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Kriega US20 Drypack - Fitting To A Kawasaki Z250SL
Guide Date - 23 March 2017
By Sharon Parker
So - luggage for the Kawasaki Z250SL. If you have read my other articles on luggage for the Kawasaki Z250SL you know I have been struggling to find anything to fit my motorcycle.
Kawasaki Z 250 SL Luggage...All Packed Up...But...
Loading A Kawasaki Z 250 SL For Camping
Despite trying the wait and see approach no one has yet produced a system specific to my bike. I suspect they may never do so. A few after market accessories have become available for the bike but it is indeed a slow process. With a camping trip coming up in June I am running out of time and patience. So it was time to give up on the bespoke and start looking at universal luggage options.
Now Ren will have no understanding about what I have to say next but I want my bike to look nice. "What!?!" you say ",even when buried under tons of camping gear?" Well yes and no. The main thing I want is not to have to carry an ugly frame around on the bike all the time. That was why the Hepco & Becker C- bows so enamoured me. They were unobtrusive when not required to hold luggage.
So with this in mind I commenced yet another search for luggage for my bike. Much internet searching and exasperated sighs later I finally come upon Kriega. Kriega are a Britsh company founded in 1999 and have various luggage options but the system that appealed to me for my bike were the US Drypacks. They describe them thus
The innovative 100% Waterproof tail pack system, Kriega Drypacks universally-fit to any motorcycle and range from 5 to 30 litres capacity.
Used individually or hooked together in various combinations to form modular luggage systems up to 90 litres.
Easy to fit with quick-release hooks attaching to web loops secured to the bike’s subframe.
No additional bungees or rain covers required.
I loved the idea that you could remove them from your bike and the only thing that was left behind were small little web loops that were attached to the bike's subframe. This sounded secure and ideal to my needs. The only down side is that as with any good and innovative product they come with the high end price tag. New the prices range from £50 for the US 5litre to £110 for the US30 litre. For my needs I fancied the Combo US70 which comprises a US30 and two US20s all attached to one another to give you a combined carrying capacity of 70 litres.
I asked other riders what they thought of the Kriega Drypacks and they all rated them highly. I went to J&S to see them in the flesh and stroked them lovingly for a while. However the price just hurt too much and I walked away. I decided I would buy second hand. I am usually good at getting bargains on Ebay however everyone seems to want a second hand Kriega. Second hand prices can be stupid for these things, even going up to near new prices. It seemed prudent to only buy only one Kriega bag at first and see what I thought of it. If I did not like it it would resell easily. I eventually struck lucky when I lovely lady on a Ladies Motorcycle group I am in offered me her partner's second hand almost new Kriega US20 at a great price. Fabulous!!.
Once I had the bag in my possession I simply had to fit it. The paper instructions tell me to remove the bike seat and locate the best mounting areas on the subframe. Ok simples!!!
I remove the back seat and OH!! Where is my subframe??
A distinct lack of available subframe
While the far end of the subframe looks like a problem to be pondered on I decide I will just start with the front. That is going to be easy enough because I will just put it around the nice convenient big piece of metal innards that I can see.
Not exactly the subframe but it looks solid enough so that will do nicely. No - FAIL!!
Ok let me just check how the seat fits on now. OH it doesn't. God dammit. The webbing straps if fitted in this area prevent the seat from locking back into position. Hmm ok, this is not going to be as easy as I had hoped. With a growing number of trail and errors, cut fingers and curses I eventually find a place I can successfully attach the webbing to the subframe of the bike. It was tight as hell and no easy task to try and hook and retrieve the webbing from around the frame.
Once in place this looks simple right. Well do not be fooled by photos. This was a a hell of a job to squash and coax the webbing around the frame .
More scraped knuckles got the second front webbing attached and now to tackle the back. There was even less space to manoeuvre at the back frame. There was the tiniest amount of space to try and get the webbing around the frame. When you pushed it down it would just bunch up and not go through and around to enable you to get to and pull through the other end. The space to work in was too cramped. Fingers simply would not fit. This was frustrating work requiring the tongue to come out (yes I have a most horrendous habit of sticking out my tongue when concentrating hard on something). There was lots of huffing, blowing out of cheeks and head scratching. But I refused to be beaten.
