here in Canada, there are 2 seasons. riding and getting ready to ride. I want to use this winter to brace up my subframe and build some panniers. I'm wondering if anyone has braced their subframe before and can tell me where they braced and what type of aluminum is appropriate. I will be using a real welding shop to do it (myself)... pics if you got em would be awesome

I would do it like they did with the Cycle Rack. The rack is a bit wide for my taste but the lower struts tie it to the lower frame for strength.

A better question is where do the stock S/SM subframes break? That will tell you exactly where and how to brace them.

The only one I've seen broke just aft of the diagonal stay. That area is pretty tightly packed on the battery side.

I have the cyclerack's rack and moto-sport panniers on my Z. In my crash up in the Yukon this last May when the bike flipped over twice onto the panniers, the sub-frame was bent due to the wieght and impact of the panniers and gear, but but the rack looks perfect. The only additional support I used for the panniers was to upgrade the bracket that connects the two boxes with a larger more substantial bracket. I do not know of any way the sub-frame could have been better supported during my crash. If you could figure out a way, as already suggested, to connect your pannier brackets to the frame of the bike the way the rack is, it should be good. In the end the only way to keep everything straight is to NOT CRASH! Good luck with that.