108 liter Jesse Odyssey Bags and 45 liter Top Box provides significantly more storage than stock BMW bags.
The Top Box mounts onto the Jesse Rear Compartment, which itself holds 6 liters.
The Top Box makes a decent backrest for the pillion, and the extra space it affords makes 2-up travel and camping a bit more doable.

In keeping with this year’s theme of comfortable motorcycle camping, it’s important to note that comfort does assume one important capability: carrying all the stuff that makes you comfortable. As a Jesse aluminum bags owner for over 5 years, the new Odyssey product line came immediately to mind for a new product review. This test covers the bags designed to fit the oilhead GS models, however, almost everything here can also be said about the bags for the airhead GS bikes as well. And stay tuned for announcements about models for the F650 and other BMW models. Al Jesse has been very busy over the winter!

Say what you want about them – beautiful/ugly, functional/funky, boxy/big – in my mind, the primary benefit of Jesse Luggage Systems’ aluminum bags is the ability to carry a lot of stuff without compromising the handling dynamics of your motorcycle.

A key benefit of Jesse bags is that they fit closely to the bike and place the weight as low as possible.
This allows them to hold more while actually being narrower than the BMW factory luggage.
Note: the Top Box latch shown is pre-production. Shipping units will use the same latches as the boxes

The reason for this is a well-rationed design that keeps the weight of your gear as close as possible to the bike’s centerline and as low as possible without affecting cornering clearance. Jesse’s new products carry on this tradition, and feature a number of evolutionary improvements that make your life as a motorcycle tourist much easier.

Strong stuff

The bottom sections of the Jesse Odyssey bags are constructed of 2mm-thick sheet aluminum that is bent and welded into shape. The angular shapes add structural rigidity compared to square boxes… and the Odyssey bags are extremely strong. The 5-year old set that I have on my R80 G/SPD are a testament to this strength, having survived tens of thousands of miles of ground pounding while fully loaded, and on more that one occasion, fully fallen-down!

In fact, key aspects of the bags’ strength have been improved with the Odyssey line. The mounting system, first seen on the Jesse Millennium products sold over the past two years, is a major step up in both quality and appearance. The mounts are constructed of thick, precision laser-cut steel stock and attach to the factory’s bag mounting points on the R1150/1100 GS. The bags are further supported at the front by beefy welded steel tube brackets that attach to the frame loops that support the passenger footpegs, and at the rear by a thick steel plate that acts as a brace between the upper mounts. When the bags are removed the mounts are only slightly more visible than the factory bag mounts. The mounts are much more discrete than first generation bags for the oilhead models and are finished quite nicely.

The bags attach to their mounts with an elegant and robust mounting system featuring two cam-locking lugs that mate very precisely with slots cut into the mounts. These lugs are then secure tightly with ergonomic finger-pull handles. According to Jesse, the cam-lock mounting lugs are rated for loads up to 125lbs, but don’t put that much in them or you’ll never get the bike on its centerstand! The front of the boxes mate to the forward frame mounts with a slot cut into a very rugged Teflon® block.

The Top Box mounts to the rear luggage rack using the Jesse Rear Compartment. These two things together make for a very handy amount of storage space that is extremely easy to add or remove as your carrying requirements vary. The Top Box attaches to the Rear Compartment using four allen bolts. The Rear Compartment, which can be used alone, is attached to the frame using the two bolts that hold the grab handle to the frame plus two more bolts that pass through the slot in the rear of the frame. To accommodate the Rear Compartment, the grab handle must be turned in the opposite direction, which doesn’t prohibit the use of the GS’ passenger seat section, but does require that you flex the plastic tool box cover slightly to remove it, which is not a big hassle. Placing the grab handle in this position will, however, makes it impossible to use some of the fancy aftermarket toolbox covers available.  

Huge capacity without the width

The bags hold 108 liters, slightly more in the right-hand bag than in the left, which features a cutout slot to accommodate a range of exhaust pipes. The purpose of this slot is to allow the left-side bag to mount closer to the bike’s centerline, and to maintain a symmetrical arrangement on the rear of the bike. In past models, this cutout was shaped so that it only fit around the stock factory exhaust. The new wide slot may cut a liter or two from capacity, but is a welcome departure because it allows greater flexibility for fitting aftermarket pipes. It also provides a significant reduction in internal heat in the left bag, which hasn’t completely disappeared, but it is much better than before. You still need to pack accordingly, and if you’re going to carry chocolate bars, check out some of the insulation material available on the after market.

A close-up of the latching mechanism, handle, hinge and lock (which is covered with a plastic cap to prevent entry of water and dirt).
The hinge is pre-production and will be made from  heavier-gauge material on the bags that Jesse will ship.

