soft bag alternative to BMW hard cases?

[toolinalong]

I am getting a bit tired of my hard bags for daily riding duties (I will still use them for the long distance stuff).

Does anyone have a set of soft bags that they really like and would recommend?

Thanks,

Bob

[challey]

Bob --

The Motopak soft luggage looks like it's well made and it's certainly priced right.
http://www.motopakluggage.com/luggage.html
No personal experience with them but others have good things to say about 'em.

Charlie

[toolinalong]

Thanks Charlie,

I went ahead and ordered a set of the smaller 60L bags, which is only 6L less then my two full cases when the small lids are mounted (I also have a set of large lids which adds 12L total).

At $120 shipped, what a deal!

I will let you know how they work out.

Bob

[calr80]

Hi Bob,

I'm also interested in how those soft bags fit. I'm concerned about the clearance around the muffler. For the price, they sure sound like a good deal.

Dave
'02 r1150r

[MattPie]

It seems a little crazy that so few bags are water-PROOF (not resistant). I know there are rain covers included with many bags too, but that seems like a hack.

I have a Cabela's Small (if 60L can be considered small) Boundary Waters backpack, which I'm not sure I'd entirely recommend. It works well strapped to the back seat, but it's east to get the pack fairly top heavy. If you packed it as full as the picture, the top would be well above my shoulders. Being a roll-top bag (common in boating and camping) it is *completely* waterproof, so I never have to worry about pulling wet gear out of it. I can't imagine how big the large (120L!!) bag is. It's a little high on the bike, but certainly no worse than riding 2-up.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... d=cat20124

I'd look at the Ortlieb stuff online and in the Aerostich catalog, too. That's more motorcycle-specific and would probably work better than the backpack. It's a little more expensive, but for me dry is worth it every time.

[Airman]

Thanks Charlie,

I went ahead and ordered a set of the smaller 60L bags, which is only 6L less then my two full cases when the small lids are mounted (I also have a set of large lids which adds 12L total).

At $120 shipped, what a deal!

I will let you know how they work out.

Bob

Those are actually pretty nice looking. I was going to suggest something like I use in town. A 20 liter Marsee tankbag and a tail bag. My tail bag is also a Marsee and sits on the rear rack behind the Pirate's backrest. The tank bag is nice because I can unsnap one strap and take the whole thing in to work with me. The rear bag is big enough to take my lunch bag. (insulated TravelPro) It would also take a small plastic lunch box. There are many options for storage.

[challey]

Matt said:

It seems a little crazy that so few bags are water-PROOF (not resistant). I know there are rain covers included with many bags too, but that seems like a hack.

My guess is that it's not economically possible to make soft saddle/tank/tail bags waterproof because of their shape and numbers of seams and needed reinforcements. I'm not a big fan of the rain covers and would rather use stuff sacks inside the bags.

Of course, the system cases are nice and waterproof . . .

Charlie

[Airman]

Matt said:

It seems a little crazy that so few bags are water-PROOF (not resistant). I know there are rain covers included with many bags too, but that seems like a hack.

My guess is that it's not economically possible to make soft saddle/tank/tail bags waterproof because of their shape and numbers of seams and needed reinforcements. I'm not a big fan of the rain covers and would rather use stuff sacks inside the bags.

Of course, the system cases are nice and waterproof . . .

Charlie

it;s the zippers I think. Aerostich won't even claim my Darien riding pants are waterproof because of the zippers. Also adding a Goretex liner to a tank bag would increase the price quite a lot and a cover is a reasonable compromise. The covers on my Marsee bags work quite well. Covers on saddle bags might be difficult though.

[toolinalong]

The answer is yes. I like the MotoPak bags from Canada. The attachment method is not slick and easy like the system case is, and so I find myself adjusting to the fact that I can't just lift them off and carry them into the motel or the office. It just means they stay on the bike a lot, which is fine. They hold a lot of stuff (I got the smaller 60L size) and while they are not as easy and quick to pack with, I do have more flexibility on how the pack goes together which was the main reason I wanted to try them. I hit 100 mph down in New Mexico on the straightaway heading west out of Raton, and a lot of mountain roads, and they stay in place just fine, about 1200 miles with them on so far.

I have tried them with the velcro straps under the seat and over the seat; under the seat they get a bit close to the muffler and then that bag got a bit too warm at times, so now I am using them with the strap on top (I wasn't crazy about the heat resistant pads they came with and removed them before the New Mexico trip). I am also using the system case mounts to strap them on, and if you don't have those it will be a whole different ball game.

I love the built in rain covers, they actually do make sense the way they did them, but I have not had a hard downpour yet to test how well they work. I have let the bags get a couple of passing rain showers on them, and they repel that kind of thing just fine without the covers. Here are a few pics (click on the picture for a larger image):