You’ll probably love the T-Bags Sport Touring Bag, but probably not as much as I do. That’s because I probably spend more time than you do packing a variety of bikes for long-distance duty and have spent years perfecting my approach to the challenge. Over the years I’ve deployed a bewildering assortment of general-purpose throw-on packs and duffles and specialized touring bags in that undertaking and made something of a science of identifying suitable bungee points on virtually every style of American motorcycle made in the past 20 years. The results have generally proven somewhat makeshift and not entirely satisfactory—meaning shifting loads, unsightly Grapes of Wrath rigging, and stuff just plain flying off the bike at inopportune times. It became an accepted fact of road life that, by and large, one-size-fits-all setups don’t fit any one thing convincingly.
Until now, that is. With their new Sport Touring Bag, the designers at T-Bags have done the seemingly impossible and produced a dandy piece of touring luggage that is admirably diverse, sanitary and downright handsome in use. The tricks that make this bag so effective and so lovable are simple, once you’ve seen them performed, but the fact is nobody has performed them before now. Take four straps, give them loop ends allowing them to be easily cinched around foot pegs and turn signal stalks providing a sure four-point anchorage and then give the thing a rubberized and concave back panel that wants to cling to whatever surface you perch it on and, voila: Packing perfection.
And that’s just a start. Also give the thing rigid sides so that it functions more as a trunk than a bundle, making it easy on the eyes even when empty, and build in an expandable panel to let it rise to the challenge of accommodating a whole weekend trip’s worth of gear on any Harley from the Sportsters to the V-Rods and everything in between and you have Hogskinner Nirvana. And we’re not finished. It comes with a rain cover that is also expandable so it functions flawlessly in either comportment.
And we’re still not finished. The bag also has a nicely integrated handle and comes complete with a removable pair of shoulder straps so it doubles as either a valise or a backpack when removed from the scoot, thus making it ridiculously convenient to carry into a motel or, in my case, double as a camera bag at a rally.
For use on sportbikes or customized bikes with flush-mount turn signals (or no turn signals at all), the manufacturer has thoughtfully provided a pair of anchor straps that bolt to the license plate frame to provide the rear hook-up points.
So far I’ve used the bag on five different mounts including a Softail, Dyna, FLH and even a Bonneville with equally satisfying results. The Sport Touring Bag goes on and comes off in a matter of seconds, and yet sticks like a tick to every pillion, fender or rack I’ve put it on. And it’s given me the peace of mind over the long haul that comes with knowing that the gear riding behind me is there to stay—without obsessively reaching back and checking the load. Outstanding product.
$149.95
www.tbags.com
