Review of 2019 BMW F850GS Rallye by Motorcycle Adventure Dirtbike TV: “A reluctant review of the 2019 BMW GS 850 Rallye conducted over a 2,200 kilometre five day adventure in the Australian outback.”
Featured on the BMW F850GS: MotoTrekk Panniers and Diablo Tank Bag
https://www.motorcycleshows.ca/  Year-in and Year-out, Canada is our fastest growing market in the world. Giant Loop is making a short drive across the border with product and bikes to display at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show on January 18th-20th. You will find us in Booth 132 directly through the main entrance and across from Honda. Our booth may be small but it will be mighty! We will be teaching Giant Loop 101 all weekend and will have product available for sale. Stop by and talk to the one and only Harold of Giant Loop and Celebrate 10 years with us.
Two Wheeled Nomad in BIKE magazine
GL Riders Two Wheeled Nomad (Jason Spafford and Lisa Morris) traveled The Americas for four years on their motorcycles, the past year-plus with Giant Loop gear after they realized that lighter and simpler is truly better! Here’s their photo essay featured in BIKE (UK) magazine’s latest January 2019 issue.
Camping on Bonneville Salt Flats – photos by Jason Spafford, text by Lisa Morris (aka Two Wheeled Nomad)
Two Wheeled Nomad’s Giant Loop Adventure Proof Packing System on Suzuki DR650 and BMW F800GS:
Great Basin Saddlebags – nearly 70 liters of waterproof, ultra tough, lightweight, stable storage, no luggage racks or mounts required
Possibles Pouches – external waterproof pockets for Saddlebags and engine guards
Tillamook Dry Bags – double-end access waterproof gear storage with integrated anchor strap system, backpack shoulder straps
Fandango Pro Tank Bag – waterproof, slim, trim, 8-liter bag with electronics pass-through, clear map pocket, quick fuel access
Lisa Spafford soak in the experience while Jason Spafford documents it on film
Giant Loop Riders the Two Wheeled Nomad (Jason Spafford and Lisa Morris)
Honda Africa Twin + BMW F800GS on Oregon Backcounrty Discovery Route with Round The World Panniers + GL Pannier Mounts + Fandango Pro Tank Bag + Tillamook Dry Bag
Sometimes when you have a big bike, you want a big tank bag. The Kiger Tank Bag is the largest in Giant Loop collection. At 9 litres capacity this bag is 100% waterproof and has a sturdy clamshell closure design that makes it easy to get in and out of with gloves on.
Shown here in photos courtesy of the BMW Club Motorcycle Owners of America.
 
As you can see the bag fits nicely over the large front fairing of the BMW R1200GS, attaching to the frame under the seat. The Kiger measures 8.25 X 12″, giving ample room yet not obstructing the riders view of the odometer or GPS.
The Kiger Tank Bag can also be paired with Pannier Pockets for added front-of-bike capacity.
Here is a cool little video put out by the Motorcycle Superstore. They cover our larger packing system items including our various rackless saddlebags and the Siskiyou Panniers – the video was launched before the addition of our Round the World Panniers, which are now our largest carrying capacity set up. It’s a great way to get scale on the different capacities of our bags.
Go light. Go fast. Go Far!
Customer, Dave, stopped in today to show us how his Giant Loop Pannier Pockets and Fandango Tank Bag Pro fit on his BMW GS650. You can see how the pockets fit nicely in a horizontal position on the bike’s large side fairing. Pannier Pockets can be integrated into all of our tank bag systems and come included with the Buckin’ Roll Tank Bag set up. The tank bag harness anchor straps fit underneath the seat and attach to the frame. The Fandango, at 8L capacity is a nice size for the medium sized touring bike.
