exist to measure water resistance, and I know that "highly water resitant" should be a rating that is higher than the IPX-2 rating. Which my bags are definitely not. I guess, in the end, I'm very disappointed with my Hepco Jouney bags, and after searching up and down online for info about these bags leaking, I found none. Which is a disservice to consumers, because by the looks of the responses here, THESE BAGS DO LEAK. And they are not "performing as advertised". So I'm saying my bitching is warranted. And if my bitching warns one more consumer that these bags may leak while sitting in the rain, then I've said what I believe needed to be. Nuf said. Also, check this snapshot from the Hepco-Becker catalog. Specifically says they are "watertight". Anyway, I think my next purchase may be the Pelican case bag system by an online motorcycle retailer. For $500 I can get the whole double side bag system.  | ||
| Froggy |
Before that screenshot, I have NEVER seen anything advertising the bags as waterproof, so I wouldn't call it that. Buell actually sent a customer nearly half a dozen bags till he got one that was satisfactorily waterproof. | ||
| Court |
I have . . . . somewhere in this mess . . . a box of "test seals" and was all excited, at one time, about working on this. I polled some riders to get ideas and was trying all sorts of things including seals that expanded in the presence of moisture. Hepco-Becker had no interest in helping with either the breaking latches or leaking seals. Shame because folks at Buell were committed and diligently working to fix what Hepco-Becker wouldn't. I have some luggage I had custom made by Pelican when we did the Bonneville thing. They are super cases but heavy and consumer a lot of the weight in just the bag. Although I enjoy traveling with them, I pay the overweight fee if put anything in the bags. I really like the Outdoorsman bags. The latch system is simple, the design simple and they are very functional. They aren't "waterproof" but do well enough for my uses. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I ordered a replacement grey cover for the one damaged in my crash from capitol cycle... took forever to get to me, and when it came the hepco sticker was on upside down. I don't know if Capitol cycle or Hepco was the problem, but I wasn't impressed with either in that transaction. The bags took a hard hit and came out repairable though, so I was impressed there. The latch is mickey mouse though, and the strapping is a bit mickey mouse. I'm probably a bit biased, as I got mine with a used bike that was a good deal. So for "free bags" I love them. Had I dropped $600 out of my pocket, I might be a lot less tolerant of their shortcomings. They are pretty easy to live with day to day. They keep stuff mostly dry for light showers, if I'm riding in a torrent I assume everything will leak sooner or later, so I bought the dry bags. And a little water proof humidor.  | ||
| Uly_man |
Maybe the person who said HB luggage was waterproof was the same one who said Buell belts had a lifetime warranty? Do not trust anyone about what they say. Watertight/waterproof means nothing on a bike or does a IP rating. Waterproof would need a depth rating as with diving. Most luggage will get condensation in them as well. Ever noticed that "musty" smell because thats what causes it. Best to never use luggage without liners and you do not need to buy expensive ones either. Use those cloths "vac bags". They are made of Poly not plastic so harder to puncture. Four (two either side) for the HBs is about $20. Cheap enough. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
If you think the Journey bags are expensive for hard bags, then you're gonna shit when you price out those aluminum boxes. You mean like these:   I paid $200 for the pair; new, powder-coated, from the manufacturer. But that's not entirely fair, as they had an (unnoticeable) scratch so they were discounted. New (and powdercoated) they're $350 for the pair. I did pay $50 for the mounting kit though. Like Bill, my bike came with the Journey bags, and they were adequate. It didn't take me to entirely long to feel the desire to upgrade though; the clameshell design is inconvenient, the round shape makes it difficult to strap anything to the top, the weak latches, the required key to open, and the leaking... Glad to hear Buell was working on fixes for them... It's just unfortunate KTM got their hands on the HB Gobi's first though, I think they're the better (plastic) boxes in the HB line-up. (I prefer the black) | ||
| Motorbike |
Guys, mine don't leak at all! See? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmfHQ0lzyGI&feature =youtu.be | ||
| Buellmeister57 |
Mine leaked on my 09 Uly from day one. Replaced under warranty, new ones leak worse. I just pack accordingly. |