I was not happy with the other option available which it to just lay the webbing under the seat. I did not feel that my tiny back seat would provide enough stability and would probably just rip off under the weight of a sizeable load. No it had to be the frame...somehow. That somehow was provided by by a deftly wielded piece of essential tool kit. The eyebrow tweezer. Yes they were small enough to get into the limited space available and grip the end of the webbing and pull that bugger through and around the frame. HAHA success is MINE!!
Tiny spaces require tiny tools. Tweezers are the way to go
Repeat the task one more time and hooray all straps were finally, YES FINALLY!! securely attached to the subframe of the motorcycle. You can cut the surplus webbing but I wanted to keep the full length intact so I just wound some tape around the ends to tidy them away.
Aww bless look how neat and tidy it all looks who would have believed the amount of blood, sweat and tears needed to create this.
The seat popped on nicely and dah dah all was forgiven because this in one tidy neat way to attach your luggage.
How neat is that then? Note screwdriver clutched tightly in the hand to thrust into the eye of anyone who wants to ask why this simple job took me soooo long.
Now all that remained was for the bag to be attached to the loops via their sturdy alloy hooks. The hooks make the bags very simple to attach and remove.
Looking good. The Kreiga US20 Drypack attached to the Kawasaki Z250SL
Since installing my own Kriega bag I discovered that fitting the web loops to the frame is difficult and a faff for many other bikers. But they all agree, as I do, that the trouble is worth it in the end. The bags will be be far more secure attached to the frame than if the webbing is just laid under the seat So if you can, persevere and fight the good fight and get those web loops attached to your subframe.
I have only done a couple of journeys with the bag so far but so far so good. It is easy to pack and easy to attach on and off the bike. It proved to remain waterproof despite being put to the test in a full day out in torrential rain and even withstanding walls of water being thrown at it by waves as I rode through floods. I am so impressed with the Kreiga Drypack that I am now very tempted to try and purchase more of this luggage to get the 70 combo I had hoped for. This blog is about fitting the Drypack to your bike, in particular the Kawasaki Z250SL. I will review the bag itself once I have had time to use it more.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on Sharon's luggage situation in the comments below. We'd also be delighted to publish tales of your own luggage solutions be they off the shelf or bespoke and hand made. Click Here.
Reader's Comments
Steve Latchy latchford said :-
Mmmmmm interesting that, it has inspired me to do something similar Sharon.
Being reet posh now I have gone and ordered one of them new street triples but I don't think I will be able to get Ventura brackets for it in time for a trip round Spain and France. So although I love the way my Ventura luggage is suspended up and away from the paintwork and mounted in a very sturdy way to the bike i think I am going to venture without Ventura he he.
So a 70 litre bag ( other well known brand ) arrived from Amazon this morning, I have also got to fiddle with straps under bodywork. The only thing is Sharon, what about it rubbing against your paint? I have also ordered some rhino hide to stick over my tail unit to preserve it. I will also be using my throw over panniers to carry my tent and sleeping bag one item in each one, hopefully to help support the colossal roll bag
14/04/2017 14:09:43 UTC
Sharon said :-
Hi Latchy,
The beauty of the Kriega bags is they do not touch the paintwork. They sit on the backseat and therefore do not touch or rub the paintwork. This is even true when you attach side bags to the middle one. They just hang there above the paintwork as if by magic.
Keep watching the website because an update on the Kriega bags will be here soon. It may tempt you to become a Kriega lover. These bags would look lovely on your new bike I am sure.
I always however worry about my shiny green paintwork so just in case I always like to place non slip matting under any luggage. You can pick this up in a roll cheap from most discount stores.This would work well I think under your luggage too.
