Motorcycle Luggage & Bags

What matters here is not the litres. It is what the bag hangs off. Across the 244 products here there are five answers: a steel ring bolted round the filler cap, a magnet, a set of straps, a throw-over yoke that sits under the seat, or nothing at all, because it is carried rather than mounted.

Every bag and every bracket here is for sale, with free UK delivery available. 237 of the 244 products show a was-price on the grid, and 10% off RRP is the commonest figure on it. Seven show nothing at all: the three Stash Tube listings, the Exfil-7 bag and the three Aqua T-50 roll bags.

Three ways a tank bag holds on

A ring-mount bag clicks onto a ring that bolts round the filler cap of one specific model. A magnetic bag holds to a steel tank and will not hold at all to a tank with a plastic cover over it. A strap-on bag goes over any tank. The three do not swap, so the mounting decides what you can use. SW-Motech's note on the Ion ring says it is for Ion tank bags only. Which bag uses which is set out product by product on the tank bags page.

131 of the 163 tank bag listings are rings, not bags

That one catches people out. Counted off this page: 131 tank rings and ring adapters, nine rain covers, and 23 that are the bags themselves and the small parts that go with them. The ring is a separate purchase and it is cut for one motorcycle, which is why there are so many of them. Budget for the ring alongside the bag, or buy a strap-on bag and have done with it.

What else you have to buy

Throw-over saddlebags are the clearest case. The Exfil-36 and Exfil-18 sets hang from a saddlebag support that Biltwell state is sold separately, and there is no support anywhere on this page. The centre yoke goes over the mudguard and under the seat, the bags zip to the yoke, and the back of each bag straps to the support. Without one, there is nothing to attach them to.

The Stash Tube is the other one to read before ordering. Biltwell drill it for the 5.75 inch on-centre bolt pattern used on American number plates, and say in their own words that you can drill your country's plate to make it fit. On a UK plate that is a job with a drill, not a bolt-on.

Everywhere else the answer is nothing. The Exfil-80, Exfil-60, Exfil-7 and Exfil-3 bags mount with the straps and buckles supplied, though the Exfil-80 wants a sissy bar or backrest to sit against and the Exfil-3 wants T-bars or tall risers to loop its six velcro straps around. The Oxford roll bag has its own underseat security strap and a welded PVC tarpaulin body. The two Harley-Davidson duffels are not mounted at all. The listing describes seam-sealed construction, an easy-grip handle and padded shoulder straps so the bag can be worn as a backpack.

The 20 SW-Motech soft luggage products strap on too: Drybag tail bags named by capacity, from the 8 litre Drybag 80 up to the Drybag 700, three backpacks and two bags worn on the body. All 20 show a was-price. SW-Motech's own wording calls the main compartment "100% Waterproof" and the outer pockets "splash-proof", which are not the same claim.

Locks, keys and warranties differ by brand

The lock sets here belong to four separate SW-Motech systems and they do not share keys, so a second lock bought later arrives with its own. The exception is the Dusc set, sold as three locks on matched keys. Warranty differs by maker too, so check whose bag you are buying: Biltwell state two years against defects in materials and workmanship, claimed with Biltwell in California, while Oxford's own wording covers manufacturing defects only and limits the remedy to repair or replacement.

Two Harley-Davidson bags sit on this page because they are MotorClothes duffels, not motorcycle fitments. The genuine Harley-Davidson luggage, which is a different range entirely, has a page of its own: Harley-Davidson luggage.