Home
Sharon's Biking Blog
Street Fighter To Laid Back Tourer
Blog Date 26 December 2024
Continuing from The Tourer Transformation Continues...
One particular addition to the bike I was really excited about, OK, I have been excited about them all but this one was a big one for me, the pannier rack. Never having been able to have panniers for the Z250SL after the misfortune of the promised C-Bows from Hepco & Becker, I was really thrilled when I was able to source a pannier rack for the Z400.
The Z400 came already been fitted with a Shad top box and rack. Shad also make a soft pannier adaptor kit specifically for the Z400 - happiness! The kit was for soft or semi rigid panniers which was my preference over hard luggage anyway. Shad's website claimed the side panniers were simple to attach and are fitted to the arm of the top box frame.
A bolt-on frame for Shad's luggage
Shad went on to say that the kit easily allowed any compatible pannier to be fitted securely and ensured that the panniers fix tightly to the side of your bike and do not 'flap' under the tail when riding or cornering.
After doing my usual research XLmoto was offering the kit and panniers cheaper than direct from Shad themselves. I ordered both the Soft Pannier Adaptor kit at a cost of £47.29 and my panniers of choice - the Shad E48 Expandable Semi Rigid Saddle Bags - 46-58 Litres at £107.99. The ordered items arrived quickly and now it was just a case of SIMPLY attaching them.
Hmmm Houston we have a problem. The actual pannier holder fitted onto the frame with no issue.
Fitted as per Shad's instructions.
The issue was that the pannier would not then go onto the frame on the side that the exhaust was on because the exhaust was in the way and prevented the pannier from sliding onto the frame easily. Even after the fight to get the pannier on the frame the bag then just sat there actually touching the exhaust. Note in the image above how close the frame is to the exhaust.
Now I know I have the Akrapovic exhaust rather than the standard but looking at photos it does not appear to be any higher than the original. I looked at Shad's website to see what exhaust was on the bike in their pictures. Hmm the pictures do not show any exhaust. Well therein lies the problem. It would appear that Shad forgot that motorbikes have an exhaust on at least one side. So after hours of trying to find a solution Ren and I gave up. It looked like it was simply a no-goer the holder and the panniers would have to be returned. I really don't have much luck do I with luggage on bikes.
However, not one to be defeated easily I researched various solutions via the idea of heat shields or heat resistant materials to place between the bag and the exhaust but no, it was just too tight, there wasn't a mm of space to be had between the exhaust and the pannier. It just wasn't going to work that way.
Another day saw me back at it and trying to find a way to make the panniers fit on the Z400. Sometimes fortune favours the never give up types and after a further few hours of trying this then that I suddenly found a solution. It is a botch, it is not how it was supposed to be, but it worked. Not perfectly but adequately.
I swapped the left holder to the right and rotated it 180 degrees. See pics below.
Frame from the opposite side flipped around.
The panniers are now going onto the frame backwards, so it's not as easy a glide as it should be. They should have gone onto the frame from the back of the bike towards the front. Now they have to go from the front to the back. It still takes a bit of jiggling and messing to get the pannier over the exhaust side but once on it fits just fine. The pannier will now fit onto the rack and give me just enough clearance from the exhaust.
When things go wrong at work with the computers I usually just press lots of different buttons in the hope one will fix the problem and usually it does. When your luggage system that was supposedly made for your bike does not fit your bike you just spend days scratching your head and turning the frames every which way until dah dah! I send Ren a video of my achievement to prove we now have a solution, of sorts.
We have a few test rides with the panniers in place and all is good. No flames, no smell of burning. We also take off the cowl and replaced it with the pillion seat. The cowl may look nice and sporty but Etsuko is now a touring machine. The panniers are further secured by straps which I place both under and below the seat. They hold up and have no sagging even when fully loaded.
Wahoo success at last.
It fits!
With over an inch of air gap.
Further purchases include a Shad top box liner at £34, which will make transporting any contents within the topbox to the tent/pod etc nice and easy, and some dry bags for the panniers which speak for themselves. But if you do need me to explain then the panniers are not waterproof. They come with stupid so-called waterproof covers that pull over the bags but these, in my opinion, are useless at keeping anything dry and also hazardous if they fly off. So the drybags will keep all the pannier contents dry and also like the top box liners make transport from bike to accommodation easy. I do not intend to take the panniers off at the end of each day touring because for one it is fiddly due to it being a bit of a botch and secondly the panniers are usually covered in dirt and mud.
The final luggage purchase was a Lomo 40L holdall bag for £36 that straps onto the back seat, which will give me all the carrying capacity I need.
Load em up cowgirl
The final job on the bike was to shorten the sidestand. We did not want to just cut the original in case it went wrong and then end up with no workable side stand for the bike so I purchased a second hand side stand for £19.99. Ren did a great job at shortening the stand to the perfect length.
So there you have it a Kawasaki Z400 transformed to a perfect touring machine for a vertically challenged elf.
I could not be happier with my Kwak tourer. We took her out for a test fully loaded and it was an absolute pleasure to pack. No fighting for space, no pulling on straps to ratchet the bags down and no worrying is it all balanced. Everything I needed just quickly and neatly disappeared into the various luggage options.
