luggage options
 

I have a tank bag coming in.. but was wondering if anyone was using a tail bag or some kind of seat attached bag for the rear for longer drives...looking for suggestions.. I have a 1800 mile trip to do in July..

I have a set of Dowco rally pack sadllebags. At $69.95 you can'y go wrong and they are pretty spacious inside. Installation is a snap just undo the seat put the straps across the rear end and put the seat back on. Nothing permanant so you can take them of like mini suit cases.

As long as you have standard mufflers.


One of these
or one of these
along with
A set of these

And if you need more space
A set of these

And one of these.

That along with your favorite back pack should allow you to carry 4 weeks worth of gear for moto camping. Worked for me on a little suzuki GS500E!

I have staintune high-mount mufflers and with the straps properly adjusted there is no contact between the mufflers and the Dowco saddle bags. The bags even come with an insulating shield but like I said the straps must be properly adjusted so there is no contact because the bags will melt a little bit if they are laying on the mufflers. Once adjusted you can take them on and off and should never have to do it again. they also mount very tightly.

My bag is almost identical to that one, and I bought it on Ebay brand new for $40.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Magne...spagenameZWDVW might be a little more now, but still cheaper...and these guys were awsome to deal with...

Bigger than mine http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Magne...spagenameZWDVW still great price

i found some clearance nelson-rigg sphere saddlebags and tailpack at denniskirk. well made and have color strips that somewhat match the color of the bike. there are mounting issues though. the saddlebags wont work with high mount pipes(unless modified) and also contact the oem rear turn signals if i place them as rearward as i like them. the tailpack has bungees or straps. the bungees arent long enough and the straps are less than ideal for my setup which is pretty much stock up to this point. and so even though this might not sound positive. the price was right and like playing around with these sort of minor dilemma's. hope this helps

like blupleous, I have the Nelson-Rigg tailbag. the bungees aren't quite long enough for the 'Hawk but once installed that puppy don't move. I used it on a 500 mile trip and the only problem was some bungee rubbing on the tailsection. I forgot it was back there and 'opened 'er up' on a deserted stretch of road to the tune of 130 plus till my magnetic tank bag tried jumping off. the tail bag was in full expansion mode and never quivered. I've since bought the matching sphere saddlebags but haven't used them yet. all the Nelson-Rigg stuff has a lifetime warranty and holds up real well. oh, the tankbag that wouldn't stay in place was an early one without the four magnetic flaps, the new ones won't move once attached.

OK, don't laff. Here's my $12 solution: get a walmart travel cooler and strap it down with a ratchet tie down. I've been looking for a black or gray one but nothing yet. They do have red ones. It's waterproof (although I still bag seal my electronics) and once you get to the hotel, dump your stuff and fill it up with ice and your favorite beverage!

Run the tie down around and under the seat. If you need to access anything under the seat like while at a gas stop, the seat/cooler will all come off as one unit. If you don't have the tie down, then this is now a $20 solution. :-)

The brown item located in the open mesh pocket is a chamois for morning dew wipe downs. You can also see it has additional external pockets. I've done week long trips with just this and the large tank bag. I bring old undies and socks and toss them as I go (motel staff must luv me!) so I actually end up with extra room for momentos/gifts/t-shirts. Gotta' keep the wifey happy! :-)

that's our boy ! pushing the definition of 'bling' ! gotta love it !

I think I bought this same bag (see my previous pic) from them a few years ago on ebay. I say bigger is better as far as tank bags are concerned so I love the size but I did break off both pull taps on the smallish zippers while trying to zip it down when stuffed. I solved this by looping circular key ring holders onto the remaining part. MUCH better. I recommend doing this even if yours are OK as the large rings are much easier to grasp with gloves on.

I have that same cooler, in red....I will have to give that a try...thanks for the tip...

That cooler idea is great. I love attaching it with a ratchet strap. Reminds me of my trip to Maine. One of my buddy's fastened a milk crate to his luggage rack. Looked like Jed Clampet going down the road, but was it ever functional. Now I'm showing my age, Jed Clampet was a Beverly Hillbilly for all you youngsters out there.:)

This is also an option

I've also got one of these on my SH and LOVE IT. You can mount the bag "forward" as in the photo and use the back luggage rack, or "backwards" for more seat space/pile something else there (like the Rev-pack/wolfman pack).

Well Klicks & all others - I came to my VTR after riding Beemers all w/ hard luggage. Thus its tough going from something w/ plenty of room to a sportbike that can't hold a tampoon:rolleyes:

Thus I bought a Givi top case. Yes I get abused> hey what U got there a satellite, But function over form.

Works great & U can carry lots O stuff - if ya need to

This looks great!!!!!!!

Can you take a pic from behind to show me the mounts, and how it fits on the bike?

Is it a standard Givi setup?

I am looking at luggage now, and that looks really good!

That's from a GIVI reseller (AZ Powersports) website. it's not my bike, nor do I know the bike owner.

Cool, thanks for that, I will check it out.

mount
 

get something with some kind of mount. I bought some nice looking expandable soft luggage of the type that you hang over the seat and it worked well enough or so I thought. but what happens is that the bags get heavy and they rest on the rear tail section. eventually the fasterners on the bottom of the rear fairing /tailsection break where it attaches to the under fender. Not the end of the world but then the rear fairing jiggles because the mounts are broken and its not cool. I made some new brackets for mine out of aluminum and those do look cool but its better not to go there in the first place.

Makes sence, and I am looking for a smaller bag now for short day trips, as this one is great if you are going for like an overnighter, or weekend getaway...

Mendo Dave-
I've used "throw over" rear saddle bags for MANY trips, loaded down with heavy camping supplies (pots,pans, stove, etc) and I've never had mine break. You just need to adjust the bags properly so that the load is carried by the SEAT, not by the plastic tail section, or get different/better bags. I use Chase Harper's biggest. Brackets would solve the problem, but properly loading the bags/right bag does the same.

thanks for all the input.. now I just have to figure on how to put some luggage and my golf clubs on the back of the bike for a 10 hr trip lol.. :oops:

Dennis Kirk NR Closeouts
 

If anyone is looking for cheap soft luggage, I ran accross this NR closeout on another forum. I have no experience with these, but I do have experience with "cheap", and I like it.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...d=40710&mmyId=

Didn't notice it at first, but I believe the pictures are on a SH.

these are the ones I just got. they're huge for soft bags. internal reinforcements make them hold their shape well and they clear stock pipes by maybe two inches. good stuff.