14/04/2017 17:26:42 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Hi all, I am a Kriega devotee having an R35 backpack and an R3 waistbag. Both are very good and have stood up well to some heavy use. I will eventually get round to buying 40 litres worth of US Drysacks. I went to Belgium last year on my Honda Forza 300 scooter and for this trip (as I have a fair bit of luggagespace under the seat) I just tied a 30 litre Oxford bag (similar to Steve's in his photo) and it suited my needs.I got caught in a bit of rain but the roll-top closure keeps everything dry. The difficulty was finding tie-down points. In the end I dispensed with the ties that came with the Oxford bag and used 2 RokStraps pulled tightly under the seat. I made sure that all the heavy load was under the seat and the dry bag was just stuffed with clothing. Everything stayed in one place but Ican understand Sharon's reluctance not to do the same and use the subframe instead. To protect the paintwork (not that it was really in too much danger) I used some rubber webbing (Oxford products again I think) just to stop any possible marking. I've stumbled across this site and will bookmark it now. It's handy that there's a review of the Diversion here as it's a toss-up whether I go for one of those or a 15-year old spanker of a VFR800 in the next few days. I think the Divvy is going to win because of it's better fuel economy and less expensive consumables like tyres. Got to be practical when you're drawing your pension! I'll let you know how I get on
25/06/2017 22:43:30 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hi Bill Rutter. It's a hard life isn't it, having to choose between a VFR800 and a Diversion (600 I presume?). Terrible problem to have. Hmmmmm...myself? While the VFR has a superb reputation the Diversion is a more than capable machine. The VFRs are complicated and I get the feeling from your comments the Diversion is newer. I'd be leaning towards the Diversion. I'm sure there's plenty out there that will disagree with me.
We'd love to hear how you get on, maybe a picture or two as well.
26/06/2017 15:51:52 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Hi Ren,
The VFR800 I'm looking at is on a 2002 plate so the first of the V-TECs. 20,000 miles ans comes with a full service history of 10 services (the maximum gap between services is around 4000 miles) from the photos I've seen the bike is like new to look at - it really does look well cared for. However it's a private sale and the bike is nearly 100 miles away. I was going to organise a professional bike inspection but I can only find one on the internet (halfway between me an the bike as it happens) but he only works Tuesday -Thurs (good eh?) and is booked up for weeks. I am away next week on holiday. I haven't contacted the seller yet, and to be honest I'm in a bit of a quandary what to do. I won't get to see the bike for at least a fortnight now so it could well be gone by then. That said a comprehensive look around various website throws up some good VFRs elsewhere - some much newer with less miles and for not that much more cash.
The Yamaha is indeed a 600 and is on a 2010 plate so is one of the first of the latest incarnations of Divvy. 3250 miles on the clock and like new (according to the dealer who actually sold the bike originally and the owners are regular customers.
I have weighed up each bike and both have their value to me. The VFR will carry me comfortably on European tours but the Yamaha is more useful and perhaps forgiving 'everyday' and will still cut it touring-wise. But I like the VFR (that's my heart speaking) but a little voice......Yamaha. I'll keep you posted :)
27/06/2017 23:39:10 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Oh the nightmare of making a decision!
28/06/2017 10:03:29 UTC
Latchy said :-
Thanks Bill I have bought two pairs of long and one pair of short ROK straps
On your recommendation
Impressed very much with them
28/06/2017 11:47:27 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Update: Yamaha now sold unfortunately so it looks like my quest will have to wait until I come back from Brittany. The good thing as I've found that there are loads of very nice, well looked after bikes out there and some real bargains if you are prepared to look (and also keep an open mind). I'm not a Boy Racer (never was) so the latest GSX-R would be wasted on me. When you consider a Diversion can do 130+ but outdo most sportsbikes day-to-day it's worth looking past the latest fashionable bikes.
28/06/2017 21:04:58 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
The RokStraps are good aren't they Steve? Much better (and safer) than bungee straps. They don't take up much room under a seat so if you're out and about and find you need to carry something or hold something coming loose on the bike they are very handy.
28/06/2017 21:10:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Back from Brittany? Gosh life is sure tough Bill Rutter. Yes the advantage of modern motorcyclists is that they only cover a couple of thousand miles a year and replace their bikes often. This means there's some delightfully low mileage and very clean models available second hand at reasonable prices. There's a lot to choose from.
What are you looking for in a bike? I'm asking because I'm curious as to why the VFR or the Divvy. Why not SV650, ER650 or CBF600? Why not go small say 250 or large say 1,000?