Touring has proved to be an absolute pleasure now. Not only is the luggage system just so much more easier to pack and unpack from but the bike itself... oh what a joy this bike is! She handles like a dream both with and without the luggage. Yes I notice the extra weight she carries compared the 250 when I have to manoeuvre her but on the road
-WOW just wow. The extra weight there makes me feel more planted and this gives me more confidence in the bends. The twin engine is just so smooth hence riding seems less tiring and she is more comfortable on my wrists, shoulders and neck.
I thought the Kawasaki Z250SL was the right bike for me. The Kawasaki Z400 has proven me wrong. Etsuko feels like the right bike for me now. The perfect touring and adventure package that I feel so at home on.
Bring on those bends, bring on those adventures the Z400 is ready and able.
The new Z400 Touring.
Advertise here - contact ren@bikesandtravels.com
Reader's Comments
nab301 said :-
Sharon , looks like a great solution from the fixing point of view and also it looks perfect aesthetically, hopefully Shad paid you for all the development work....
Nigel
21/01/2025 14:48:34 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Good result. The RHS pannier on my Tiger had a big groove in it which wrapped around the silencer so reducing its capacity to a couple of pairs of socks....
21/01/2025 15:02:52 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nicely worked through.
Where there's a will there's a way.
Alternatively if at first you don't succeed, go to the pub.
Upt.
21/01/2025 16:15:27 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
You now have a great touring set up.
I note that you feel that the 400 is a better option than the 250.
Are you starting to realise that bigger is better?????
21/01/2025 20:56:40 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
ROD! Don't tell her bigger is better...
21/01/2025 21:05:02 UTC
Bogger said :-
It's nice when you've honed your touring kit so it actually works. It does make setting up camp a lot easier, less fraught and quicker.
You've obviously got a lot of patience, you do have Ren after all.
Bogger
21/01/2025 21:15:52 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Ren, I am not telling Sharon anything ( I wouldn't dare ).
I was just asking the question??? ❓❓
21/01/2025 21:43:57 UTC
Sharon said :-
I have always been a champion of small as you all know. Small has served me well for over 10 years of riding.
But you never stop learning and yes I have to say that for me it does seems that a twin is smoother than a single and err go on girl admit it..bigger feels better.
That is not to say that small is not fun. Small was my first love and will always have a piece of my heart. Dirt back lanes are made for a 125 I have no doubt about that. You can tour on a 125 or a 250 I have proven that.
I would not choose to take the 400 down dirt tracks, although when following Ren that's where we usually end up. But yes I would choose the 400 for touring.
I am sure there are many bikes more suited to touring than an aggressive looking sports naked. However the Kawasaki Z400 is my bike and therefore for me that's my bike of choice. Like a glass slipper on Cinderella's foot, we just fit.
25/01/2025 00:25:50 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Sharon, I am pleased that you have found a bike that you just fit. Different bikes have different abilities as you say, and it's all about finding which compromise you can live with.
Enjoy the tours, and keep bringing us the written content from yourself and Ren. Thanks.
25/01/2025 08:22:45 UTC
nab301 said :-
I was in a local dealer last week and tucked away in the corner was what looked like a Z400 although on closer inspection it had a Z500 sticker on the side panel , very confusing , I guess the Z400 has been superceded?
Nigel
27/01/2025 16:07:48 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
There is more information coming regarding the new Z500 in the not TOO distant future nab301. Essentially it is a Z400 though with a few minor cosmetic changes and a now 451cc engine... so really it's a 450 like my 500 is a 470.
27/01/2025 16:12:49 UTC
Bros Steve said :-
Outstanding work and great photos to boot.
Is the cloth behind the bracket to stop scratching or cos the bracket doesn't fit tight enough>
31/01/2025 11:06:07 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The cloth is in fact kitchen roll. As Sharon (and I a bit) were experimenting the brackets were on and off and on and off and on and off time and time again. There was a lot of sliding up and down too. Rather than scratch the backbox bracket arms we started putting the kitchen roll in there to protect the paint - nothing more nothing less Bros Steve. Once Sharon was satisfied with the positioning we removed the roll and tightened things up accordingly.
31/01/2025 14:55:15 UTC
BrosSteve said :-
Fair point Ren. I was just curious as it is the type of thing I would do
02/02/2025 20:41:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks BrosSteve. Sharon is EXTREMELY particular about the state of her bikes whereas I'm more lob it on there and gerrit dun. It scares the living bejeez out of me working on her bike as I'm terrified of slipping a spanner and leaving a scratch. My chafed knuckles would be nothing to the pain of hearing Sharon's wails of derision while beating me to a pulp.
02/02/2025 20:52:51 UTC
BrosSteve said :-
I too am particular where bikes are concerned but fortunate that I have one that is well serviced mechanically but has spent its life outside so tend to use that in bad weather.
03/02/2025 10:52:28 UTC
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)
Upload an image (not required) -
Uploading...
Home
Sharon's Biking Blog