Guest IndyFour Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 The 2000 VFR I recently purchased came with Corbin Beetle Bags that I just didn't really like all that much.....so I sold them off and went shopping for some soft luggage. I'm not a hardcore tourer at all and just wanted something for periodic weekend trips or for hauling things on my commute. I already own a medium sized Tourmaster tailbag that will hold anything about the size of a helmet, but I wanted more capacity than that. I was about to drop cash on a set of Cortech sport saddlebags at a local outfitter, but I thought I'd look online first....glad I did. I ended up taking a chance on a set of Xelement soft saddlebags and tailbag from leatherup.com.....I believe Xelement is their "in house" brand from what I can tell. A friend of mine bought a pair of riding boots in this brand and was happy with them and likewise, I have a pair of punch leather riding gloves in this brand that are excellent....so I decided it was worth the risk. From what I can tell, these are basically knockoffs of the Cortech tri-bag saddlebags. The quality seems to be near that of the Cortech tank bag that I own and the Tourmaster tailbag that I already use. These came with mounting straps, neoprene paint protecting pads, and rain covers....no mounting instructions, however, but it's not that difficult to figure out. The saddlebags seems to hold their shape pretty well, although maybe just a bit droopy when not loaded down with gear. These are not expandable (but I'm not sure that the Cortech tri-bags are either?...not sure). The zippers seem to work well and everything is sewn well and of high quality. The Tailbag is slightly flimsier (especially on the top flap lid) than my Cortech and Tourmaster stuff, but it's fine for what it is. The tailbag is expandable on both sides. It can be mounted to the bike alone with the integrated bungie straps/hooks or by clipping it to the mounted saddlebags (just like the Cortech tri-bags do). Mounting the tailbag onto the saddlebags actually helps support the saddlebags a bit a keep them from drooping inward. Here's the kicker....this set total (shipped) was under $95!! That's for the saddlebags and the tailbag. The saddlebags are on sale right now for $50 as is the tailbag....then there's a 15% code floating around and free shipping. Now I can't attest to the durability of these as I just unboxed them and mounted them, but for somebody who just wants something for occasional use or is on a budget.....these simply can't be beat. Highly recommend!!!!! Pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I've also purchased gear from Leatherup.com, including a jacket, pants and boots made by Xelement. I thought that each item was reasonably priced and the quality of construction and materials seems to be quite good overall. Shipping is free for $89+ orders and fast at just 3-4 days to my home in central VA. I've also discovered that the company regularly offers discount codes up to 20% which can be applied against their regular, on-sale and even already clearance-priced items. Included in my last order was a card with a 10%-off discount code that I can use for a future purchase any time from now through the end of the year. While a significant number of the garments and misc. items offered by Leatherup appear designed to appeal to the cruiser crowd, they also carry an extensive variety of helmets, riding gear & other accessories suitable for anyone who rides on two wheels. This week I also discovered they've added tires to their inventory. Riders on a budget s/b able to purchase a complete set of riding gear to include a 4-season CE armor-equipped, multi-layer jacket w/seperately removable water-proof & thermal liners, a matching pair of water-resistant riding pants also w/CE armor & removable liner-plus a zipper for connecting the pants & jacket, a pair of water-proof riding boots and a pair of water-proof gloves from Leatherup for less than $250. Over the pas year I purchased a $90 jacket, $60 pair of pants and $40 pair of boots ($190 for all three) from Leatherup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 That looks great! Those three bags are going to offer you up a lot of storage space I really like the soft look compared to the hard cases Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 One lesson I learned about 20 years ago about riding gear constructed with dark colored (black) cordura nylon is that exposure to the sun can cause these fabrics to fade to a much less-appealing shade of gray fairly quickly. I made this discovery not long after I purchased a fairly expensive set of Chase Harper saddlebags which I proceeded to leave on my Honda Nighthawk when it was parked outside in the sun while I was at work. Within the space of just a few weeks I realized that my saddlebagsl had faded noticeably. When I contacted the manufacturer (who's products supposedly came with "lifetime warranties"), I was informed that the warranty did not cover fading-even though I had purchased their product less than two-months earlier. As a result these days when I carry my tank, tail or saddlebags on the bike when possible I'll use the rain covers that came w/each item to shield the fabrics from the sun's damaging uv rays. I also always keep a cover in my office at work to protect my motorcycles from the elements while they patiently wait all day in the parking lot until I'm able to ride them home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Ventura