BMW's hard luggage are just about the best factory cases available, but Jesse bags are almost legendary. These things are waterproof, rugged, and cleanly designed, and with the addition of the Odyessey line, they even fit the standard BMW luggage mounts. In fact, the Odyessey bags are available to fit /5, /6, /7, R100, and early K style mounts. They offer 100 liters of capacity where the BMW cases have only 57, and are only 10 liters shy of the standard Jesse bags. They're 34" across when mounted on the bike, while the BMW cases measure 33 1/2".

Two latches hold each lid closed and two more hold the bag to the rack. The latter are adjustable to provide more or less tension, and utilize a camming handle to allow quick release. The fit is tight and rattle free. As the photo shows, the opening in the top is huge, much wider than the original Jesse design. Al Jesse says wire bales will soon be available to hold your stuff into the lids, allowing more efficient utilization of that odd shaped space.

The bags seem very watertight, and an hour's ride in medium to hard rain at freeway speeds left the insides bone dry. Further attempts to defeat the seals with the needle spray on a garden hose resulted in wet exteriors while the interiors remained dry.

The finish shown is a two tone silver and black powder coat that is both durable and attractive. Al's still experimenting with colors, but will probably offer two tone gray and other finishes as well. The powder coat is tough: It survived repeated crashes on snowy gravel without chipping or being scraped down to the aluminum.

Pricing has not been finalized on the Odyessy, but will be in the $700 per pair range. The new design should be available in March of 2001. For more information contact Al at Jesse Luggage Systems (623-878-7113).