Giant Loop’s GL Pannier Mount for motorcycle soft luggage and gear
Introducing GL Pannier Mounts for motorcycle soft luggage! Designed in Bend, Oregon by Giant Loop, these ultra light, ultra tough quick release, quick mount, lockable powder coated aluminum plates secure Giant Loop’s Round The World Panniers, MotoTrekk Panniers, RotoPax gas cans and other gear to most side luggage racks with flat, vertical hoops constructed with 18mm round tubing. Examples: Touratech and the BMW R1200GS Adventure’s OEM luggage rack (Giant Loop adapter required for exhaust side of BMW GSA). Other adapters and mounting options available soon.
WEIGHS JUST 3.6 lbs. Sold as a set of two, with two keys included. Order now!
A trusted staple in the Giant Loop line up, the Great Basin Saddlebag is the largest in our “loop bag” collection.
We have outfitted an assortment of motorcycles with the Great Basin, and it’s currently on the backs of motorcycles around the globe. In the montage above you’ll find the Great Basin Saddlebag easily mounted on a the Honda CRF250L, Rally Raid CB500X, and Africa Twin, the KTM 1190 Adventure R, the Yamaha WR250, the KLR 650 retrofitted with a sidecar, the Suzuki tu250x, a Yamaha R6 and something random in Nepal….just to name a few.
This bag will carry all that you require for a serious expedition or comfortably carry your weekend provisions.
Great Basin Saddlebag Roll Top Orange
What we love most about the Great Basin Saddlebag is it’s verstility. This bag, rides rackless, behind the rider where the passenger would sit. The “legs” of the bag affix to the passenger foot pegs or other solid mounting point in the same area and anchors at the rear of the bike via three straps on on an existing rear rack or integrated mounting point. The is bag is 68L in capacity and is sold with three waterproof dry pods which organize gear within the bag plus make it easy to haul things to your camp spot without removing the whole loop bag. A Hot Springs Heat Shield is also included with every bag to keep the Great Basin off the pipe.
The outer material is constructed of tough 22 oz. vinyl coated polyester reinforced with ballistic nylon and, like many of our bags the Great Basin has loops added to the sides of the bag that make it easy to add Possibles Pouches or just affix items with Pronghorn Straps. The “beavertail” cinch straps can be extend to allow for a Tillamook or Rogue Dry Bag if extra capacity is required.
Great Basin Saddlebag Roll Top with Rogue Dry Bag
Great Basin Zippered Saddlebag with Possibles Pouch external pocket
The Giant Loop Siskiyou Panniers were recently in a featured review on ADV Pulse.
“These ‘soft’ side bags are designed to offer the convenience and capacity (70 liters total) of hard panniers but with the rugged durability we’ve come to expect from the pioneering soft luggage company.”
Named for southern Oregon’s and northern California’s rugged and beautiful mountain range, Giant Loop’s Siskiyou Pannier waterproof soft luggage combines the convenience of hard panniers with all of Giant Loop’s performance advantages. Rugged, rackless, lightweight and stable. Secures to passenger footrest mounts and rides on rear rack and/or pillion seat. Flexible internal framesheet conforms to array of racks and motorcycle makes/models. Cross-over wings create luggage platform for Dry Bags and gear, add stability and protect seat. Mounts/dismounts in minutes.
ADV Pulse put together an excellent, comprehensive overview of the bags and their fitment on four separate motorcycles; the BMW R1200GS Adventure (with racks), KTM 1290 Super Adventure (no racks), KTM 990 Adventure R (with racks) and Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT (no racks).
“What we liked:
Bulletproof construction.
Large capacity bags with no racks required.
External pockets are nice for things you need quick access to.
Freedom of movement for aggressive off-road riding”
Siskiyou Panniers, KTM 1290 Adventure and BMW R1200GS Adventure
“One advantage of riding off-road with the Siskiyou Panniers is that they are large enough that you can often forgo a top bag on shorter trips.
In this configuration, you can position your body far back on the bike when you encounter difficult off-road terrain.”
Siskiyou Panniers KTM 1290 Adventure
Siskiyou Panniers with Pronghorn Strap Attachment (shown on left)
ADV Pulse also noted that the Pronghorn straps are great, super-secure way to attach the bags to the bike
ADV Pulse is a website that covers all thing Adventure Moto. Visit their site for tips, video, photos and more reviews like this one!
