Oxford First Time Panniers - Review

48 litre capacity panniers on a budget with Oxford's usual high quality and easy fitting means it is more affordable than ever to add luggage to your motorcycle and get away for a little while

Simple Panniers

Initial Thoughts

The first time range by Oxford is aimed at those looking for a cheap and cheerful way to add luggage to their bikes without the expense of a more high-end range and while the price is kept low the product quality is as you would expect from an Oxford product, we managed to store enoguh clothing for 2 people touring for a week in both bags while extended and only the footwear was stored in the top box to keep weight down at the back, impressive stuff for less than £60. In the box you get both expandable panniers, a couple of straps and rain covers and a good looking product that does not look out of place on a sportbike - even a race rep like mine.

Construction

Made from a tough Nylon fabric the Oxford First Time Panniers are able to take a good amount of stuffing without feeling flimsy or like they are likely to break at the seams, we literally rammed our clothing in and relied on the strength of the zips and the tension straps to keep everything tight and in place, fitting could not be simpler with 3 substantial velcro straps that fit over and under the seat and along with the additional adjustable straps they never moved around on the bike while riding - even while we had a little fun with a solo rider in the twisties around Normandy.  The addition of rain covers is nice and adds reassurance that if the wet weather comes your clothes will stay protected but we did not have to use them once and the panniers remained dry and secure even going through rain spells and the inevitable spray on the motorways.

On the side of each pannier is a soft and smooth padded area that comes in very handy indeed when you lose your webbing and this ensures that your paintwork remains unscratched throughout the journey, once they are secure though they really do not move around that much and as aresult the bike sustained no scratches or other injury from them.

A few different inner pockets would have been a welcome addition though as the full length pocket held all the small items you take with you and had anything have broken it would have been nice to segregate them all beforehand - thankfully everything remained intact, similarly the external pockets are a little bit too shallow to hold much, an expansion zip on those would have made them supremely helpful but I am really just nitpicking.

Dimensions: Length : 39cm Width Unexpanded : 23cm Width Expanded : 32cm Height : 25cm