Member Contributer Rabidsnipe Posted March 19, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted March 19, 2006 A couple of people asked for my opinions about my Coretech Sport Saddle Bags, and I wrote a long response, so I thought I'd post it here. The saddlebags I used are the Cortech Sport Saddle Bags. They are a pretty good set of bags. They had enough room for three days while camping. I loaded the bags with: rain suit shorts sweat shirt 2 t-shirts 1 long sleeve shirt 1 pair of socks 2 pair boxers chain lube Honda spray cleaner 1 microfiber cloth duct tape camping pillow water bottle waterproof gloves rain covers They were pretty full but I could have gotten a little bit more stuff in there if I had needed to. I got the bags from NewEnough.com for a pretty good price. If I remember correctly I think they were 119, but I could be wrong. On my Oklahoma-Arkansas trip the max speed I saw was 119 mph (indicated) and they didn't seem to have any problem hanging on. The attach onto the bike pretty easily. They have two straps that go over the seat (a big one and a little one). On the front and back of each bag there is a strap that you attach to your motorcycle. This is a pretty neat deal. The strap basically has two parts. The first part of the strap is simply a length of material that is attached to the bag and has an adjustable male end of a plastic clip. The other part (the part that attached to the bike), is just a loop of the same material with the female end. So you just pick a point on the bike, and secure the second part, and then you can attach the bags to it. This system makes it easy to take on and off because you simply have to press on each of the clips to unhook them. It also allows for easy adjustment as the load settles through the day. That being said, there is not really a good place to attach the strap on the rear of the saddlebags. Before I left I went and bougth some eyehook bolts and ran them through the licence plate. One of the hooks ended up falling off when I had taken the bags off for the day and I had to replace it. As far as taking them on and off each day, it is not that big of a deal. It is just something you have to do. But, as I mentioned, the way they attach make this job pretty easy. When it rained, I just used the supplied rain covers that came with the bags. This worked pretty well except for two things that bothered me somewhat. The first is that the bags can't wrap all around the bag because of the straps that are used to attach them. They come off the bag a little bit outboard of the inside edge of the bag, and because of this the whole bag can't be covered. The other problem that I had (but is probably encountered with all soft bags) is that the rain covers aren't the exact same size as the bags. This is good for fitment issues because it makes them easy to put on. But this means that the outsides of the covers kind of buffet in the wind. It really freaked me out the first time I rode because I thought something was wrong with the bike. If you've ever had a tarp or some other such thing flapping in the breeze while driving down the highway, then you have an idea of what it sounds like. They stayed on fine for two reasons: they're held against the front of the bag by the wind, and they have a drawstring that allows you to tighten the covers on the bag. The drawstring doesn't help the fact that the covers are bigger than the bags. They kept the inside stuff almost completely dry. The items at the front, bottom of the bags becames slightly damp. But if it was in the middle of the bag and above, or towards the back, it was fine. The next time I go I think I'll use some plastic bags on the inside. The straps and backs of the bags are covered with a soft rubber type material that seemed to protect both the bags and the bike well. I looked over the paint pretty closely and I didn't see any rub marks or scratches that looked new. In addition, both saddlebags rested directly on the heat shield on my stock exhaust and they didn't melt or looked damaged. When the bags dryed after it had rained, some dirt got stuck between the exhaust and the rubber material. I think this kind of rubbed through because it made a few small scratches on the heat shield. No big deal for me, but you might be careful after a rain and be sure to wipe off the backs of the bags as well as the heat shields. With all this being said, if you've got the money, I would spring for hard bags. You don't have to worry about rain covers, they look better, they are lockable so you don't have to take them off at night. After this trip, I think that I am going to seriously look at getting a hard trunk or maybe some saddle bags. The soft bags work, but I think it will make the trip that much better and easier if I don't have to constanly fiddle with my soft bags. But, like I said, these bags are pretty inexpensive (117 at NewEnough, I just checked) and do their job. Here is the review from NewEnough: Want sport bike luggage that wont look like an overstuffed duffle bag? Want some color? Here you go! These bags are a bit smaller and lighter than the other saddlebags we carry. The colors and styling will work great with most sport bikes too. Also, to cater to the sport bike world, these bags have a heat resistant layer on the bottom of each bag to help prevent damage from pipes (the literature cautions that 2" clearance is required, so be careful). And since most are concerned about the paint job on their bikes, there are soft neoprene pads provided to go between the bag and the bike and also there are protective neoprene pads for the Velcro straps that go over the seat. If you own a sport bike, in my opinion there is no better looking or functioning set of saddlebags for your bike. This bag can be used alone or in conjunction with the Cortech Sport Tail bag to make the "sport luggage system". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Thank you for the great review! I've been so impressed with my Tour Master mini tank bag, I think I'm going for their saddles next. Can you post a few pics of yours? I'd like to see how they attach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest montero1 Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 The first time I used my raincovers, the one for the topbag blew off in less than 3 miles. The only way I knew it fell off was a motorist honked the horn at me and told me. I went back and picked it up, but took the other two off and just risked things getting wet. I'll try and get some type of large Rubber band or something to hold them on, and also help with the buffeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vfr geezer Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Based on Rabidsnipe's review I finally popped the $ and bought the bags and the tail bag too. They seem well made and should work for a 4 or 5 day motel based trip. I found the best price and great service at New England Motorcycle Emporium. Thanks Rabidsnipe for doing a review. VFR Geezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I have had my cortech sport saddle bags and love them. I ran into a problem on one side with the rubber padding that sits on the exhaust pipe. The rubber padding on one side is burned. I have had them on my 03 for two years. Any suggestions on a good heat resistant covering?? I also have the cortech sport tank bag and the sport tail bag. tourmaste makes some great products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Dude, one pair of socks! Ditto about the bags. They don't melt on Carbon Fiber :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest duran.goodyear Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 How do you think these would fit on a 1996 VFR? anyone try that out? I have a D&D exhaust, but its at the same position as the stock exhaust. Anyone get the tail bag as well that they sell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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