Tank Bags

Lucusice

Lucusice

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Hey guys,

So I bought myself a Kawi Ninja 250r in May and I've been riding it around everywhere. I go from Toronto to Sudbury about once a month or evey second month to visit family. The first trip I made northbound with my motorcycle I ended up riding for 9 hours since the highway was closed off past Parry Sound due to an accident. I had to back-road it all the way accross to hwy 11 & go to North Bay and then back accross to Sudbury. Needless to say that my backpack full of crap made me pretty sore afterwards.

I'm looking at getting something to put my clothes & macbook in while riding since I'm going back to Sudbury next weekend. Does anyone have any experience with tank pads or can suggest alternative systems that work well for a 250r?

Thanks!

Lucus
 
the Icon Tank bag that converts into a helmet carrying back pack is awesome. Tons of room.
 
^ awesome tank bag...Cruisingirl has that one.

You could also get any bag you own and strap it to the back seat with a small cargo net...they cost like $5 at Royal. That is what I was doing until I found a tank bag of Kajiji.
 
Myztyk said:
the Icon Tank bag that converts into a helmet carrying back pack is awesome. Tons of room.
Click to expand...

+1 I have this one and I love it for longer trips like the one you described. Just careful when pullin it off or putting it on for dirt which can scratch your bike..now im just looking for a much smaller one for short trips(preferably on the gas cap variety)...

the Icon one normally goes on sale at one of the big retailers every other week tho I do see ogio bags are on sale at one of the GTAM dealer supporters...
 
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I was wanting to start the same tread about tank bag. Not to hijack the OP ,but could you guys share pictures of your tank bags on your bikes.

Manta XL by Joe rocket will fit the 250. However I will also advise tankbag that can be converted to Tail bag like the oxford humpback.
 
Myztyk said:
the Icon Tank bag that converts into a helmet carrying back pack is awesome. Tons of room.
Click to expand...

I got this one. I find it works very well. I some people complain about the magnets, but I found that they don't shift at all... even on the highway.

It take a little time to convert the tank bag to a back pack and strap your helmet to it, but overall it's effective. The bag is thin yet sturdy. Also it doesn't come with any rain protection. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on bringing your laptop around.
 
joeyjoejoe said:
I got this one. I find it works very well. I some people complain about the magnets, but I found that they don't shift at all... even on the highway.

It take a little time to convert the tank bag to a back pack and strap your helmet to it, but overall it's effective. The bag is thin yet sturdy. Also it doesn't come with any rain protection. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on bringing your laptop around.
Click to expand...

I have it as well and water just seeps in. Perhaps a dry bag for your electronic gear inside would be a good idea. I just lost my Blackberry in that thing during the thunderstorm.
 
If worried about scratching your tank...buy a cheap tshirt and throw it over the tank prior to attaching the bag. Won't impact the "stickiness" of the magnet yet will help prevent scratching.

Looks ghetto as hell, but it works.
 
fngo said:
I have it as well and water just seeps in. Perhaps a dry bag for your electronic gear inside would be a good idea. I just lost my Blackberry in that thing during the thunderstorm.
Click to expand...

I got lucky... the weekend before, I took the RTI M2X. I volunteered to go last in the testing as I lived so close. I wanted to go home, grab some food and be ready. While I was home the downpour happened. The first guy tested finished before the rain, but the next two guys were soaked. I was completely dry as the sun came out when I started my test! Completed the test, passed, got all my paperwork, and got home right before it started raining again. From looking at the guy who just completed his test (and his friend that was waiting for him), there's no question I would have lost my gadgets in that rain.

Other thing I wish this tank bag had (or any tank bag for that matter), a place to put an extra visor. Something well padded and soft so it doesn't scratch the visor... my ghetto solution is to wrap my spare visor in a towel. I looked at a few tank bags, but could find one that has a visor pocket. Does such a thing exist?
 
Op what one did u end up going with? Im wondering if the icn urban tank bag- the one with the helmet holder will fit on a ninja 250?
 
djez said:
I was wanting to start the same tread about tank bag. Not to hijack the OP ,but could you guys share pictures of your tank bags on your bikes.

Manta XL by Joe rocket will fit the 250. However I will also advise tankbag that can be converted to Tail bag like the oxford humpback.
Click to expand...


I have used an Oxford Humpback Tank bag for years and it has been really good and it still looks like new.

As for protecting the tank's paint I have never scratched a tank by simply keeping the tank clean. I wax it before I go on a trip. And I never set the tank bag down on anything dirty with the magnetic flaps open. This way the bottom of the bag stays clean and the bottom side of the magnets never get a chance to attract anything magnetic which if undetected will scratch the tank.
 
I use the magnetic expandable from GEARS , got it at Royal, loads of room and lots of small pockets.

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A tankbag may not be the right solution for you. In order for it to fit a macbook, it's going to have to be pretty wide. The wider it is, generally, the bigger it is. The bigger it is, the more stuff you're going to want to put into it. The more stuff you put in, the heavier it gets. The heavier it gets, the less I would trust magnets to hold it in place. I like tankbags, but I like small tankbags that I can just put the essentials in.

If you're travelling - and Toronto to Sudbury sounds like travelling to me, consider a tail bag. They're larger as many of them can expand, the weight usually sits lower on the bike on the passenger seat than on the gas tank, which makes for better stability.

There was a suggestion about bungeeing a backpack to your passenger seat - if you do so, please be very very careful that none of the straps are dangling out, and that they won't work their way loose on the trip, because one of those straps getting caught on a moving part will spell disaster.
 
I bought a no-name magnetic tank bag about 15 years ago and it's still hands down the best one I've ever seen. And it cost about $50. About 10 Large magnets that could just about lift your gas tank and they shift position in the pockets so you can fit them perfectly to oddly shaped tanks, expandable, detaches to be a backpack, the base has a second map holder when that's all you need, came with a waterproof cover for those downpours, has a carry handle, and looks great.

Just ensure no metal shavings are on the magnet base and lift it straight off and you cannot scratch the tank. Remember to keep any wallet cards with magnetic strips AWAY from the magnetic base.

A note about strapping a bag to the back seat. I used to do this all the time until some major bumps caused the bag to roll around the tail section off the seat (still strapped to the bike, the net was getting older) when it went into the rear wheelwell and wedged between the rear tire and the fender. The rear tire burned right through my bag, I lost most of the bag contents and burned a hole into one of my shoes as it locked up my rear wheel at 70 kph. Ensure they are secure.
 
just like u said it....ice05, my new ninja day3 got scratched by my tank bag.....the length of my pinky, ouch!:mad:
 
I needed some storage to take things to and from work. Didn't like the idea of the magnets and the fact that there's this big bag between you and the handlebars with the tank bag. Bought this tail bag in March, and used it all riding season. It doesn't come off like a backpack, but it fits what I need (I usually put a cloth reusable bag inside to carry my stuff between work, bike, home). No magnets, stays on the bike, cheap, and came with a rain cover.
 
Have the Icon Urban as well. It has magnets, but it also has a clip you can put on the stem. I use the clip once in a while, but found it wasn't needed. I have a plastic front half of the tank over the air box, so I glued magnets underneath so that the front tank bag magnets have a place to stick on.
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