Pelican Cases
May 2007
David (Jake) Jakeman, deceased since July 2005, will long be remembered as the eccentric, sometimes contrary but always entertaining owner of the Sagebrush Machine Shop in Milford, Utah. Jake Jakeman claimed for years to have been the first person to mount Pelican Cases as panniers on a KLR650 motorcycle. This could be true although it's such a good idea I feel certain Pelican Cases had been used on other motorcycles before Jake got the idea. Nevertheless, thanks largely to Jake Jakeman, Pelican Cases have shown up on KLR650s often enough to be recognized as a good idea and adapted to other motorcycles as well. Pelican Cases as panniers have appealed to a rather small minority of riders who place value and function over branding and style. To other's, Pelican cases are easily dismissed as too weird (after all they weren't designed for motorcycles) and too inexpensive (in a you-get-what-you-pay-for world, Pelican Cases are quite costly as boxes with handles but dirt cheap as motorcycle panniers). That is they were dirt cheap. Both problems, weird and inexpensive, have been solved by a Boulder, Colorado company Adventure Motorcycle Equipment. This company has combined Pelican Cases and side racks, renamed both the "Caribou Luggage System" and doubled the price over what it costs to do this yourself. Now Pelican Cases are respectable, even showing up on BMW motorcycles. A modest marketing campaign and at least one magazine article, as of this writing, must have gotten a little attention. People once came up to my motorcycle asking if I had Pelican Cases; now they ask if I have Caribou Boxes.

Famously rugged, Pelican cases are ideal for motorcycles and can easily be attached to many side racks by anyone talented enough to figure out where the bag looks good and the ability to drill a few holes in plastic. Pelican Cases are especially suited for use on the excellent quality and not too expensive SW-Motec Quick-detach side racks as bags and racks can both be removed in a few seconds if desired. Personally, I prefer to leave panniers on my motorcycle, using inner cases for carrying contents to my campsite or motel room. There are two Pelican case sizes that seem appropiate for short-range "adventure touring" motorcycles, the 1520 at 25 liters and 1550 at 32 liters (claimed 35 liters by AME but do your own arithmetic). I would consider either size small for serious long-distance travel when a pair of Jesse aluminum cases can hold up to 115 liters total.

1520 and 1550 Pelican Cases from All-Pelican-Cases-4-Less.com

1520
Outside Dimensions: 19-1/4"L x 15-5/8"W x 7-5/8"D
Inside Dimensions: 17.9"L x 12.7"W x 6.7"D (capacity 25 liters)
Empty case price as of May 5, 2007: $84.33 each
Colors: Black, Silver, *Yellow, *Orange, *Desert Tan (* special order)
Shipping Weight: 14 lb. (actual shipping weight for two cases has been less than 20 lbs.)
Price of 1527 fitted Travel Bag for Pelican 1520: $72.93 each
1520 Pelican case and 1527 liner: picture 1, picture 2 (my latest Travel Cases have a red interior).

1550
Outside Dimensions: 20-3/4"L x 17-1/4"W x 8-5/8"D
Inside Dimensions: 18.4"L x 14"W x 7.6"D (capacity 32 liters)
Empty case price as of May 5, 2007: $94.02 each
Colors: Black, Silver, *Yellow, *Orange (* special order)
Shipping Weight: 19 lb.

I prefer the 1520 cases at 25 liters, believing them to have ideal proportions for the KLR650s, DR650 and DL650s I've used them on while the 1550 cases seem overlarge for these bikes. Mostly, though, the 1520 is my favorite because of the excellent liners, called Travel Bags, available from Pelican. These liners are perfectly useful carrying cases themselves. They are expensive at $72.93 (price as of May 5, 2007) but worth the price when compared to alternatives I've seen.

These inner cases are very well made with heavy, coarse-weave nylon, double walled construction over stiff foam padding. They hold their shape. These soft cases come with a bewildering assortment of velcro-attached dividers which are easily removed. The Pelican hard cases open like suitcases. The inner bags are both top and side loading. Access is easy. On the right side, opposite the side stand, I leave the inner bag in place using the side opening with the rectangular hard case lid as a work table. On the left side, which leans toward the ground, I move the soft bag out and lay it on the lid for access. Bonus: a full-sized Rand McNally Road Atlas fits nicely in either hard case lid. After a trip, I remove perishables and set the inner bags on the shelf ready for the next trip. Empty hard cases are fine for day-tripping. On a camping trip to a Bavarian Mountain BMW rally in the mountains south of Taos, New Mexico, the functionality of my first Pelican Cases on a DL650 V-Strom exceeded my expectations.

