Delivery took about 3 weeks to New Zealand. I bought them unpainted. They are very nice. I had to modify the lower mounting brackets slightly but it was not a big deal.
The BMW logos that come with them are just stickers so I bought some "real" ones. The lamps that come with them are quite plasticky so I bought some hellas from ebay.
...the only really usable bags are Cravens, but the Craven mounting system places these too far back on the motorcycle? You can make your own mounts to place the bags more forward, or if you can find them, mount the Cravens on Denfeld mounts, as shown here...
Im sure the Craven saddlebags are original and a fine product. The problem I have with them is .... I just don't like the look of the suitcase style bag. The Enduro's fit the lines of the old /2's so much better IMHO. In regards to use, I don't have any issue loading the bags up for a long trip.
As far as I can tell, Benchmark offers only the unpainted version of the Oldtimer bags. If he offered the painted ones, I would definitely be interested.
Jon Miller
'67 R69S
'13 F800GT
Altadena, California
The Benchmark Enduros capture the vintage look even as the Craven appear to have an upper hand with respect to quality and practicality. I am leaning toward unpainted Benchmark Enduros to go with my nearly-acquired Grenada red R50/2 in large measure because of their shape. The worst outcome, that I don't like them for one reason or another, allows me to get Cravens…… Thank you, all for your advice and info!
Does anyone with Benchmark/ Old-timer bags have photos of the bike without the bags mounted? What's involved in mounting/ removing the bags? Can they be 'popped' on and off with the same ease as modern luggage?