Here’s the run down on Giant Loop’s 2010 BMW F800GS:
$9000 with luggage included (Round The World Pannier w/Touratech mounts, Kiger Tank Bag, Pannier Pockets). Contact us at 888-358-8347 or email ride AT giant loop moto DOT com.
Terry, Sandy and Jack Borden, deemed The Adventure Trio, travelled from their home in California to the tip of South America on BMW R1200GS and F800GS Adventure Bikes. The adventure took 2 years and took them over 28,000 miles of incredible terrain.  They were recently featured in BMW Owners News Magazine in a story written by Sandy about their first border crossing into Mexico.
Sandy rides the BMW F800GS Adventure equipped with a Giant Loop Fandango Tank Bag and a ZigZag Handlebar Bag.
Mexico was the Trio’s first of fifteen countries on their long journey south. To see more of their adventures, check out their website, AdventureTrio.com .
The Fandango Tank Bag and ZigZag Handlebar Bag are the perfect pieces to outfit any bike on any adventure, no matter where the road takes you!
No matter where you’re headed, go light, go fast, go far.
Rich Barnhart sent us a kind thank you letter this past spring for donating door prizes to the Fourth Annual Texas National Picnic. Giant Loop contributed a Tillamook Dry Bag, Zigzag Handlebar Bar Bag, Giant Loop Cap, Pronghorn Straps, and Giant Loop t-shirts as door prizes for the East Texas BMW Plus Motorcycle Club’s camping event that took place this past spring. Thanks to Rich and his motorcycle club for the positive response!
On some of the BMW GSs and other adventure touring and dual sport bikes, cleanly installing Giant Loop’s Fandango/Diablo Tank Bag requires a couple of extra steps. GL rider Whitney shared these pics and comments about routing straps on his BMW R1200GS:
“Here are two pics of the original fandango mounted on my 05 R1200GS.”
“I run the straps under the leading edge of the seat and down to the frame.”
“The left side is a tight fit, but I am able to shove the strap through.”
Once the straps are threaded through the BMW 1200 GS’s frame seat rails, leave them loose and pulled together in the middle of the bike. Then replace the seat and tighten straps. Once the harness is installed it can stay on the bike.
Don’t forget to install Vinyl Protective Film to keep your bike’s shiny gloss coat from getting scuffed underneath the Fandango/Diablo Harness.
Customer Mark from Washington State says there’s too much stuff under the seat of his BMW GS Adventure, so he’s routed the strap down to his trellis frame, which makes for an easy installation:
Overview video of most of Giant Loop’s entire product line for 2016. Giant Loop Adventure Proof Packing Systems & Gear on display in our vendor stand at the BMW MOA Riders of Oregon’s Chief Joseph Rally last weekend.
Prep for your next adventure today! https://www.giantloopmoto.com/product-categories/
NEW! In stock for summer 2016, the limited edition Siskiyou Panniers in Orange.
Named for the rugged mountain range in Southern Oregon/Northern California these panniers offer all the features of our standard Siskiyou panniers, including  a rugged, rackless (some motorcycles will require side luggage racks), lightweight design, flexible internal framesheet that conforms to an array of racks and motorcycle makes/models. The cross-over wings create a luggage platform for Dry Bags and gear. Secures to passenger footrest mounts and rides on rear rack and/or pillion seat.
These shiny new bags round out our latest line of limited edition products in orange including the Round the World Panniers (in stock), Kiger Tank Bags (in stock) and MoJavi Saddlebags (coming soon!), so you can color match our Panniers with a Kiger, Fandango or Diablo Tank Bag.
Available for shipping now. For more information and specs visit the Siskiyou Panniers product page.
Helping save precious minutes in life threatening situations! What a brilliant idea: motorcycle paramedics.
ICYMI: Our paramedic motorcycle unit is here to stay! Have a look at it in action.
