BAGS

Different types of motorcycle bags

Traveling by motorbike can be fast, cheap and fun, but one of the biggest disadvantages in using two-wheeled transport is the sacrifice of all the extra cargo space that you have in a four-wheeled vehicle. If you use the motorbike only for city tours, you may be able to get away with the jacket pockets, but if you plan to take real trips or bring something with you, you will need to find a solution to carry your luggage in your motorbike. The good news is that when it comes to motorcycle cases, there is a whole world of options to choose from; the bad news is that, with all these options, understanding what will work best for you can be a bit confusing. Therefore it’s essential to evaluate all the different types of luggage options available on the market in order to choose properly the solution that best suits your specific needs. The types of bags and luggage available on the market are varied and in particular you can divide them in:

● Motorcycle stackable bags: in order to increase your load capacity, it might be useful to choose a set of stackable luggage. Typically this type of luggage will be supplied with a large primary bag and an additional round bag on the top, both designed to be tied together and secured to your motorcycle. If you are planning a long journey by motorbike and need a solution to have a bigger luggage, this will be a great option to use as it’s similar to a traditional travel luggage, it’s easy to remove from the bike and you can carry it around with you when you reach your destination.

● Motorcycle tail bags: when you want to travel by motorbike, it’s possible that saddlebags don’t have the capacity you need for all your gear and luggage, and that’s where a combined tail bag comes in. A tail bag is a nice complement to a set of saddlebags for storing smaller items that you need to easily access, and it also gives you the option to hold the small carrier and remove the side bags for short trips, keeping only the saddle bags when carrying a passenger or to keep them all when traveling. It’s recommended to purchase a tail bag that matches the set of side saddlebags you have. Just like with saddlebags, tail bags are available in hard and soft varieties.

● Motorcycle soft bags: soft bags come with a wide range of different designs and features, so it will be useful to have an idea of the features you are looking for before buying them. At first glance, if you ride a motorcycle in the city, you probably feel closer to leather or synthetic leather bags, while drive a motorcycle as a sport, you should generally use harder synthetic materials. One thing to keep in mind is that soft bags are generally not waterproof, so make sure you use waterproof interior linings, rain covers or both when the weather conditions are not stable. Use the extra cargo space that the bags give you and keep the rain away from the bags; getting caught in the rain and getting wet is bad enough, but messing up all your stuff in your bags and ruining them will ruin your day, so try to avoid it. Another important feature to consider when using soft bags is safety: most soft bags are not very safe, as they generally don’t offer a way to lock them when you move away from the bike and even if they did, a thief could quickly steal from your bags with nothing but a knife. If you make night trips around, then it would be advisable to choose bags that can be easily detached and taken with you, or alternatively choose hard bags that offer much better security.

● Motorcycle hard bags: hard bags are a bit more expensive and their installation is a little more demanding, but they certainly offer the best security, resistance and protection for your equipment in the event of a rollover. Hard bags generally require a type of mounting bracket to fit them to the bike and often also require some adjustments during the installation process. It’s very important to understand exactly what tool you will need to install the bags you choose for your motorbike, since some models may require some additional parts in addition to those included in the bags. However, due to their rigid construction, hard bags have a fixed capacity which is usually listed both in terms of volume and weight compared to the soft bags that can be stuffed up to their bulging. Because of this fixed capacity, it’s a good idea to take the size of the larger items that you plan to carry with you, such as a helmet or a laptop, to make sure they fit into the bags you choose. This will save you a lot of time when you fill the bags.