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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #31  
Old 9 Mar 2002
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I'm thinking of getting a Bagster setup for my GS1150. Like the idea of tank protection and that you can clip tank bags on and off easily and with no damage to tank (scratched my tank a few times with magnets).

Fireboomer, apart from your tankbag being too far front is the quality OK? Want to get a 30 L "Alpha" bag

thanks
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  #32  
Old 10 Mar 2002
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George,

About the Bagster setup. I like the tankcover a lot. It protects your tank in a great way and gives extra padding for your knees when you are standing up.

BUT the tankbag I have is dissapointing. (I have the big 26 or so liter) It is not well positioned, hinders me when taking sharp turns (activates the horn when I go sharp left, hits the start button when I go sharp right). And in the same way hinders me when standing up because the top part is hanging too much to the back.
I already had to return it for a reparation. One quick link just fell of. Luckely this happened with the shopowner looking at it, so he agreed quite easely do to it within garantee. But it showed the poor quality of the material that they use. (the 'leather' just teared a part on a seam)
The waterproof tankcover does not have a screen, the zippers don't look too strong and I am afraid I will pull one in to pieces one of these days. For all the smaller models I have seen: you can't place a map without folding it in very ackward ways,;..

I really don't understand why there is such a quality difference between the tankcovers and the tankbags.

So what I will do is leave the tankcover on and place the HG Touareg tankbag over it.

Is bagster the only company who makes tankcovers and tankbags that clip on to the tankcover?
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  #33  
Old 24 Mar 2002
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hi,
i just bought the hg big tuareg tankbag
fits very good and tight on my r100gs pd
maybe the zippers are a bit light, the bag is not waterproof too (i bought a plastic cover to put on top of it)
the handlebar moves correctly
the two pockets on the sides are good too
it's not a bad idea to buy a bagster tank cover because the hg does not cover the whole tank, only on top. if you have the sides bags, maybe not so necessary

to put all my stuff, i bought a north face expedition 90L bag that i put it on the saddle behind me, attach it to the bike (not on my back!)
i can put it in large or in long behind me on the saddle
it's very solid/strong,many fixations straps to attach it to the bike
one disadvantage compared to a ortlieb, it is not totally waterproof

safe travels
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  #34  
Old 2 Apr 2002
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hi,
i just received the hg tuareg side bags to put on the tank
i don't recommend them (i give them back)
they float in the air, plus they are not confortable for the legs

but if you don't bother, there's space

safe travels

the top tank bag hg tuareg is reaaly good though

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  #35  
Old 2 Apr 2002
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That's too bad.

You couldn't get them in front of your legs? Perhaps they're too big.

I've used the "pockets" that backpackers use on their packs. They're a good size, and a little ingenuity and a bit of nylon strap and buckle works well.

Here's a not great pic that may help (the bike was carrying a bunch of crate building materials!)



Also a nice pocket for the job:

US$14.00 from www.rei.com, but similar readily available at most backpack shops.


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  #36  
Old 21 Oct 2002
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hello
i left with the 15-25l hg tuareg tankbag

i had to repair the zippers 3 times already in 6 months
they are not strong enough for a long journey

i don t recommend it if you are looking for something strong

happy trails


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  #37  
Old 22 Oct 2002
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And I note that the big attraction of the hg (Hein Gericke) bags was that they were cheaper than others.

You all know what I'm going to say, don't you? Let's say it in unison:

You get what you pay for!

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  #38  
Old 11 Dec 2002
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I like this thread and in gneral agree with Grant's comments about downsizing tankbags. I did away with mine and boy was it great to get rid of the "old bag". Now I use a bottom off a Harro 23L bag with a home made map pouch on top. BTW the Harro bags are great in general and deserve your consideration. Anyone that names their tank bag Elephantenboy gets my vote. Try www.Harro de. but the site is in German so it takes me some time to find the tankbags. They are tough as nails and come in 23,35 and 40L sizes. The bottom is leather and the bag top is rubberized fabric. Old school construction but very strong.They are sold by Bob's BMW in the USA. In the picture of the big dog Greg Fraizer he has the 40L Harro bag on his bike. You can see it looks a little large for the tank. The Aerostitch side panniers he uses are great but they leak and if you want them waterproof you have to line them with something. I used Seal Line bags and cut them to fit to waterproof mine. These are also sold by Aerostitch which makes a dedicated bag liner available in the new catalogue. I think the heel bags were made by Bob Weiss who was an American. This guy made one off bags for speciality applications and my son has one of his tank bags on his BMW F650. The quality of his stuff was great too. One final note is that the Acerbis 11 gallon tank has threaded inserts for bolts on the top side. HPN makes a tool pouch out of hard leather just for that tank. My other son uses one on his BMW R80G/S. This is a great solution to the minimalist approach. BTW HPN also sells a leather tank bag and side panniers but I have never seen them. They look great in the picture though. Hope some of this helps. Bill.
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  #39  
Old 12 Dec 2002
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I think I'm going to try and do without a tankbag at all, especially considering the problems everyone's been having! I will use a bum-bag (fanny-pack?) over the front fairing of my Tenere, to store my PDA and digital camera. Everything else goes in the boxes I think.

I think it's good advice to avoid using them if you don't have to. What about the Lowe Alpine style hip packs instead? I suppose then you have to carry the load when you're standing.... For me, the cockpit bag (supported by the headlight protector) will work well, esp. with my hydration back pack thingy.

Good thread.
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  #40  
Old 12 Dec 2002
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I thought I would try to keep this thread going for another few months so here is my question.

Is there a product available that can be applied to a tank so that it won't get damaged? I was thinking something along the line of a big sticker that can be removed later when it has been damaged or worn through. The reason I ask is the person who I bought my bike off of spent about 1000$ painting the bike and this includes a very large mural of his girlfriend on the tank...and she's topless. I would hate to damage the painting with a tankbag so I won't get one unless I can protect it.

Thanks, Steve
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