I realized that when I start traveling around I am going to need storage to put stuff. On the big guns, the GS/GSA series bikes, in fact almost all the BMW line, there is an amazing amount of options out there to pack stuff up in. Even on the Heritage line, which is where my Bean sits in line, there are a ton of options depending on your taste and needs.
My genius son, when he saw my bags and the cost, said why didn’t you just buy a backpack and save a bunch of money. Well, I don’t want to have a backpack on zooming down a fire trail or bobbing around for hours on end riding up the coast, there are two good reasons. For me and my unique taste and needs, I went down a different path, one that may or may not be the best set of choices, at least for you. Or my son…..
Needs and wants
First off let me tell you what my needs are and go from there. As it stands now I will be going down a road less traveled as much as possible, however, I know that I will be riding in the city from day to day, chasing my young son on his DRZ, going two up with my daughter, and packing off into the hinterland and tying up to a couple of trees with my hammock as much as possible.
So with that in mind, I have a huge range of things I can go for, I mean all it takes is money, right, lucky me, I have a fair-sized money tree growing in the backyard…NOT.
In the Beginning…
So let’s start at the start, I need a rack. I can honestly say this, there are a TON of good options out there, however, the one I chose is this one from Hepco & Becker, which I bought from the wonderful people at MotoMachines.
There were multiple reasons I got this rack, it looks good on the Bean, it has grab rails for two up, it is really well made, and it sits flat with the seat.
On the Bean, because I will be riding in many different scenarios, dirt, trail, city, etc. I wanted something that I could easily mount different types of luggage on. I have three basic modes, long-distance/overnight, around town, and day rides, that is where I get out early when the temp is down and/or come back late, or when I need a light sweater/jacket part of the ride.
Next up: Duffel up baby
For the long haul and extended over-nighters I have a 95-liter duffel, which you may think is overkill, however,
as pictured above, packed in there is my sleeping bag, hammock, and pad, go kit, (t-p, sunscreen, toothbrush, towel, etc.), first aid, flashlights, and still have a ton of room for clothing and a bunch of other junk if I want. It is waterproof and if I want I can roll down the end to shorten the length if I don’t pack it full up.
When I mount this bag on Bean I put the end with the sleeping bag at my back, throw a motorcycle cargo net over it to hold quick grab stuff. Then strap it down. With all my goodies and fully loaded, it just reaches the back of the rack without hanging over. Also as a plus with the sleeping bag end at my back, it makes for a nice backrest as I ride.
The picture of my duffel on Bean is temporarily tied down with some straps. Since then I have improved on it by adding some climbing carabiners and different straps which makes it very secure and quick to put on Bean.
Of course, this is a single-person setup because there is no room for a passenger. I would imagine if I go two up I can use a smaller duffel and my passenger can wear a backpack, or just ride their own bike…..
So far, even though I have ridden on some very rough trails I have not shaken it off. It does limit my moving around on the bike when I am standing but it has not been a problem. It may look a bit odd and awkward, but it really does the job.
Trunk time
For my round-town and day rides, I have two options that I use. Both are from Hepco and Becker. I really like the look with Bean and the build and quality seem outstanding. However, they are really pricey, I feel you get what you pay for and I think they will pass the test of time.
First up my baby trunk, Hepco & Becker Legacy Rear Leather Bag,
Baby Trunk
I have been getting my Hepco & Becker gear from MotoMachines, they have been Johnny on the spot with delivery, answering questions, and filling in the blanks for me. Their pricing models seem about on par with everyone else so for now so I’m sticking with a winner.
You can see from this picture that it fits quite nicely on the rack, those straps loop through underneath and do a good job holding things down. On the right side is my baby trunk inside view, I put a piece of foam down on the bottom and covered it with a nice piece of material to make it look pretty and to add some padding.
Now here’s the thing, baby trunk is my around-town bag, it will hold gloves, sunglasses, keys, a phone, basically the little stuff that is too annoying to carry in a pocket, however, it is too small to cram a light jacket in. Another thing about this trunk is that there is no lock to secure it to the bike or closed so you need to keep an eye on it if you are someplace sketchy.
