Hey Guys, Happy Father's Day.
There have been a number of threads about the BMW tail and tank bags and even more questions from those who don't have them and want pictures of them. So that is what this is about.
I've got both. This next week my local BMW dealer (Ride West) has a multiple day ride planned to Lolo Pass on the Idaho/Montana border, and I'm taking "Phlegm". It's a terrific ride I've done a couple of time before on bigger bikes, but a 120-140 mile gas tank is cutting it scary close on fuel for this pass. By my calculation, is it's 148 miles between gas stations , and I don't plan on riding it for good gas milage. All in all my brother and I will be on the road 4 days and roughly 1,200 miles, riding from Seattle to Pendleton, OR. Then Pendelton to Clarkston, WA via Hell's Canyon. We'll meet up with the RW group of 37 at Clarkston, then ride the pass to Missoula, MT and back Saturday, then ride back home Sunday. So that's my excuse for for adding tank and tail bags - multi-day trips like this.
I've had the tail bag for some time, but haven't used it yet really for fear of scratching the tail all up. I've been waiting for some 3M Paint Protection film to put on the tail pieces like others have warned about. I'll use the duct tape and painter's tape until my order comes in.
Here are a couple of left and right side views of the tank and tail bags on "Phlegm".
The tank bag comes with the metal plate shown below. It also comes with a friking 40-page manual in every language under the sun, two spacers to put under the rear screws, and a nylon strap with click lock for the front of the bag. It also comes with some velcro to keep the front strap from flying around when the bag isn't mounted (like in the picture below.
The two spacers work OK to keep the metal bracket off the paint in the rear, but I had to go to the hardware store to pick up some nylon washers to keep the tops of those screws from digging into the bracket. The front mount comes with some protective film on the back of the vertical piece, but I don't like how close it is. I will probably but more tape up there as well. The manual says to put two washers between the nylon strap in front, but they didn't include those, so I had to pick up some SS washers at the hardware store as well. Why couldn't they have included those?
Anyway, here is the bottom of the tank bag. Compare it to the picture above and you can see that there are two metal hooks that slip into the elongated rectangular holes in the plate, and there are three rubber buttoms in the front that fit into the holes in the brackets. You clip the strap in the front and it is very stable.
There have been a number of threads about the BMW tail and tank bags and even more questions from those who don't have them and want pictures of them. So that is what this is about.
I've got both. This next week my local BMW dealer (Ride West) has a multiple day ride planned to Lolo Pass on the Idaho/Montana border, and I'm taking "Phlegm". It's a terrific ride I've done a couple of time before on bigger bikes, but a 120-140 mile gas tank is cutting it scary close on fuel for this pass. By my calculation, is it's 148 miles between gas stations , and I don't plan on riding it for good gas milage. All in all my brother and I will be on the road 4 days and roughly 1,200 miles, riding from Seattle to Pendleton, OR. Then Pendelton to Clarkston, WA via Hell's Canyon. We'll meet up with the RW group of 37 at Clarkston, then ride the pass to Missoula, MT and back Saturday, then ride back home Sunday. So that's my excuse for for adding tank and tail bags - multi-day trips like this.
I've had the tail bag for some time, but haven't used it yet really for fear of scratching the tail all up. I've been waiting for some 3M Paint Protection film to put on the tail pieces like others have warned about. I'll use the duct tape and painter's tape until my order comes in.
Here are a couple of left and right side views of the tank and tail bags on "Phlegm".
The tank bag comes with the metal plate shown below. It also comes with a friking 40-page manual in every language under the sun, two spacers to put under the rear screws, and a nylon strap with click lock for the front of the bag. It also comes with some velcro to keep the front strap from flying around when the bag isn't mounted (like in the picture below.
The two spacers work OK to keep the metal bracket off the paint in the rear, but I had to go to the hardware store to pick up some nylon washers to keep the tops of those screws from digging into the bracket. The front mount comes with some protective film on the back of the vertical piece, but I don't like how close it is. I will probably but more tape up there as well. The manual says to put two washers between the nylon strap in front, but they didn't include those, so I had to pick up some SS washers at the hardware store as well. Why couldn't they have included those?
Anyway, here is the bottom of the tank bag. Compare it to the picture above and you can see that there are two metal hooks that slip into the elongated rectangular holes in the plate, and there are three rubber buttoms in the front that fit into the holes in the brackets. You clip the strap in the front and it is very stable.