The Top Boxes are available in 32-, 45- and 65-liter sizes, with the latter size available only available mounted over the pillion position. 65 liters is a lot of storage space and Al is concerned that an unknowledgeable rider may over-load it, placing too much weight too far rearward and causing an unstable handling condition. The 32- and 45-liter box will hold a single helmet. The Rear Compartment holds an additional 6 liters, and is an ideal place to hold tools, tent pegs, camp shovels and other bits of hardware.  

At just 33" wide (5" narrower than stock), the bags are narrower than the GS handlebars, and nearly as narrow as the cylinders. This makes them ideal for threading your way past trees and rocks on your way to that ideal campsite. Additionally, the bag bottoms are angled inward, which allows a lower placement without compromising cornering clearance. This feature also adds significant structural rigidity. Some riders have criticized the fact that the front lower sections of the bags angle rearward, citing a waste of storage space. The purpose of this design becomes immediately apparent the first time you find yourself paddling with your feet through mud or loose sand… those slots are there to make room for the rearward motion of your legs.  

New features, few compromises

The most significant new feature of the Odyssey bags is the new lid system. One major criticism that many riders made about the first generation Jesse bags was that the opening at the top was rather narrow, which made the boxes difficult to load and unload, especially if you used bag liners. The second-generation Millennium product solved this problem with a completely new style of opening that made is much easier to load and unload, as well as store your helmet (on some sizes). However, this style of opening compromised one of my personal favorite Jesse bag features: the ability to use the bags’ lids as a table in times when you’re out in the woods (or on the side of the road) and there is no other flat surface available.

The new bags feature a new, wider top opening that makes them much easier to load.
Jesse will be offering a system to strap things into the lids, which also make excellent table surfaces when open.
Finger pulls along the bags’ inside edge don’t interfere with bag contents, and make it easy to mount and dismount the bags.
The Top Box holds a standard full-face helmet.

The Odyssey bag lids with larger openings are the ideal solution, in my opinion. The lip of both the lid and the lower section are now the same size, which significantly widens the lower opening for loading. It is now quite easy to place a small suitcase inside without squeezing or shoving. The top lid mates over the ½" lip of the bag lower section, with a stout rubber gasket making the seal between the two pieces water- and dust-proof. 

On the Ride to Redmond, I was able to test the bags in a daylong rain ride and the bags did not leak.

Due to the close fit of the mounting system and the volume-increasing shape of the lids, you must use a Jesse-supplied spacer kit to in order to place the seat in its lower position. According to Jesse, this increases overall width by approximately ¾". The spacers were not available at the time this test was written, so I checked the fit with a couple other after-market seats mounted in the high position. I found that the Russell Day-long model fits when mounted in the high position, but the Corbin saddle will rub with the rider seated, so you will need the spacers for the Corbin even when mounted in the high position. The rear section of the stock and Russell saddles fit with the Rear Compartment mounted, but I didn’t have access to the rear section of the Corbin saddle to check. My conjecture is that it will hit the grab handle because the Corbin uses a differently shaped seat pan. Check with Al before ordering.

Another minor niggle is that you must open the left-side bag in order to insert the key into the lock that secures the seat and toolbox cover. This can be a pain if you use a U-bag on top of your Jesses.

One feature that was not available for testing, but will be included on shipping bags is a spring steel device that allows you to pack the lids of the bags, providing maximum space utilization. Plus, as in past models, there will be optional racks available that mount atop the lids that provide a lashing point for U-bags or duffels.  

Quality throughout

Over the past 5 years, Al Jesse has invested a lot of time in refining his basic design and his effort shows. Top-quality stainless steel fasteners with Nylok nuts are used throughout. The mounting system is first-rate in terms of fit & finish, the latching closure mechanisms for the lids are very rugged, and the bags themselves are heavy duty enough for someone to stand on. The bags are powder coated, and there will be a wider ranges of colors available. My test units were finished in a handsome gunmetal gray that matched my silver GS beautifully.

Installation was a breeze. The component pieces all come packaged with the mounting hardware pre-assembled and held in place with plastic shrink-wrap, which made it clear which pieces went where. And the instructions were quite clear. It took me less than two hours to install.

The only question I had during the test involved the hinges that allowed the lids to swing out. They were good enough, but I felt that given enough ham-handedness (or dim-wittedness) it would be possible to break these. You’d have to try pretty hard, though. Should a hinge break, the boxes can still be securely closed and the hinges can be easily replaced. However, when questioned about this, Al assured me that my bags were pre-production and that shipping units would feature heavier-gauged hinge with a pivot system rated for 800+ pounds shear strength.

All told, these bags are an excellent value, even though they carry a premium price of $995. But given that they hold nearly twice as much as the factory bags that cost ~$700, I’d say that’s a deal! The bags hold a lot, are extremely strong and are space efficient. They are available at select dealers in the USA and distributors in Europe. You can find out more at www.jesseluggage.com or call Jesse Luggage Systems at +1-623-878-7113.