Posted by Ambulance Victoria on Monday, October 12, 2015
This quick video shows how to pack for two people camping on a motorcycle. By using various modular components from Giant Loop’s Adventure Proof Packing System – and high quality outdoor gear – motorcycle touring 2-up can be fun, safe, comfortable and self-sufficient.
BMW F800GS packed with 2 Rogue Dry Bags, Tillamook Dry Bag, Siskiyou Panniers, Kiger Tank Bag, Pannier Pockets, Bushwackers Hand Guards.
TIP: Passenger should wear a helmet with no visor fro 2-up motorcycle travel and camping!
Lighter weight bulky items such as sleeping bags, pads and tent are packed higher, while heavier items such as tool, spare inner tube, extra fuel, stove, cook kit and food are packed below seat height. Weight is also distributed front-to-back to help prevent a tail-heavy bike with an unsafe light front wheel.
Carrying camping gear for two on a motorcycle is simply with Giant Loop’s modular, customizable Adventure Proof Packing System
Many small compartments are better than fewer larger ones, helping keep gear organized and easily within reach without extra unpacking and re-packing. Have any tips to share with us? Post them in your comments here!
Motorcycle camping set up at Cyrstal Crane Hot Springs
#golightgofastgofar
Here’s how to install Giant Loop’s Kiger Tank Bag, Fandango Tank Bag or Diablo Tank Bag on motorcycles – like the BMW GS models or the Honda CB500X shown in the video – that do not have exposed frame rails. By removing the seat, installing the Tank Bag Harness, putting the seat back down and tightening, the mounting is clean and tidy! #golightgofastgofar
Sandy Borden washes her face in Guatemala! Sandy, her husband Terry Borden and their teenage son Jack are the “Adventure Trio,” and the three of them are riding BMW GS from their home in northern California to the southernmost tip of South America. After a couple of months on the road, the Adventure Trio is in Central America now. Sandy’s using he Fandango Pro Tank Bag?you can see in the photo above – enhanced with a little Guatemalan-style bling. Follow their adventures here.
Thanks BMW Owners News for highlighting the new 100% waterproof Columbia Dry Bag: “Better than top-loading duffels, Columbia Dry Bag opens from both ends, providing quick access to gear without unstrapping the Dry Bag from the motorcycle.”
Cycle World magazine’s Jeff Allen and Sean Klinger recently loaded their adventure bikes – a KTM 1190 Adventure R and a BMW 1200 GS Adventure – with surf boards and went on Baja run, dubbed “Baja 500 Surf & Turf” in the November 2014 issue. They used Giant Loop’s Pronghorn Straps to secure the surf boards to their motorcycles, and as you can see from the photos this wasn’t a sit-down-putt-putt kind of ride!
Here’s what Cycle World wrote about the Pronghorn Straps:
“We used the awesome Pronghorn Straps from Giant Loop (www.giantloopmoto.com) as attachment points to keep springy tension in the tie-downs, which kept the boards snug and secure with little chance of slack developing. A quick test run down the freeway at 80 mph and a few curb and speed-bump jumps as shakedown proved this was the right solution, and we were comfortable with the setup for the trip.”
Local jewelery designer John Paul recently sold his ’70s vintage BMW R90, and he came by the shop with his first dual sport motorcycle, a 1999 BMW F650 Funduro (pre-GS)! He wanted to see which of the Giant Loop Saddlebags and Tank Bags best fit his bike.
After fitting the MoJavi Saddlebag, Coyote Saddlebag and Great Basin Saddlebag on his bike, as well as the Diablo Pro Tank Bag and Fandango Pro Tank Bag, and seeing each one was an excellent option for the F650, the deciding factor was rider choice. So, with what John wanted to pack for his ride, the Great Basin Saddlebag and Fandango Pro Tank Bag delivered the right capacity and features.
The Great Basin Saddlebag mounted easily to the stock tail rack and passenger peg mounts, and the Hot Springs Heat Shield (included with the Great Basin Saddlebag) clamped right over the gap between the stock BMW heat shields, protecting the saddlebag from making any direct contact with the exhaust. To fit the Tank Bag harness, we popped the seat off and looped the side anchor straps around the seat rails of the frame and put the seat back on top of the straps.
