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March 25, 2009
If you consider all the films about bikers or check a ‘real’ biker then you will find one thing is common in everyone; dependency on saddlebags. This is although very unsatisfying that most saddlebags do not go with the buyer’s personality; some are too large, too small, not secure enough or too fidgety about security.
Are you Planning a Bike Tour?
This is a very important question. There are basically two types of saddlebags one is the throw over which you can remove and the mount which you can’t. When you are planning a tour for a week or little longer then the mount saddlebags are the best option for carrying and security. However, if you plan to trip for a pretty long time then throw over saddlebags is what you want. The synthetic and soft saddlebags do their job pretty well and look awesome as well; also these are cost effective as well. You might however look at the following points and keep them in mind:
1. Keep an eye on the denier number. This number shows the thickness of the thread used. Keep in mind that the higher the denier numbers the higher will be the bags tensile strength. This gives the bags an extra tensile strength and let itself stay in position even when empty.
2. The two kinds of saddlebags are the throw over and the mount. You should prefer the ones that stay on seat as they can be adjusted more freely.
3. Saddlebags which have got different compartments and are especially useful when you are carrying different type of things. It is more relaxing to know that your water bottle is away from your favorite t-shirt.
4. The ones that open on top are easier to handle, but the ones that open from sideways are easier to handle as well; only there is a chance of spilling things out while riding.
5. It is always an effective solution for the biker to know the fastening system of the saddlebag and its position. Some bags get in the way of the passenger’s footrest. This is quite a reason for worrying as long hours of uncomfortable seating may lead to cramps.
6. The soft saddlebags have their unique mounting system for each of them. Try to find a saddlebag which has its mounting place situated in the bike itself, so all you need to do is clip in or out.
7. The saddlebags which are soft in nature generally wear away pretty quick as they tend to slip towards the wheel. It may cause accidents as well. All you need to do is put chrome extensions under the bag, this way it wont slide downwards anymore.
The nature of a bag is to sag while in road, you might consider hitching them to the higher side. This way they won’t wear away or sag and touch the road. As they are made of synthetic materials, friction from the road may lead them to ignite.
Look for bags made of polyurethane treated nylon. This lets small rain to slide away from the bag in small droplets and you should get a custom-made rain cover anyway. No soft VTX saddlebag is completely waterproof.
Article courtesy of ezinearticles.com from author Dona Rosa.
Disclaimer: www.motorcycle-leather-gear.com and www.openroadcyclegear.com are wholly owned by RobyCo, Inc. of Reading Pennsylvania. Excerpt articles do not represent the management opinions of RobyCo, Inc or its holdings. Selected information is provided for discussion purposes.