30/06/2017 07:47:46 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Before I answer your question Ren can I tell you I'm now back from Brittany after a lovely relaxing week or so. I kept up to date with bikes as much as my little wifi connection allowed while out there and sorry to say that (much as I expected) the VFR has been sold now too. I have a feeling it was a good'un and on this occasion I could have bought it without examination....it really looked that good. I know I know - that's not the way to buy a bike but I just had a gut feeling that it was all genuine and seemingly so it has proved. Now then, to your question. I have indeed looked at the SV650, Kawasaki ER-6F and the CBs from Honda. I've done a bit of research and much of what I want revolves around comfort, economy and reliability. Most modern bikes from the Japanese offer the latter so no worries there but there is also my heart ruling my head about a lot of it. I just like the look of the VFR (the 2002 V-TEC onwards until the major upgrade a few years ago) I don't mind the underseat exhaust as I'll be using Kriega bags on the seat - I'm not a fan of panniers. I've found a very nice 2005 example which is a clone of the one I missed out on with only 4500 miles on it from a Honda dealer. At another Honda dealer nearer to home I've found a 2011 CBR600F with 3000 miles underit's belt. It comes at the top-end of the price I'd expect to pay but here's (matbe) the deal-maker. In addition to the HISS security system the previous owner has added a remote controlled Datatool alarm/immobiliser. Other extras are a tail tidy, crash bungs, paddock stand bobbins, carbon protection for tank and fuel filler. It also has an Akrapovic exhaust end can. It looks from the dozen or so photos to be in excellent fettle (as does the VFR mentioned earlier) The CBR could be a bit of a steal. My next bike purchase is going to have to last a few years and both could well fit the bill. I like Honda build quality and as my bikes are parked outside this has a big bearing on my decision. THe SV650 seems to be a good bike but there are question marks as to some of it's budget build so I've discounted it. The ER-65F is a contender but it doesn't set my heart racing. The new model does (the 650 Ninja) but I'm not going down the Brand New route again. I've consider seriously a BMW F800GT but I've had my fingers burned with Beemer dealer servicing prices before (and you really do need to keep the Service Book stamped properlyon that marque in my opinion) So there you are - my choices don't really follow a theme other than I don't want anything less than 500cc (but there's nothing there that takes my fancy) or anything too tall or heavy like a lot of litre plus bikes are. So it's somewhere between 600cc and 800cc for me. I have no need for commuting now, this is purely for pleasure in my retirement years. European jaunts beckon - I've caught the bug) They say youcan tour on anything and I'm sure you can but why do it the hard way?
14/07/2017 23:18:02 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
Hi Bill.
I personally wouldn't consider a datatool an "improvement". I had one fitted to my Tiger 955i and ended up removing it (not a trivial task) as I knew of several other Tiger owners who'd ended up immobilised themselves.....
16/07/2017 10:27:45 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I'm getting your reasoning Bill Rutter. Now you've been back a while have you had chance to get out and look at the bikes in question?
As for immobilisers - they're great until they go wrong. I had to give up on a cheap car I had a while back as fixing the original factory fitted immobiliser would have cost much more than the car was worth. It's a catch 22 - if immobiliser systems were easy to fix or bypass this would defeat the purpose of an immobiliser in the first place. "Original equipment" factory fitted immobilisers tend to be *fairly* reliable but I too have heard many horror stories regarding aftermarket alarms and immobilisers.
Urgh. No immob = easy to steal, with immob bloody expensive to fix.
19/07/2017 16:26:00 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Well Ren, after a little while back from France I've spent a bit of time (probably too much according to my missus) perusing 'Bikes for Sale' pages, reviews etc. Finally on Thursday I spent a bit of time cleaning and polishing my scooter ready for a trip to Coulsdon and Chiswick to see the CBR and VFR I mentioned in my last post. I was keeping a very open mind about it all although insurance quotes on 'Go Compare' weren't that good on the CBR despite it's Datatool protection. The Akrapovic exhaust and sporty rear end seems to have given the impression that I am a 62-year old tearaway! Quotes were double the VFR in some cases. Then late on Thursday evening an even nicer VFR came up in Chelmsford (a good two hours away) 2009, one owner, 3,500 miles. I was torn again. I'll sleep on it......