Thanks for riding Giant Loop!
Had a blast leading the Giant Loop Gnarly Dual Sport ride, at Rally in the Gorge, last weekend. It included a section of old wagon trail called the Suicide Grade. It wasn’t that suicidal but I had to wonder, when the rain caught up to us and changed things!
The route was, well, gnarly.?Pretty challenging and fun overall, except for the slime section. The?bit of rain that we started with, turned into a down pour and the couple miles of silt road became a slime pit.
Ride West Ambassador Tad and I both ran the same front tire, with the similar results. His 2014 BMW F800GS Adventure was less fortunate that my KTM, and endured a few permanent changes. The Possible Pouches that Tad runs on his engine guards were dirty, but unscathed from the down time. Cant say the same for his brake pedal, which did a rock encouraged u-turn…
The right tool for the cleaning the baked on slime…
Big Bertha was really not happy with her K-60, in the slop we encountered. She had more than one throw down with that stuff and I was glad not to break anything, but my pride.
A big thanks to ADVrider Apple Jam, and everyone else that attended, I can’t wait until next year!!
NORTH OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS COLORADO
Swamp is a serious adventurer who’s ridden all over the Americas on dual sport bikes. Here’s the intro his latest “Mexico to Canada: Solo on the Continental Divide” with the Coyote Saddlebag, Zigzag Handlebar Bag and Pronghorn Straps:
“After having one of my motorcycles confiscated by a band of illiterate, Ecuadorian customs officials in early July 2014. I returned home and started piddling around with my 2007 BMW G650 X Challenge. Changing the oil, oil filter, air filter; installing new tires and some other modifications and tweaks. The bike had previously received no love from me. I just rode it, never washed it, rarely changed the oil, never changed the filters. Every time I rode it I would try to rag the motor out. It never complained. Never boiled over. Never leaked. Anything.
Swamp keeping it the “Go Light, Go Fast, Go Far” way, solo on the Continental Divide Trail
I usually like white bikes but the paint on THIS one (yes, its paint not just white plastics) always bothered me so I sanded the plastics down and put a few coats of green paint on it. The bike seemed to say ?Jeez, finally!? I let it set for a few weeks. Only riding it down to the river a few times to go fishing.
On July 20th I woke up, made coffee and walked outside. It was foggy; pretty thick. ?Ya, I think I?m going to ride the Continental Divide?.
New Mexico mud
Five days later, July 25th both the X-Challenge and I were riding through the border town of El Paso Texas then working our way into New Mexico where we would meet up with the Continental Divide trail near Hurley/ Silver City. As far as planning and preparations went, well; I ?prepared? for maybe two hours. I had some containers for extra gasoline, one pair of socks, one pair of underwear (wearing both ), a rain jacket, batteries, flash light, small air compressor, some tools, a knife, a lighter, harmonica, protein bars, a trash bag and a camping rig the size of a football. Basically the same shit I?ve carried with me for eight or nine years now.”
El Vado Reservoir
“I LOST MY TAG SOMEWHERE ON THE WAY TO CUBA NEW MEXICO. THE TAG IS A BARBER MOTORSPORTS TAG THAT HAS ?SWAMP? AS THE NUMBER. IF YOU FIND IT SEND ME AN EMAIL: SWAMP@ENDUROEARTH.COM”
Here’s Swamp’s comments about the Giant Loop gear in the conclusion of his ride report:
“Giant Loop Coyote bag (www.giantloopmoto.com) : I?ve had this bag for a few years now and its still holding up despite having the hell beat out of it. The Giant Loop guys have treated me well and have always answered the phone and returned my calls and e-mails. Their customer service is excellent and I believe that their products are excellent. The bag is just that, a bag. Put whatever you can fit in it, its not complicated. On this ride I lashed an extra 1/2 gallon of gas to the top of the bag with no problems using a set of pronghorn straps. The Coyote is the perfect size for this ride.. however I found it strange that I rode The American Flesh Eater Route from California to Alabama (1 month ride) using the smallest giant loop bag (the mojavi) but used a larger bag for this ride.”
