Pack Your Motorcycle Luggage

The open road. The fresh air and wind blowing through your hair. The surge of the engine as you rev it. The fluid feel of the motorcycle on the road as it glides along. You've made preparations for this trip. Your only wish is that you had more storage space. Well, wish no more. There are options.

The subject of storage on motorcycles has long been an issue of concern. With no room for a trunk, not to mention it might look silly, the storage for a motorcycle has been very limited in the past. The first type of luggage system we are going to look at is the saddle bag system.

Taken straight from the old west, cowboys would use two leather pouches, connected in the middle by a piece of leather, and it would be either attached to the saddle, or simply placed underneath the saddle. Each bag would be draped over each side of the horse, and usually wasn't very big. Today's saddle bags are crafted in a similar manner. The saddle bags are usually constructed from real cowhide or PU (man made leather). A quality saddle bag will have strong nylon straps and nickel plated buckles and studs to prevent them from rusting. There are several styles available that could include studs, metal buckles, fringes, conchos, waterproofing and rain gear.

The next type of luggage became popular when Peter Fonda, playing the role of a motorcycle rider traveling to New Orleans, used a backpack to store his luggage on the back of his motorcycle, attached to the "sissy bar". The sissy bar bag of today can possibly be used as a backpack. There are several materials used in making sissy bar motorcycle luggage. Nylon, cowhide leather, and man made leather are the common types of material used. As with saddle bags, these too can have studs, fringes, metal buckles, nylon straps, and weatherproofing. There are also options available to have wheels and a luggage tote bar for transporting the bag while not on your motorcycle. Some also have reflective strips on the back of the bag, so that when going down the road, drivers can see you.

The motorcycle windshield bag is a unique type of bag, in that it sits on the handle bars of the motorcycle. It is not a large bag, but rather used for storing smaller items like sunglasses or maps. This can even be used for cellphones or other electronics, as some of the windshield bags are weatherproof. Although there aren't as many styles for windshield bags as there are for saddle bags or sissy bar bags, the selection is still varied. Generally made from leather, cowhide or man made, these bags offer a great way to store those often used items while out on a motorcycle road trip.

The last piece of luggage we are going to look at is the motorcycle tool bag. These are small leather or nylon bags made to hold tools, either in a roll-up configuration, or simply as a pouch. Often stored under the seat, it helps to keep your tool kit organized, and safely stored. Many of the same style options that are used with the saddle bags can be found for the motorcycle tool bag.