What soft luggage should I buy?

[Guest Steve_W]

Can anyone give me some input about the Ventura Bike-Pack system? Good, bad or indifferent. Waterproof or not? how do you rate them?

I had it on my '96 VFR and loved it. The packs themselves are most emphatically not waterproof; you'll need the rain cover, which most emphatically is waterproof as long as you get it tight around the pack(s). The hardware is first-rate and easy to use. Highly recommended.

[Guest Roadslayer]

Velofish. I have a set of RKA's on my '02 LeMans. I spoke with Richard of RKA and told him of my needs. Sportbike bags in the right colour. I chose a graphite grey with light grey piping to go with my champange paint job. The colours are almost unlimited and the quality is top notch. Mine are the expandable types and have proven to be enough to tour the country with my usual leathers,heat,cold,wet and stuff. The price is good at about $215 US. Oh yes. My bike is the one pictured on the website and in there brochures. Ta Dah! I'm famous. "Cheers" Roadslayer.

[P3GA]

Givi T431 Arrow (as reviewed in Cycle World this month) bags are a great fit, work well, fit the lines of the Le Mans as well. RL Cycles has them for approx $140 +/-. They expand out to 25 litres

 

Having said that, I just purchased Lex's used set of Tekno's for absolutely no good reason......

 

Phil

[beauchemin]

What about the Tour Pack from Revpack? I just got one - and I really like it. http://www.revpack.com/motorcycle/products/TourPack.html

[Martin Barrett]

If you are using true soft luggage - throwovers or tail packs- Please make sure that they are SECURE use extra bungee cords to lash them down tight. There have been fatalities caused where they have sliped and been caught into the wheel. My line manager, last year lost his tail pack into the rear wheel of his Yamaha 600 Fazer, wrote the bike off and he got away as walking (limping) wounded. In the good old days of twin shocks this was unlikely and the worse you got was burnt bottoms as they stretched down on to the exhaust These two reasons are why I like my Teknos but don't think they are available anymore.

 

I use a Baglax tank bag. The Omega gives me a choice of two size bags and coupled together is just about useable though cuts the view of the lower half of the instruments.

 

I suplement that with the Teknos and then an Oxford tailpack

No danger of it slipping lashed to the Teknos and with the tent, mat and sleeping bag lashed along side as well.

 

I like the Ventura and would go that way if I didn't have the tail pack and Teknos or needed more capacity. It seems a bit pricey especialy as I picked up the Tailpack for £15 at last years BMF Show

 

[velofish]

Just bumping this up for thgil.

I ended up buying the Givi arrow saddlebags and am very pleased. Well-made and easy to use. $114 US.

 

fish