Tank bag opinions good and bad and what to look for...

I never had a magnetic tank bag for a motorcycle. Considering one for my ST now. I plan to put maps, maybe my phone when riding, maybe even some sort of radio in it. I am not wanting anything huge. Probably want to put it in a saddlebag when inside a restaurant if out and about. What brands? DO any of them have insulation to help with the heat off the tank and sunshine? All opinions matter to help educate myself on what to look for when selecting a tank bag.

Take a look at the cortec bags. They have a couple sizes of nice magnetic bags that convert to backpacks when off the bike. They have organizers built in and the larger one will support a water bladder. Around $120. Nicely built.

Good luck

Chance

I gave up on any tank bag that rested on the tank because they will eventually scratch the tank. My current bag locks onto a plastic ring that bolts around the gas cap and the bag sits above the tank. Got it from Twisted Throttle, its an EVO tank bag. There are several brands that work this way.

You need to decide what you want to carry (to determine the size) and mock up the new bag before you buy it to make sure it will allow you to turn the handlebars lock to lock. And its nice if its water proof and has a map pocket on top.

I tried two of the Givi tanklock bags. Both in 15L size.
Enough room in there that I could put my 70oz CamelBak bladder in filled with ice water and also a 32oz CamelBak bottle filled with Gatorade, small camera and other misc. stuff.

The come with a pocket/sleeve to fasten on top for tablets, or if you prefer old school, paper maps.
The tank-lok is nice, super easy to pop off to fill the bike or take in the store if you are stepping away.

Nicer thing with the tank trim ring mounted style bags. They are elevated off the tank and never touch it. So they stay relatively cool. As cool as something black and sitting in direct sunlght can be.

I gave a Joe Rocket Manta tank bag, magnetic. Used it a few times, but not a fan of the magnrts and scratch potential. I'll sell it if you are interested.

I like having a tank bag on a street bike. I got one of the magnetic Cortech tank bags with a water bladder for the ST1300. My first magnetic tank bag. Very convenient and I like that a lot. I used the tether for a while but after riding through hellacious cross winds in Kansas and it never budged so I got rid of the tether. Really easy to position so my gut rests against it and takes a little weight off my wrists. The map pocket is too small but I mostly use a gps anyway. As already mentioned, it can scratch your tank. I picked up a small piece of metal on one of the magnets and it scratched my tank. I now check carefully and haven't had any more problems.

SMSW said:

I gave up on any tank bag that rested on the tank because they will eventually scratch the tank. My current bag locks onto a plastic ring that bolts around the gas cap and the bag sits above the tank. Got it from Twisted Throttle, its an EVO tank bag. There are several brands that work this way.

You need to decide what you want to carry (to determine the size) and mock up the new bag before you buy it to make sure it will allow you to turn the handlebars lock to lock. And its nice if its water proof and has a map pocket on top.

Click to expand...

+1 on the Twisted Throttle Mo-Tech EVO tank bag. There are several sizes available - not all of which fit the ST1300. I got the smaller DayPak and will buy a City bag before my next big trip. The bag fits the bike well and does not interfere with the bars at all (I have MCL Gen-3 risers).

The tough plastic "tank ring" mounting system works very well, it is secure and your fuel tank will NOT be damaged. Also, the bag is very easy to take off the bike and carry into restaurants etc so your stuff is not at risk. Fuelling the bike is no problem - just release the bag (one-hand operation) and use the fuel inlet as normal. All of the hardware and the bag itself are extremely well made - but they're more expensive than a magnetic or other type of tank bag. Overall, I am very pleased and would buy the same bag again.

Pete

My favorite tank bag for the ST1300 is the Cortec Mini. I think it has been discontinued but you might find one on ebay or throught forum classifieds. It's sized big enough to be useful but does not hit the horn or starter buttons at full lock. The Super Mini 2.0 also works well, probably better because it's curved however it's map pocket is not as big as the Mini's. I have both.

If you are careful a magnetic bag will not scratch your tank. My high mileage ST is proof of that. I carry a soft terry cloth in a fairing pocket and always wipe off the tank and underside of the bag after a gas stop. Some folks use a piece of plastic mesh used for drawer liners or dish drainers to isolate the tank surface from the tank bag. But I've never had a problem.

I like my Nelson Rigg CL 2015 with one exception......it honks my horn when I turn the bars sharp, usually at very slow speeds.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Which one is best for not triggering the horn in a tight turn......?

MaxPete said:

+1 on the Twisted Throttle Mo-Tech EVO tank bag. There are several sizes available - not all of which fit the ST1300. I got the smaller DayPak and will buy a City bag before my next big trip. The bag fits the bike well and does not interfere with the bars at all (I have MCL Gen-3 risers).

The tough plastic "tank ring" mounting system works very well, it is secure and your fuel tank will NOT be damaged. Also, the bag is very easy to take off the bike and carry into restaurants etc so your stuff is not at risk. Fuelling the bike is no problem - just release the bag (one-hand operation) and use the fuel inlet as normal. All of the hardware and the bag itself are extremely well made - but they're more expensive than a magnetic or other type of tank bag. Overall, I am very pleased and would buy the same bag again.

Pete

Click to expand...

One point about these 'tank rings'. They will require several of the screws used to hold the tank cap/trim ring to the fuel tank. If you have replaced the stock cap with an aftermarket screw in gas cap that uses only the 3 structural screws that secure the OEM cap to the tank, you might have a problem mounting the ring. I encountered this problem (in reverse) when I wanted a screw in gas cap - the Oberon cap fits and uses all the screws the OEM cap had. And of course the bag's ring sits on top of the Oberon trim perfectly.

Now you have Pete and RePete both endorsing this tank bag. Who knows which one of us is which?

Peter

After reading and looking around I decided to give this a try. Small enough not to be intrusive, has a clear map window on top, and priced right. The reviews are very good. Besides, it doesn't have to be the only one I ever buy etc...

MOTOTREK 7 TANK BAG

https://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/28863/i/motocentric-mototrek-7-tank-bag