Any other options that you folks like?

Yes, I've been very happy with my Giant Loop tank bag on the 650. Matches my silver perfectly: http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...ag?utm_source=shopping&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=sc&scpid=8&scid=scsho1302548

Totally waterproof after seam sealing, map window on top, zips off quickly and has a carry strap. Very well designed and built. (and it should be for the price!)

I put some 3M paint protector under it and haven't had any scratches yet.[8D]
I just wired a Powerlet to Cig receptacle up last month...use a solder gun to burn through the front and have juice inside the bag for phone, tunes, etc.[]

 

Rocky, how does the bag attach to the bike? The website link you provided doesn't make that clear. Does anything remain on the bike (visible) when the bag is removed?

You say it's totally waterproof "after seam sealing"... Does that mean YOU had to seal the seams?

You also imply that for the price it should be well designed and built but it looks like half the cost of other bags I've researched.

Gotta look into this one some more.

Thanks for commenting!

 

I have a Horning tank bag that fits my F650GS well. I like it a lot better than the BMW tank bag that is sold for the 650/800GS bikes. The Horning bag is well made, has some outside extra pockets, is expandable and doesn't obscure the instruments or interfere with the ignition lock. Photo attached.

 

Richard, how does the bag attach to the bike?

Until you mentioned it, I'd never heard of Horning.

 

The front of the bag attaches with two clips that fit in the holes in the steering head frame (the same ones used to attach the front of the BMW bag). The rear of the bag is secured by a strap along either side of the bag that loops around the lower frame rails to either side of the "tank" and the bag is released and reattached with the usual plastic quick-release buckles. I bought the bag a couple of years ago from Rob and it looks like he is still selling them []:

http://f800depot.com/hornig-22l-expandable-tank-bag-f650-800gs.html

So much for Google. Opps, I just noticed that I misspelled the name. It should be Hornig, not Horning.

 

Thanks for clarifying the name, Richard. The bag looks good. When you take the bag off, what happens to the back straps?

I also want to investigate the BMW tank bag. It looks like it attaches at the back the same way as the bag on my K1300GT does, with a piece that adheres to the back edge of the "tank" and has some velcro. Looks like a nice clean installation. Especially when you remove the bag. I'm going to see tomorrow if my local dealer has one I could look at. I also think the waterproofing on the BMW bag is excellent.

Thanks for the help.

 

The two mounting straps and buckles at the rear sides of the "tank" frame rails stay in place. They are about 4 inches long. I usually just let them flop if I plan to reinstall the bag in the near future. Otherwise you could fasten them to the frame tubes with some sort of Velco strap, such as is sold in hardware stores to fasten plants to adjacent supporting sticks. (The cheap option.) No doubt there are many other ways of securing the strap ends so that they do not flop around until you need them to attach the bag.

The BMW tank bag (at least the one that I have that I bought in 2008) sucks. It is really ugly, the front clips are hard to insert into the frame holes (the metal tabs are kind of wide), it is not expandable, has only one compartment and the clear map/phone cover leaks when any sort of moisture is around - including morning sunshine after morning dew. Waterproofing is accomplished by an interior plastic bag that takes up more than its share of room and reduces the capacity of the bag. Unless they have changed the design recently, BMW ought to be embarrassed selling this product. [sure]

 

Giant Loop Fandango

The color matches my Wolfman Expedition Dry Saddlebags perfectly. I keep my DSLR, wallet, hat, maps, etc. in it. I looked at several other tank bags in person...Wolfman, Touratech, BMW...but found the Fandango to be my favorite. I really like the quick zip-off feature, too.

 

Thanks for jumping in. What I don't like about that quick zip-off feature is that something stays on the bike covering the tank. Most days I would not be using the tank bag. I hope to see a BMW bag tomorrow but so far it looks to me like it has the cleanest installation of all of them.

Giant Loop Fandango

The color matches my Wolfman Expedition Dry Saddlebags perfectly. I keep my DSLR, wallet, hat, maps, etc. in it. I looked at several other tank bags in person...Wolfman, Touratech, BMW...but found the Fandango to be my favorite. I really like the quick zip-off feature, too.

 

Here's what the MotoQuest bikes are equipped with, they stay on pretty well and have a good bit of room:

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/bags-connection-enduro-evo-strap-on-tank-bag

 

Thanks Deb, but the way those bags-connection bags attach with the "plate" that stays on the bike really doesn't appeal to me. MOST of my use of the bike would NOT involve a tank bag (I've got great panniers that I use all the time) so I want as little as possible left on the bike when not using a tank bag.

