Agostini vs Hepco Leather Bags

[Eagleguzzi]

New member and Guzzi rider checking in for the first time from the Windy City. Thank you all for your input to the forum, it helped answer a lot of pre purchase questions.

Anyway, brought home a new 2014 Cal 1400 Custom last week and looking for a detachable saddle bag solution. Agostini and Hepco C bar with maybe Buffalo bags seem like the two most available. Not interested in factory bags as I want to occasionally be able to remove them.

Anyone with experience with these two brands, let me know. Thickness, quality of construction and ease of mounting, Thanks!

 

[kiwi dave]

New member and Guzzi rider checking in for the first time from the Windy City. Thank you all for your input to the forum, it helped answer a lot of pre purchase questions.

Anyway, brought home a new 2014 Cal 1400 Custom last week and looking for a detachable saddle bag solution. Agostini and Hepco C bar with maybe Buffalo bags seem like the two most available. Not interested in factory bags as I want to occasionally be able to remove them.

Anyone with experience with these two brands, let me know. Thickness, quality of construction and ease of mounting, Thanks!

I have the Hepco & Becker C-Bow Nevada panniers. Frame is unobtrusive (IMHO) when bags are not fitted. A bit fiddly to unlock them as you have to insert key vertically behind the top of the bag, but that's preferable to others that have the lock on the inside.

I preferred the Nevada version as they were not as wide as the Buffalo, but be careful, some of the H&B dimensions and/or capacity are incorrect. Happy with the quality.

No experience with the Agostini ones.

 

[John L]

New member and Guzzi rider checking in for the first time from the Windy City. Thank you all for your input to the forum, it helped answer a lot of pre purchase questions.

Anyway, brought home a new 2014 Cal 1400 Custom last week and looking for a detachable saddle bag solution. Agostini and Hepco C bar with maybe Buffalo bags seem like the two most available. Not interested in factory bags as I want to occasionally be able to remove them.

Anyone with experience with these two brands, let me know. Thickness, quality of construction and ease of mounting, Thanks!

I have the Hepco Becker Buffalo bags and have been very happy with them. Excellent quality and the leather is much thicker than a lot of bags I've seen and don't sag like some do. So far have stayed watertight although haven't seen that much rain, but did sit outside a motel all night in a downpour with no leaks. Fitted mine to an Eldorado which has a much deeper guard than the Cali so I had to make up some brackets to get them to fit but should go straight on the Custom with no problems as that seems to have the same guard as the Cali. I bought the studded version because they were on sale at the time and the only problem with them is that I've lost a few studs already off of the handles. As Dave said the lock is tucked down behind the bags and is a bit fiddly but not really an issue. Not cheap but I would buy them again.
John

 

[kemorobbie]

i bought the Agostini bags last year and then promptly returned them. The leather quality was the biggest draw back for me. For almost $1000 and they felt thin and cheap, almost plastic.

 

[John L]

New member and Guzzi rider checking in for the first time from the Windy City. Thank you all for your input to the forum, it helped answer a lot of pre purchase questions.

Anyway, brought home a new 2014 Cal 1400 Custom last week and looking for a detachable saddle bag solution. Agostini and Hepco C bar with maybe Buffalo bags seem like the two most available. Not interested in factory bags as I want to occasionally be able to remove them.

Anyone with experience with these two brands, let me know. Thickness, quality of construction and ease of mounting, Thanks!

An update as to the thickness and quality of the Hepco Becker bags. Had the unfortunate experience of sliding the Guzzi down the road at the weekend, doing about 80kph on a wet road hit a greasy patch on way into bend, bike slid approx 40-50 mtrs on left side, slid mainly on rocker cover, crash bar and pannier. The pannier saved a whole ton of damage to rear end of bike and though badly scuffed and with a small hole worn in the top it is still completely usable and the mounting system is untouched, these things are tough, can't recommend them highly enough. bike slid from the red marker around to where it is parked behind the black and white sign on the left hand side opposite the other bike on right hand side, and the Guzzi proved tough as well, restarted no problems and rode it to the bike shop, it's good to have a bike made of metal rather than plastic. The only bits of the bike left on the road were the front indicator lens and half of the fairing deflector.

 

[Zazu]

An update as to the thickness and quality of the Hepco Becker bags. Had the unfortunate experience of sliding the Guzzi down the road at the weekend, doing about 80kph on a wet road hit a greasy patch on way into bend, bike slid approx 40-50 mtrs on left side, slid mainly on rocker cover, crash bar and pannier. The pannier saved a whole ton of damage to rear end of bike and though badly scuffed and with a small hole worn in the top it is still completely usable and the mounting system is untouched, these things are tough, can't recommend them highly enough. bike slid from the red marker around to where it is parked behind the black and white sign on the left hand side opposite the other bike on right hand side, and the Guzzi proved tough as well, restarted no problems and rode it to the bike shop, it's good to have a bike made of metal rather than plastic. The only bits of the bike left on the road were the front indicator lens and half of the fairing deflector.

Yikes! Glad you're OK. I hope not to test mine to the same degree that you've pushed your bags, John, but I echo your support for the H-B Buffalo bags with C-Bow mount. They look great, love the functionality as they pop off easily, and drove home today in the pounding rain; bone dry

 

[Lori]

C-Bow brackets and Buffalo Big bags, are for my Eldo, perfects.
Very good quality leather and strong materials.