FTW! (and you can zip two of them together for massive storage) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 One lesson I learned about 20 years ago about riding gear constructed with dark colored (black) cordura nylon is that exposure to the sun can cause these fabrics to fade to a much less-appealing shade of gray fairly quickly. You might want to discover the magic of 303 On-line or a marina type store Think of it as sunsceen for fabric/vinyl I swear by this stuff, the vinyl top of my S2000 looks better today after a decade than it did when it was new Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGreenValley Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I have the same three bags for my VFR. I have yet to use the saddlebags, but I use the tail bag for my daily commute. Very happy with the quality and durability so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 One lesson I learned about 20 years ago about riding gear constructed with dark colored (black) cordura nylon is that exposure to the sun can cause these fabrics to fade to a much less-appealing shade of gray fairly quickly. You might want to discover the magic of 303 On-line or a marina type store Think of it as sunsceen for fabric/vinyl I swear by this stuff, the vinyl top of my S2000 looks better today after a decade than it did when it was new That might be great stuff, but any effort you make to limit exposure to the sun, acid rain, etc. will pay dividends by dramatically reducing the rate of deterioration over time. While some products may make the surfaces look better (for a while), I'm unaware of anything that will reverse the damage caused over time. Since purchase I've kept my '05 Mazda 3 covered or garaged whether it's parked at home or in the parking lot at work when not in use. Seven years later my Mazda shows far fewer signs of fading and weather damage outside, and less damage to the fabrics and plastics inside the cabin compared to my my wife's only three-year-old Kia. Note: both cars are white. I've also come to realize that waxes and polishes also cause water to bead up far longer when the car is kept protected from the elements as much as possible. If you purchase a custom fitted cover (Note: about every six months Costo has been offering Covercraft custom covers on sale) after getting the on/off routine down to a science it takes me less than 2 minutes to put the cover on my car, or to roll it up and throw it in the trunk.. I've also been diligent about keeping my 1994 ST1100 out of the sun and weather anytime it's not in use. I even try to find some shade when parking it long enough to go inside for a meal when I'm riding. Seventeen years later I still have people occasionally ask me if it's new and who are blown away when I tell them it's a '94!. No product or protectant is more effective overall than limiting exposure to the elements outside that inevitably will cause paint and plastics to deteriorate over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Ventura FTW! (and you can zip two of them together for massive storage) Yes, the Ventura stuff is very neat.....but it's way, way more expensive by the time you buy the rack, etc. I can't justify spending that much for the amount I'll use it. It definitely is a neat system, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Ventura makes a nice setup, but they lack the security of (lockable) hard bags. Also like most of the Givi setups I don't like the way the mouting gear looks on the viffer when the bags are off. Unfortunately, as the saying goes we can't have our cake and eat it too. The factory bags that came on my ST1100 are very easy to put on or take off, but the plastic flip-down covers designed to cover the holes where the bags are mounted are easily scratched during the removal/installation process. Although I rarely ride my ST sans-saddlebags, I learned early on how to remove and install the plastic covers so that they won't get scratched. However, it's somewhat tedious to take them on or off...which is another reason why I don't ride w/o the bags very often. Also, while my ST looks finished even with the bags off, overall the styling looks more integrated and balanced w/them on imo. The nice thing about soft saddlebags, tail & tank bags is once removed the motorcycle's styling is unaffected. However the the flip side is more effort can be required to re-install the gear and to protect the plastic and painted surfaces from damage caused by to abrasions. It can also be tricky to find and secure a mounting postion for saddlebags that will keep them far enough away to avoid exhaust-heat related damage. I scored a like-new set of Tourmaster Sport saddlebags for less than 1/2 price from a local seller on CL last year. However, I have yet to find a fool-proof way to keep my viffer's TBR high-mount exhaust can from causing damage to the bottom of the bags. I'll probably look for a heat-resistant fabric or shield that I can fairly easily slip over the exhaust to protect the bags before I head to TMac in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer realistdreamer Posted March 31, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 31, 2012 Thanks for the tip on the protectant. The clearcoat on my cage is already toast, but the bike is always covered when outside for more than 2 hours. Will have to check out leatherup.com as that is a darn good price for saddlebags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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