The guy in California who was offering me a brand-new-in-box pair of MC Resources racks came up with a price that was a bit high for me: after factoring in the shipping cost, I could almost have bought some new ones from the States. So I politely declined.
Then a pair of branded Triumph panniers and frame rails came up on eBay. I put in a bid, and was quite surprised to get them for just over £70. The frame rails are as new, and the bags are a little grubby, but perfectly serviceable, and will probably come up well with a bit of soapy water and a nail brush. Bear in mind that the frame rails are about £110 the pair, and the bags new from a Triumph outlet are priced at £166.99, and you will see why I am quite pleased with the result. I've saved about £200 over the retail price of new kit.
Note we work on the three-bin system here: normal waste, recyclables, and The Week After Christmas.
The bags look better than I thought they would, although they are quite small; more for looking stylish on the occasional day out, rather than serious touring bags, but I'm wondering whether or not to keep them. Whatever, I am keeping the rails and have put the bags back onto eBay, on a 7-day auction. I hope to make most of my money back on them, and then look around for some bigger bags later on. I am keeping them on the bike for the time being, and who knows - I may keep them after all. I have a week to decide.
I'm going up to Cardiff with the local Triumph Owners' Club tomorrow, for the Cardiff Motorcycle Show, so I will use them to carry my sandwiches and a flask of tea, and see how they go.
Classic and vintage bikes from Britain, Europe and Japan, trade stalls, autojumble, club stands - should be a great day.
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