 

My dealer didn't have the BMW bag in stock but has ordered it and should have it today or tomorrow. He did have a Touratech bag which was quite nice, although expensive (more than the BMW bag). I like the way that attaches and I think it's similar to the BMW bag... there are straps with hooks that attach to part of the frame near the forks for the front of the bag and a "thingie" with straps AND velcro pad that attach under the front of the seat and the base of the faux tank. That stays on the bike but is a lot less obtrusive than any other mounting I've seen. The only thing I don't like about the Touratech bag is that it doesn't appear to be as waterproof as the BMW bag (the one I have for my K1300GT - I haven't seen the one for the F800GS yet). With that one I'll probably have to purchase a rain cover for it because I would have camera gear in the tank bag.

Richard I don't know what that BMW bag was that you had, but I really do like the one I got for my K1300GT. It is expandable, the map pocket is great, and the inner waterproof bag (which is part of the tank bag and not removable) has a drawstring closure that really protects the contents when closed. I don't usually close it, unless I'm riding in the rain. If their bag for the F800GS is as good as this one, I'll probably go with it. But at least I'll be able to compare the Touratech and BMW side by side.

Cheers!

 

Eldor, here is a photo of the BMW bag. I have a BMW bag for my R1200R and it is much better looking and better designed than the one sold for the F650/800GS.

 

Another option for removability is what I use: Wolfman Explorer Lite bag and the Wolfman "X strap" for when the bag's not on the bike. The latter looks like a small pair of elastic suspenders [lol]

 

Thanks Doug, but believe it or not, I really don't like the idea of the X strap either.

The Wolfman bag you have looks like mine but the two front straps on mine are supposed to go around something and on my F800GS the forks are the most logical attachment point. But turning the handlebars changes the tension on the straps (tightening one side and loosening the other) so that's not a good option. Plus the rear attachment would end up with straps dangling far too low (if I don't use something like the X strap or remove them completely).

So far I like the way the Touratech bag attaches the most, and I think the BMW bag will be similar. I'm just waiting for my dealer to call me so that I can compare both those bags, but I'm pretty sure I'll end up with one or the other.

Cheers!

 

My front straps conveniently connect to a pair of brackets inside the cowling and behind the forks. 2009 model. I've used the bag on at least 3 different bikes over the years; it's probably got 80-100,000 km on it, still going strong.

 

I will weigh in on the tank bag that I selected after looking at just about all available. I decided to purchase the Touratech tank bag "black on black". Pros, I like the way looks and secures onto the bike, it does come with the long frame straps if you feel like you need to add them for stability, very secure without the off road straps affixed to the bikes frame I have never needed to use them at all, expandable, a great map pocket with great visibility which you can remove from the bag if you wish to read it during lunch etc, well designed side pockets. The TB once installed is very secure on the bike without the additional straps. It has reflective piping as a be seen safety feature. The TB looks like it was made for the F800GSA, not an after thought....Overall I would buy again as it is a very clean looking install. Hope this helps anyone looking for a decent but spendy TB.

Cons, Rain resistant and not water proof, but I did purchase the rain cover with map window which is a high quality option. This is an expensive TB. Other than that I like it! I do think it should come with the rain cover.


A close up photo. Note; I added 3m paint protection where the tank bag lays on the painted surface of the faux gas tank. For what its worth.

 

Big Dave, on the second photo you posted, what's that pad on top of your seat at the front? Is that a "tongue" that is part of the tank bag, part of the mount that stays on the bike when the bag is off, or what?

I'm not going to be able to revisit my dealer until Thursday night (got some staffing issues at work and I'm unable to leave) but I will carefully compare the Touratech bag (they have the one with yellow trim in stock) with the BMW bag. My past experience with a BMW bag on my K1300GT makes me lean toward that bag, but Richard's comments about the one for the F800GS being inferior make me hesitate. So I'll compare them both and probably end up with one or the other.

Cheers!

 

I have a Wunderlich 'Elephant' bag that I like very well, but it does mount with a 'base plate' (http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/1250921-940.html). When I have the bag off I really don't notice the base on the bike, but that's just me. []

 

Wunderlich has a great mounting harness and you cant see it..bag expands a lot too

 

Thanks (or should I say "tanks"). I realize you don't see the mounting harness when the bag is on the bike, but I don't want to see it when the bag is OFF! And in my case, it would be off the bike a lot more often than on.

Other than that, the bag looks great.

Cheers!

