Hard shell panniers with sculped concave front

Saw one yesterday, guy wearing yellow helmet that matched his setup. A VFR, year unknown, yellow, with hardshell panniers that had concave fronts, I guess to accommodate legs of passenger.

Coolest thing ever. If I recall correctly, they were panniers that had a hinged top lid. Obviously meant for carrying just some day-tripping gear and maybe a little clothing, a bottle of water, whatever.

Was this the pannier style from Honda in some past year? Was it an aftermarket set?

 

My guess is they are Corbin Beetle Bags. Made by the same Corbin that makes aftermarket seats. Not sure if they're still available.

 

yeah, they have to be the Beetle Bags. From people I have talked to they are heavy being made from fiberglass, the lids prevent anything large from being put in the panniers, the mounting system is complex, and the locks are poorly designed. They are discontinued since forever because they were exorbitantly priced and received poorly for the above reasons. There is no doubt that they look fantastic though!

In short, you are better off going with a Givi or Kappa setup.

 

Yep, that's it. The bike I saw was ridden by a 74 year old who said he had never gotten a speeding ticket in his life. He was equipped, though, wth the latest. His was yellow like the one in the pic above and his helmet matched it perfectly.

One of the other guys in his group, also 74, said he had a whole garage full of bikes, his favorite a red ST, but that it was a cop magnet, because it was red.