If you are so inclined, the trunk does come off the rack fairly easily in that the straps you see snake in and around the crossbars on the rack so it takes about three minutes to remove off the bike.
That said I do find this is a good choice to run to the store, coffee shop, and any place I don’t need to carry a bunch of stuff. If I need a little extra I have a small motorcycle backpack that I can put an extra helmet and light sweater/jacket if I want and that works for me.
Big Daddy
Next up is big daddy trunk, my Hepco & Becker Rugged Top Bag,
Baby Trunk and Big Daddy Trunk
which you can see from this side-by-side shot it is a LOT bigger. It is advertised as a 25-liter capacity bag, which looks about right. The interior space is user-friendly, I can put my 40 ml water bottle in there and close the top, throw light to medium jacket in, gloves, etc without too much trouble. One nice thing about this bag is that it has a lock, that round shiny thing in the middle between the straps in the picture. There are also two ring loops on the side so that when you want to take it off you can throw a shoulder strap on it and carry it around like that. Kind of a big uncomfortable purse…. I’ve seen women carry worse.
This bag is a bit wider at the base than my baby trunk and the straps do not wrap around the bag through the rack as the little guy does. That presented the first minor problem for me, mounting. Hepco & Becker does provide several options with the bag for mounting on different racks. I don’t think it was completely meant to go on this rack because the rack is a bit short but I did get it on the rack.
The mounting setup I came up with, using the provided pieces, worked out quite nice though and it is very solid on the rack and if you are two up, the passenger now has a backrest, (note, I plan on making a pad that will be mounted on the bag for comfort).
Also, I have discovered that I can attach a cargo net to the rack and then up to the side loops and it makes a handy spot to tie down quick grab things. In one of my other posts, I will go into how I mounted the bag to the rack and how I would do things a bit differently next time.
There is a quick-release mechanism on the inside of the bag which is both good and bad. The good is that it works really well, boom, flick, click, the bag is locked on. Click, flick, boom the bag is off. Very secure, very tight. I don’t worry about it flinging off the back end when my two up is leaning back on it.
The bad, well there is a 3″ lever in the middle of the floor of the bag which kind of gets in the way of things. Not bad, but it is there, and if you have hard goods, like your camera you will need to put it on one side of the lever or put a thick pad down to cover it. So far, for me, it is a nonissue, I still have a load of room and it covers all my long day needs.
One last thing, I have considered a tank bag. There are tank straps and small and large bags that will match my set or your bike. However, at this point, I feel it just adds clutter and expense. Maybe later if I change my mind but not likely.
~ Epilogue:
I have now been using all my various bags and duffels and here is what I am thinking now, Baby Trunk, too small for anything other than keys, remotes, door openers, sunglasses. For the money, I would not recommend it unless that is all you plan on carrying. So for the expense, unless you are just doing short day rides, don’t bother.
Big Daddy trunk, very nice for most around town, short trips, carrying a light sweater/jacket, however, it is very expensive and I would like to see a divider system or liner for it. I think for the money it should have them.
And remember when I commented on the quick release, welllll, the quick release came apart, (I think I didn’t have it tightened properly and would recommend using a nylock nut), so I made a non-quick release mount and it works really good. Later I will show how/what I did.
Duffel, 95L bag fits everything, was priced right, and mounts on the Bean nicely with some strap tie-downs. It is very big and bit awkward but it makes a great utility. It carries everything and the kitchen sink. When strapped down with the sleeping bag end at my back, I could use it for a backrest. Also, I found that on mixed trips, long rides to a place I may stay for an extended period but will want to ride unencumbered, I can mount the duffel sideways and keep my Big Daddy Trunk on .
After a serious ride note that I did NOT manage to shake it off the back through the twisty’s or rough roads ridden. Notice how now with straps and cheap clips I can mount the bag very securely and take it off/on quickly. It is amazing just how much crap I can load up without affecting my riding.
As a plus, because it is so secure on the bike when mounted, I just leave it mounted on Bean, then unzip the bag and pull things out one at a time. Keeps my stuff off the ground and clean and is easy to reload on the way out.