Wunderlich has a great mounting harness and you cant see it..bag expands a lot too

 

It just takes a couple of minutes to take off the Wunderlich harness or put it back on.

 

Thanks Charlie!

Okay, if I don't like either the BMW or Touratech bags, I'll consider this as my next choice. But nobody local stocks Wunderlich so I'd have to order it sight unseen mail order. And I'd really prefer to see the bag in person (and the mounting) before committing to one. But your (and Leslie's) recommendations go far in the plus column for this bag.

Cheers!

Eldor

 

Some have glued metal plates to the underside of plastic fairing/trim pieces and then used magnetic mount bags with good success. Might be worth a look.

 

Last night I got to check out both the Touratech bag and the BMW one. The BMW one seemed to be as well made as the one I love so much on my K1300GT, but I ended up buying the Touratech one for slightly more money ($15) than the BMW one.

Disadvantages (at least for me) of the BMW one:

In smallest configuration it's still larger than the Touratech one and I felt it was just too big. (Got to try both bags on the bike.)
Map pocket isn't removable like it is on the Touratech one.
Recessed cell phone holder inside the map pocket, and I'd never put my cellphone inside a bag in direct sunlight - I'd be afraid it would melt.
The front mounting straps are permanently attached to the front of the bag and need to be removed from the bike when the bag is removed. I didn't like that.
No bungie cord setup like on the Touratech to hold things like gloves, etc.

My concern had been that it was water resistant rather than waterproof, but the dealer showed me that this is the only bag in the Touratech line which IS completely waterproof, even to the point of having one of those rubberized zippers. So I'm not going to worry about that. My new bag is entirely black and I'm pretty sure it's this one: http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/...re/325/PN-048-5803/Touring-Tank-bag-Black-Edition-BMW-F800GS-F700GS-F650GS-Twin. Funny that the English site says for complete waterproofing you should get the optional rain cover (which seems to only cover the very top of the bag) but the French one said it was completely waterproof. It LOOKS pretty good, but until I'm sure, I'll carry a couple of heavy-duty ziplock bags to put my important gear in if it rains.

I'll take photos as I install the bag this morning and post them. I'm going to wait until it stops raining though. (Managed to get to work before the rain started, luckily.)

 

Ok, I installed the Touratech tank bag. Installation was easy.

There are two front straps with quick-release buckles that have hooks on them that hook into small holes in the frame of the bike. If that was all, with the bag removed, the straps would either fall down in front of the key or you'd have to remove them. Touratech supplies longer screws, with spacers and a larger top washer, that you install in place of the two front battery cover screws. Then those front straps attach to the new screws by way of little elastic loops. Neat and tidy, and the straps don't fall behind when you remove the bag:

At the back end, once you remove the seat, you attach a couple of velcro straps to the bike, and a larger velcro pad goes on top of the back of the faux tank. That allows the tank bag to attach really very solidly onto the velcro pad. That pad is held onto the tank with a smaller round velcro piece that glues to the tank with the self-adhesive back. (I didn't take a photo of that and it's started raining again.) So the pad I show can be easily removed, leaving only that small round patch.

If you want to leave that larger velcro pad on the bike when the tank bag is removed, there's a small "patch" that you can put on the velcro to keep it from catching anything on your clothing. Here it is, partially peeled back:

Here's what the bag looks like installed:

Inside the top cover (remember the map pocket easily removes from the top of the bag) there's a sort of organizer which can hold a small cellphone, pens, etc.:

I haven't actually ridden with the bag attached yet, but sitting on the bike the bag doesn't interfere with my legs, arms or chest, and I can clearly see my GPS.

Final note is that the link to the bag I supplied in my last post shows a price a lot higher than what the bag is in Canada. I only paid CDN$317 for the bag. The BMW one would have been $302.

 

Let us know how it affects your riding while standing and does it interfere with the key.

 

I haven't been off-road with it (yet) but I did try standing last night and this morning on my commute. No problem. I mean, it's there, but it really didn't affect my standing. Maybe if I'm going up a steep hill with it I'll feel differently.

The key fits no problem but I've sort of got to reach around the bag to insert or turn it. Not a problem.

I'm leaving at 5pm after work today for New Hampshire and a couple of nights of camping, with a ride up the Auto Road on Mt Washington planned for Monday morning. Fully loaded bike and the steep hill... should be a good test.

Cheers!

 

Nice TB, guess I am a little partial having one also[] great looking bike and great job showing TB install and function.

Big Dave

 

Excellent stuff and a great pic. Make sure the next ones are bigger, eh?

Hopefully I'll make it down there next year.