I used soft hang over bags but stopped after I ruined the paint from them rubbing. Now I use a tank bag and a tail bag which works pretty good but doesn't look very clean. I don't tour a lot so its probably all that I need.

 

Yeah, I had the same issue with messing up the paint finish, some one here made me some fabric panniers ($25 USD), and after two rides, the paint kind of scratch a little bit, probably I should had put some softer material in the area where the panniers touch the side of the fairing, but nahh!! a good ol' back pack that's all I need really for my trips.

 

Sort of WHAT...........?
I can smell a fight starting here....................
I've had soft bags, didn't like them, fitted hard panniers (easier to fit and remove than soft bags, one twist of the key and they're gone)
Also a lot safer from a security point of view.
My 2c worth......

 

Wot ?
Yu hangin' **** on me yubugger !

There was an old biker from Aussie
Name of Classic, if memory's right
Who keeps hangin his **** on his buddy
And it seems that he's up for a fight.....

Now this feller he's old and he's pruney
From his riding around in the sun
And I'm thinking his mind's really looney
But I just know he's just in it for fun

Now when he hits the road with his Lady
He is careful and kind and polite
But we know for a fact - it's no maybe
That he's keen to put Shadow to flight.........

Never happen.............

 

Now Shadow's a man of impeccable taste
But this Classic he's really a total disgrace
With a bike that's a rattling old bucket of bolts
He likes rucksacks and tankbags - it's just one of his faults...........

When it comes to a rhyming or old Aussie slang
You can bet that old Classic'll start with a bang
And lay waste to the Forum 'till he gets his way
And he's at it non-stop to the end of the day...........

nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnerr ne nerr nerrr
Wait'll he wakes up - he's gonna hang shyte on me again.........[X(]

 

And the winner of the poetry competition is............ nobody.

Personally I don't mind hard panniers, but nothing too big. Soft panniers seem to work for some people, but I HATE top boxes.