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Close call with an emu, field repairs and bags “tough as guts” – great email from Giant Loop rider Jack of Perth, Western Australia! Thanks for fantastic pics and story.
Hey fellas,
Just got back from a 10,000km solo trip from Western Australia thru the Great Victoria Desert to Uluru (Ayres Rock), down the Oodnadatta & Strezleki Tracks to Tibooburra, then to Albury & up to the New South Wales Snowy mountains, Victorian high country & back to WA, about 10000Km, all on my KTM950 Adventure, equipped with your Siskiyou Panniers & Diablo Tank Bag.
I gotta say, I gave the panniers a floggin’ & they’re still hangin’ in there, cos very early in the trip, I lost the 2 heat shields & the muffler burnt a hole in the right bag & the dry bag as well, but whilst in Kalgoorlie, I managed to patch em up with some hundred mile an hour tape & with some rough bush craft, new hose clamps & some aluminium angle, I fashioned a new heat shield, I was back on the trail in no time flat. Just wished I’d paid as much attention to securing the original heat shields as did doing the patch up job !!!! ?Lesson learnt : Lock wire your hose clamps so they can’t come loose.
So, all was going very well till about 50Km west of Tibooburra, NSW, I had a very close call with an Emu ( like an Ostrich), fortunately not knocking me off, but as I glanced it, the left pannier took the full brunt breaking the plastic D ring, but amazingly not the webbing off the lower front side strap that goes onto the footpeg mount assembly. All at about 120Kmh, I didn’t have time to shit myself it happened that quick.
Anyway, ?all in all the bags worked great for me & were easily big enough to carry all I needed & did everything I asked of them & more, right from the desert to the snowy mountains & back. Great product fellas, they’re as tough as guts.
Jack
Perth, Western Australia