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Luggage Reviews

Dowco Fastrax Backroads Tank Bag Review

Aren’t tank bags about the handiest piece of luggage you can put on a bike? They sit there, out of the way but within...

Cortech Super 2.0 Tank Bag and Tail Bag Review

Cortech provided the on-bike storage for our long-term Honda CB1100 from its Super 2.0 line of luggage. The 18-liter tank bag with magnetic attachment...

AltRider Hemisphere Soft Luggage Review

Pulling the fuses under the seat is the easiest way to disable the ABS on a Suzuki V-Strom 650XT, but I found out you...

BMW Pannier Protection by Wunderlich America

If your liquid-cooled BMW R 1200 RT tips over, contact with terra firma gets expensive. The valve covers and panniers stick out, and damage...

Bilt Explorer Dry Bag Review

Maybe it’s a bit of literary stretch to claim that Jim Bronson was a famous motorcycle explorer. But after chucking a newspaper job, then...

Nelson-Rigg CL-2020 GPS Tank Bag Review

Just about everyone needs a way to carry a few things––gloves, a sweater, a phone––when they ride more than a few miles. For years,...

Dirt-Bagz Ranger Saddlebags Review

A lot of aftermarket companies make saddlebags and panniers for dual-purpose motorcycles. I’m a proponent of simplicity and softness—simple mounting and soft bags. I...

Sedici Distanza Slant Saddlebags Review

Riders who want to mount the same luggage on several motorcycles or leave it off entirely can go with hard-sided bags at great expense,...

Happy Trails SU Rack and Teton Clif-Cut Panniers for Triumph Bonneville

You don’t have to ride an adventure bike around the world to appreciate sturdy metal panniers, nor does the bike you ride need knobbies...

Nelson-Rigg Sport-Touring Soft Luggage Review

Lockable hard luggage isn’t available for all motorcycles, and when it is, a set of cases and mounting hardware can cost $1,000 or more....

Nelson-Rigg Sport Tank Bag and Expandable Sport Tail Pack Review

Nelson-Rigg has been making soft touring luggage for more than 30 years, so it pretty much has the art of making tankbags, seatbags, saddlebags,...

motoPockets Review

We all carry around a lot of personal stuff these days, often small things that are easily dropped and seem to multiply like tribles—wallets,...

Kappa TKW746 DryPak Tankbag Review

Kappa is new, lower-priced brand of motorcycle luggage and accessories that is made in Italy and is a subsidiary of Givi. Tour & Ride...

BMW R 1200 GS Project Bike

When Paul Beck test rode a new BMW R 1200 GS back in 2007, he knew he had to have one. A few months...

RKA 24.5-Liter Expandable Shiloh Road Motorcycle Tank Bag and Saddlebag Liners Review

The perfect traveling companion for any sport tourer is a versatile tankbag and a set of saddlebags liners. The former sits on the tank...

Adrian Sports/Chase Harper 6XM Motorcycle Tankpac Review

Riders have been carrying stuff on top of their gas tanks for as long as there have been motorcycles, and the array of tankbags...

High-Tech Bags: Motorcycle Luggage Buyers Guide

Some years ago, as part of the seminars I conducted at motorcycle rallies, I described how it was possible to carry many useful items...

Suzuki V-Strom 650 Project Bike

For some, the Suzuki V-Strom 650 is complete right out of the box. My 2008 model, though one of the most practical and ergonomically...

Ninja 1000 Touring Accessories

Kawasaki Genuine Accessories can transform the Ninja 1000 from a day-ride sportbike into a days-on-the-road sport tourer. The Givi-made, 35-liter-each saddlebags ($594.95, plus $534.95...

Shad SH48 Top Case and SH43 Side Cases Review

(This Gearlab item was published in the July 2012 issue of Rider magazine.) Last year I bought a Suzuki V-Strom 650, which is even better...

Ventura Mistral I Bike-Pack Kit Review

Last year I tested the Ventura Bike-Pack System, with model-specific L-brackets installed on my 1998 Kawasaki KLR650, along with a multitude of racks and...

Dual-Sport Touring Accessories Review: Kawasaki KLR650 and BMW G 650 GS Sertão

As tough, capable, middleweight dual-sports, the Kawasaki KLR650 and BMW G 650 GS Sertão are solid platforms, ready to be accessorized for epic journeys...

2003 Honda VFR800 Project Bike

I guess I was pretty busy in my forties, because I forgot to have my midlife crisis. Now, 20 years later, I’m finally getting...

RKA IN-Charge Communications Motorcycle Tankbag Review

I’ve never really been much of a gadget guy. Yet, thanks to the demands of our on-street training tours, I rely quite heavily on...

Alpinestars XL Transition Gear Bag Review

Everyone has luggage, and most of us have motorcycle luggage—tankbags, tailbags, etc.—to carry essentials while on the road. Gear bags are designed to carry...

Mustang Road Companion Bag Product Review

Motorcycle luggage has certainly evolved, especially in the direction of versatility. If you’re like me, you never seem to have enough packing space on...

Hydrapak Big Sur Hydration Backpack Review

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better way to test out the Hydrapak Big Sur hydration backpack than an epic, three-day, 900-mile motorcycle trip...

Givi Trekker Cases Motorcycle Luggage Review

I’ve been a fan of Givi cases for many years. The first set I used on three bikes—I sold them with the third bike—and...

Ventura Aerodynamic Bike-Pack Motorcycle Luggage System Review

For sheer versatility, it’s hard to beat the Aerodynamic Bike-Pack System from Ventura Motorcycle Accessories. The mix-n-match system has three basic parts. L-brackets ($159),...

Nelson-Rigg CL-135 Tankbag with Mounting Options Review

I’m always carrying stuff on a motorcycle, whether it is the daily shopping or on a long trip. The easiest way to store smallish...

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