I find mounting obvious and easy. I fasten the cases in place with double-sticky tape, bungie cords, whatever, until I'm sure I have them in a position I like. I mark one case with a white grease pencil through appropriate holes in the rack. I drill the holes in that case and, after double-checking the fit and position, lay that case on top the other case, back to back, and mark the 2nd case through the holes in the 1st case. Pelican Cases bolt easily to SW Mo-tech, Givi and Happy Trails SU side racks, the three brands I've used depending on availability and whether or not I wanted the cases and racks easily removable. Sometimes I use a belt sander to remove ridges and protrusions from the back of the Pelican Cases so the fit will be snug against the racks, especially on SW-Motech racks which have a lot of flat surface. With the tubular Givi racks, very little sanding is necessary. An alternative to sanding is spacers cut of mud flap material or body washers for spacers. I prefer bolts with rounded heads, mounted with the heads inside; body washers on the inside seem a good idea, self-locking nuts or Loctite is advisable, On Givi racks, two widely-spaced bottom bolts with two closely-spaced top bolts -- determined by existing holes -- have proven durable. I don't find it inconvenient to have Pelican cases bolted to racks. If I did want the cases to be easily detachable I would simply use the SW-Motech racks which can be removed in seconds. Nevertheless, I make the bolted-on option more reasonable by ordering fitted inner soft cases as well.

NOTE: I'm often asked about hardware for making Pelican cases removable from racks. I've never needed such hardware myself, being satisfied with SW-Motech quick-removable racks or Pelican liners for fixed mountings. Users who feel the cases must be removable from the racks may find the following hardware useful (scroll towards the bottom of page): Universal Mounting Kit

I'm not going to praise these Pelican cases too highly. We live in an age of prosperity. People seem to have an insatiable need for specialized equipment and clothing for whatever activity they do. I feel certain there will be resistance to believing gear that wasn't designed for motorcycling can be adequate, much less superior. Further more, at $168.66 for a pair of hard cases, how can this system possibly be acceptable. On the other hand, riders attracted to the practicality of these cases will surely appreciate the value of this do-it-your-self installation. I've just installed Givi side racks and 1520 Pelican cases (silver-colored this time) on my new 2007 DL650 V-Strom. I already had Travel Cases from a prior installation. My cost:

Two 1520 Pelican Cases from Cases4Less with shipping from California to Colorado: $188.62 Givi side racks from my local MC dealer: $146.00 plus tax, no shipping. A few nuts, bolts and washers I already had and my total cost for side racks and cases was $334.62 (Givi side racks for a DL650 and many other motorcycles can be purchased from Twisted Throttle. As of May 2007, Givi racks for the DL650 are $145.98 plus shipping, SW-Motech quick detach side racks for the DL650 are $214.99 plus shipping at Twisted Throttle.)

Had I needed the expensive liners, my cost still would have been only $480.48. Of course, there is one consideration that could be important to people living in more urban areas: the only locking capability I will have, should I need locking, will be pad locks. Where I live and ride, I don't need or want my bags locked. When I use Givi side cases I leave the keys in them for convenience. However, had I needed convenient locking capability, I could have ordered the Caribou System for the DL650 from AME for $765 with shipping (another $100 for soft liners) and the system comes with key operated case locks installed. They also have Internal Case Retention Straps (which you don't need with liners). Some people need the locks but at $865 there are alternatives that might tempt even a Pelican Case enthusiast.

Verle Nelson
Cedaredge, Colorado

Pictures of motorcycles I've owned with Pelican Cases. (Click for enlargement)

2006 Suzuki DR650
SW-Motech side racks

2005 Suzuki V-Strom
Givi sde racks

2004 Suzuki V-Strom
SW-Motech side racks.

2003 Kawasaki KLR650
Happy Trails SU side racks
A friends high-visibility Pelican Case installation and my latest. (Click for enlargement)

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
Givi sde racks

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
Givi sde racks