......Friday morning dawns, up bright and early. A quick look to see all bikes are still on the various websites leads to another avenue that was always on the back burner. A local Kawasaki dealer in Worthing sometimes has a bargain. I hadn't checked for a week or so but here I found a ER-6f on a '65' plate with one previous owner and low mileage. It comes with a top-box and rack (which I don't want - Kriega bags for me from now on) The dealer gave me money off and will put hand rails back on.
I weighed everything up in my mind (locality of dealer especially if things go wrong, cheaper insurance, almost new bike compared to the others with decent performance and economy plus rather gushing praise from a mate who loves his 2014 bike) I took the plunge and made the call - 2 hours later the deal had been struck. 465 miles on the clock and the bike still to have it's first service. I got nearly what I asked for my Honda but when I saw I was getting a virtually brand spanking new bike I knew I wasn't going to be able to knock them down on price - and to be honest my haggling skills are not very good anyway. Obviously the first service is now being done free anyway and I've saved on a £150 service that was due on the scooter as that will be done now by the dealer prior to being sold. So there we are, I'm very happy as I had considered this model before but then went looking for a bargain elsewhere. The bike rides well and stops and starts as it should. I've ridden my mates bike and this obviously feels much the same as I remember. I have to wait until sometime next week to pick it up as that service has to be organised but I'm expecting to have it by Tuesday - Wednesday at the latest. I'm considering whether to get the tail-tidy but I have definately opted to buy a seat cowl and crash bobbins. That'll do for now. I've taken on board the views about immobilisers so won't go down that route. If I can work out how I will post some pictures when I get the Kawasaki home. I'm feeling rather chuffed with myself this evening.
21/07/2017 23:07:24 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Just a little info...465 miles - it's not ex-demo but when I asked what the score was I was told that a guy buys 3 or 4 bikes a year from this dealer. He keeps a couple but some he falls out of love with or they don't suit him so he brings them back and so it goes on. This leads to quite a bit of loss financially so he must have a bit of money. He traded the ER-6f in for a ZZR1400 with all the luggage and gizmos. Somebody in the market for a low-milage mile muncher could be in luck!
21/07/2017 23:17:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
That's fantastic news Bill! The ER6F is a cracking bike and finding one with just 465 miles on it is the ideal way to buy. It's a brand new bike minus the brand new price. I'm really really chuffed for you. To be honest I'm a bit envious, you're a scabby git.
If you're struggling to upload pictures you can drop them to me via email. Even better if you feel the need to write about the new bike I'll publish it as an article on here.
Sharon and I were in Worthing (Ferring actually, just down the road) last weekend. MY father lives there so next time I'm down there we should meet up for a brewski.
22/07/2017 12:52:36 UTC
Bill Rutter said :-
Heh heh...I'll see your 'scabby' and raise you a 'patient'. Actually that's not strictly true as I faffed about a fair bit and something always seemed to come up when I decided 'tomorrow is going to be the day'. I just got lucky here but in a way it illustrates how there is a decent buy out there if you are willing to give it a bit of time. If things had gone differently and I'd still had the scooter in say, October, it wouldn't have been a major problem. Winter would have come and maybe that would have brought a good bike too as peoplelooked to sell an unused bike. So I wasn't unduly worried that something wouldn't turn up eventually. What was it now, let me think - without going to view a bike within the last 5 weeks I have found 6 excellent buys without leaving the comfort of my armchair and all with the criteria that I perhaps craved most in that they were well cared-for examples. The internet is a wonderful tool. I remember lots of wasted miles chasing imagined bargains back in the day. It is so much easier now. I'll take you up on that offer of a pint or cuppa.
22/07/2017 22:30:14 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Yeah the internet has changed a lot of things. Some for the good and some for the bad like anything else. Now hurry up and get the Kwakker - I think I'm more excited than you!
23/07/2017 08:03:29 UTC
Keith m said :-
Thanks for the review. Just put my order in. Did bulk initially at the price. Will be playing hunt the subframe on my z300 next weekend.
24/03/2018 19:38:27 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Good luck with the subframe hunt Keith. Do let us know how you get on - with a picture or two as well.
26/03/2018 08:45:45 UTC
David said :-
Hello Sharon!
I want to thank you for writing this. I know damn well I couldn't have installed this drypack without your help.
Cheers
13/09/2022 17:50:38 UTC
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