Hard Bags or Soft Bags?

[quicknick]

I've toured with softbags on previous bikes, and now have hard luggage on my VFR. IMO, hard bags are the way to go. No worries about leaks, better security, more room...the hard bags win all the way around. While they do detract from the sporty look of the bike, so do soft bags. IMO, soft bags always look cobbled together and gerry-rigged.

My Givi's go on and come off in about 5 seconds. If I really want a clean look, the rack can be removed in less than 10 minutes. Easy as pie.

This is the set up I have with my 6th gen. The Givis are nice because they lock and are waterproof. They come off in 5 secods and the SW racks come off in about 10secs. I agree that they don't do much for the look of the bike, but they are very practical and huge!

[johne]

I just got done fitting Givi bags to mine. Haven't tried them out yet but they will be put to the test this summer. The increased capacity is a plus of course but also they should be waterproof and wont scratch or crack the bodywork like my old flacid bags did. :blink: :thumbsup:

Not cheap and not attractive,...but functional.

Old set up....

[Jon28]

I love the look, function, and ease of hardbags.....with that being said I own a 5th gen so Givi is really the only option. I don't use my softbags enough to justify the hard ones.....however if given the chance on a 6gen or other bike I would buy the OEM bags.....well worth it!

Now.....I bought Motopak GTS90. They are awesome, very rain resistant, sturdy, and look great on my vfr. Also their customer service is #2 only to new enough:-)

I highly recommned the Motopak GTS60 or GTS90 (slightly bigger) Good luck!

where are the pictures? at least of the motopak?

I'd love to take some but heck I don't know how to post pics in a thread anymore.....I'm not computer savvy if I was I would be making $100k a year:-) Instead of the peanuts I make now. Someone tell me how and I will snap some with the 35l tankbag and the GTS90's on the rear.....I think they look great...for soft bags at least!

[Guest]

...Is there a reasonable way to overcome the scratchin issue w/ softies? I could easily overcome the waterproof issue by ziploc'ing the stuff I need kept dry.

Sure.

I use a "nonslip" kitchen shelf liner under all of my soft bags. The material looks like a rubber covered mesh or lace. Comes in a variety of colours and designs. It costs about $2 a roll (~12x24 inches) at our local Canadian Tire store. Here is an Amazon site for the nonslip material.

Just cut the material so that it is between the bag -all parts that could touch- and your bike. Lay the material down just before you lay the soft bag on the bike. It will act to stop the bag from shifting and separate the bag from the valuable plastic bits.

The material is cheap enough that you could use a new piece for every long trip, but durable enough that you can save it for years. I have traveled thousands of kilometres carrying a Seal Bag this way without scratching the paint. Well, from the bags anyway, I've traveled metres sideways and really scuffed the plastic... :unsure:

Also, I use a tail bag, that I modified so that it does not touch the plastic at all. I cut off the flaps and pulled out the bungies. Instead, I use flat straps through the bungy slots and pass the flat straps under my seat pan while the seat is removed from the bike. As the strap buckles are under the pan, this secures the bag when the seat is replaced on the bike. It wouldn't stop a slash & cut thief, but a smash & grab guy would have to look elsewhere for success.

Rain too is not an issue if you have rain covers for your bags. I have an Oxford Tank Bag and a Joe Rocket Tail Bag - both sets of rain covers work perfectly. However, I have heard of (& seen) people, who have not taken care to secure the rain covers adequately - i.e. tuck under the bag edges, have the covers blow off at speed. :wheel:

[BonusVFR]

Hard bags arent in the budget anytime soon for me.

I'd really like to see some mounted soft luggage pics. Is there a reasonable way to overcome the scratchin issue w/ softies? I could easily overcome the waterproof issue by ziploc'ing the stuff I need kept dry.

I just use duct tape where the bags may rub. In this case red tape.

I also bolt on my Ventura rack frame which helps support the soft bags better and allows me a have overflow storage on the tail rack.

[Guest Laurent]

There was a picture few days ago on the first page of the web site on wich we could see a silver VFR with silver hard bags...does someone know about the brand it was?

[Guest Wingspan]

Sorry I haven't responded to those of you who asked me questions, I haven't been on this board much lately. My Givi's are E41's and are mounted with the Wingrack. I ordered mine from Twistedthrottle.com and got great service. The bags and rack aren't cheap, but I don't regret the purchase for a second. I may add a top case at some point. The bags are still huge, but I think they look a lot better now that the bike is black. The rack also blends in better when the bags are off.

[orgndnr]

There was a picture few days ago on the first page of the web site on wich we could see a silver VFR with silver hard bags...does someone know about the brand it was?

It was the OEM bags, I got them from David Silver Spares in the UK, $680 Canadian to my door.

VFR Sunset Comox.jpg

[thereisnospoon]

I had wanted to get E21 side cases, but that requires either the Wingrack or the mounts for the top box and side cases. I ended up with the mount for a top box, and an E360. At some point I think I want an E460 ... my helmet won't quite fit in the 360. The size otherwise is fine, the construction is great and it is waterproof... and I ended up with less in this setup for a larger single box than the E21's. I don't know that I want something that sticks out too far on the sides... like a pair of 360's.