“Also, the Pronghorn Straps are friggin’ sweet! Probably my favorite “new thingys” for the bike lately.”
End of the Trail
The guys riding big bikes on the WABDR had a time of it, last weekend. Here are pics from their ride, thanks to our friends and advrider.com inmates SOP-Dirtrider, Cyclops, Konflict and Motostay’s Tad Haas for sharing their fun.
ADVMOTO Magazine has a big article where Scotty Bloom, producer of the Baja Rally, wrote about the “Ultimate Riding Machine”, a BMW F800GSA setup with a long list of off road must haves!
He had this to say about Giant Loop’s packing system:
“The Giant Loop Siskiyou soft luggage solution has a few benefits over its hard box counterparts, namely weight and durability, and it passed the waterproof test on our first day in the field. The Siskiyou package comes with a pair of waterproof liners, keeping out even more rain…”
Thanks Scotty!
Giant Loop Rider Jack Broomall is taking part in the historic Cannon Ball Centennial, following the original route taken by Erwin Baker, the original “Cannon Ball”. He is riding a BMW F800GS with Fandango Tank Bag and Tillamook Dry Bag. Jack has ridden cross country a few times before, most notably on his vintage Hodaka, in Two-Strokes Across America.
Quote from the Cannonballproject.com:
“On May 3, 1914, Erwin Baker, a motorcycle racer and enthusiast from Indianapolis, Indiana, left downtown San Diego, California on a twin-cylinder, 7 horsepower Indian motorcycle en route to New York City.”
For more info on the ride and route, check out their site.
http://www.cannonballproject.com/
Follow Jack’s progress on his FB page.
Rob Rickert, owner of Off Road Adventure Academy and Dirt Bike School in Sacramento, took a trip to AZ a couple weeks ago and rode around the Wickenberg area. His BMW R1200GSA was loaded with a Great Basin Saddlebag for the trip. He took a bunch of pics and shared them with us, so I will echo them here! Looks like a hot one, Rob’s temp sensor read 101*F while they were riding.
Thanks for the photos!
Wonder what kind of shiny new Ram-Mount accessory Rob is showing off and is it in the Touratech catalog?
I met Tracy at a RawHyde event in 2012 and learned that there is an appetite for DIRT in all of us. Some, like Tracy, just express it better than the rest. Tracy has devoted her motorcycling skill development and riding experiences to honing her ability to roost dirt and ride big adventure bikes with the best of them. She has been a fixture at North West adventure riding rallies, supporting Touratech and Ride West BMW during events, leading GS rides, plus raising money for Riders For Health, a motorcycle based health care charity.
I am stoked to share the news that Tracy has put Giant Loop’s Summer Lake Hot Springs Overnighter on her schedule and has volunteered?to lead the Ladies Group. ?Thanks Tracy for bringing your skill and experience to our little hot springs ride.
So far, there are six ladies signed up for the event, so if you were on the fence about whether to join us, now you have another reason to get registered!
Details about the 3rd Annual Giant Loop Ride:
* All riders are expected to be self-sufficient and equipped with all tools and supplies needed to be safe and comfortable.
* For your registration fee, Giant Loop is providing food, beverage and commemorative drink ware ? all provided and delivered on private lands.
* This is not a paid guided trip. Riders are free to choose any route they wish to ride, and riders are responsible for all required permits, licenses, etc.
* Route suggestions and GPS tracks are provided free of charge for your convenience.
* We recommend using a SPOT tracker or similar device for self-rescue. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in rural Oregon. There are no support vehicles, and many available routes are far from medical and mechanical help.
* Unpaid volunteers will be available to facilitate forming groups of riders with similar skills, bike types and interests, but riders are responsible for themselves, are free to choose any route they wish to ride and are free to ride with any other riders ? or by themselves as individuals.
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