Super-Sport-Touring Set Up

[acalliste]

Last May when I did a weekend trip to Cedar Key, I ended up carrying a lot of stuff in a backpack, because my tank bag and tail bag didn't quite hold everything I wanted to bring. Well that was kind of pain and took a little of the enjoyment out of the trip. So since then I have been looking for some smallish saddlebags to make weekend trips easier.

Newenough had these Nelson Rigg mini saddlebags on sale for $69, so I picked them up.

In typical Newenough style, they arrived almost before I could close the browser from ordering them. Upon trying them on for size however, I realized that while they could strap to the tag bracket in the back, I had nothing to secure them to in the front. I removed my passenger pegs long ago.






I dragged the passenger pegs back out and my husband spray painted them black so they wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb against the rest of the bike



Two coats of paint and one of clear later, we remounted them, and the bags could then be strapped down

[acalliste]

Got the bags on, now what can they hold? Here is all the stuff I successfully got in them:

Knox Cross Guard Knee Guard in their tote bag
DSLR bag
Skinnys Balaclava sweater
pair of jeans
hat
wallet
cosmetic bag
Garmin Satnav
Phone
glasses case


Right side


Left side



Rain covers on

[acalliste]

And as the finishing touch, I added my tail bag to the mix. Found it was pretty easy to just tie it down to the same points the saddlebags are tied to. Then I rode to a friend's (across the county) and back to test it out. Stuck like glue.

[acalliste]

Now I need another road trip to test it all out for real. Hopefully soon!

[Homeslice]

Is that techspec sharkskin on your tank? How do you like it? Does it ever move out of place?

[acalliste]

It is Techspec, but I think it's the snakeskin pattern. It's been on for about 2 years now, and has never budged. They aren't as grippy as Stompgrip, but they do help. The stompgrip I had on my last bike started sliding around after a few seasons. I think the hot - cold - hot cycles killed the adhesive.

[G-Rex]

Great setup!

I would caution on one thing. Be sure you secure the rain covers somehow where they wont' come off.

My Moto-Fizz bag from Aerostich had a drawstring for the rain cover as I recall, and the drawstring wasn't enough to hold it at 70mph. It literally lasted less than 10 minutes. I haven't woried about it, as by the design of the bag it is water resistant anyway, but just something to keep in mind.

[Particle Man]

Very nice!

[derf]

here is mine for comparison. The tank bag is a little huge to do any hardcore riding, because it flops around like a champ, but the tailbag is super secure.

[acalliste]

That tail bag looks huge! I bet my tailbag would fit inside it! lol

Originally Posted by G-Rex

Great setup!

I would caution on one thing. Be sure you secure the rain covers somehow where they wont' come off.

My Moto-Fizz bag from Aerostich had a drawstring for the rain cover as I recall, and the drawstring wasn't enough to hold it at 70mph. It literally lasted less than 10 minutes. I haven't woried about it, as by the design of the bag it is water resistant anyway, but just something to keep in mind.

Thanks for the tip! These also have a drawstring & a toggle to lock the string tight, but I don't know how well it will work.