For reference, I'm talking about this: https://shop.bmwmcgr.com/products/b...0sEoRSXQTFlg22Wx0g_fFL1HxaZARk0bmbWlQLWy3q3yQ
Bought this in July from this dealer for (the admittedly high) MSRP. Used it this past weekend for a 3-day 700 mile jaunt on my R18B. Used packing cubes to load in riding jeans, T shirts, underpants, socks, pajamas, longjohn pants, and a pair of converse low tops.
I became quickly frustrated when attempting to attach it to my R18B. There are 4 standalone "infinity" straps to latch it to the bike through 4 attachment points on the bag. I had this sitting on the pillion part of the seat. In using the mount points of the hard bags to strap to, I found too much play in the rearward movement of the bag no matter how tightly I had it tied down. The problem is that the front mounts of the bag end up ahead of the mounting points of the hard bags. You can't get a tight enough pull on the strap to keep play out. I was worried the vibration would shake the bag backwards, and while not likely to fall off, it's a worry I didn't want to have.
I have RoadStyler rear crash bars and found the solution with them. There are "slots" in the bar mount plates that put the bag mounts behind them, thus allowing a properly tensioned tie down. As well, the slots perfectly fit the bag straps. Win!
Once I sorted this out and had the bag strapped tight, I realized that the bag kind of "smooshes" at the bottom. I don't think this compromised the overall rigidity or permanently damaged the bag, but I didn't like to see it on a $400 bag.
Loaded up my gear and zipped up. In that regard, it was great. It sat affixed to the bike and didn't move a bit (thanks again to the RoadStyler bars). Access to the inside was easy. Removing and putting it back was simple enough once I realized how to mount it.
There are a couple outside and inside zip pockets that are nearly useless unless you're storing your documents or flat items. The included rain cover is nearly useless as well, in that 1) it's difficult to pull over the bag, 2) there's a cup holder on the outside of the bag that you have to wrestle this thing over, and 3) it's meant to cover over the whole bag and clip to itself to hold tight, but you can't do that because the bag mounts are in the way.
All in all, it did what it was made to do, but not without more gripes than praise.
Pros:
- fits ~3 days worth of clothes
- canvas and stitching seem of good quality
- good lookin' piece of kit
- cup holder held onto my 18 oz yeti bottle without issue
Cons:
- expensive at $400
- it'll mount to a standard R18B, but will have play and may slide backwards during a ride. Will work better if you have the RoadStyler rear bars.
- crushes slightly when mounted
- feels like it wasn't designed with regard to the bike
- rain cover is difficult, if not impossible to use as designed. You can pull it most of the way on, but certainly not all the way.
- if you lose or damage a strap, you're gonna have to find out how to get a new one. Not sure a readily-available alternate option would work
Overall:
At $400, this is probably $250-300 overpriced. But hey, it's a BMW bag! I could have found another solution, but figured maybe this bag was engineered more specifically to fit the bike than it probably really was. I do have the RoadStyler passenger backrest and rack that I bought for the sole reason of tying a bag to (Biltwell exfil 80), but wanted a bag that I didn't need to install the backrest to use. I prefer the bike without the backrest, so would only install/uninstall when traveling (probably an hour job each way). While the BMW bag ended up working out okay, I'm going to check out the new Biltwell exfil-105, which has more room, is already waterproof without a cover, and should strap down however I need it to. I do worry it'll impede opening the hard bags, but we'll see how I can work around that. Maybe I can put the quick needs in the side pockets of the Biltwell instead of in the hard bags. I wouldn't recommend this bag at retail. There were too many "really?!" things about this bag that put me off. I'd use it again since I own it, but will likely shelf it once I find something more up to the task that won't deform or give me worry about it moving.
Bought this in July from this dealer for (the admittedly high) MSRP. Used it this past weekend for a 3-day 700 mile jaunt on my R18B. Used packing cubes to load in riding jeans, T shirts, underpants, socks, pajamas, longjohn pants, and a pair of converse low tops.
I became quickly frustrated when attempting to attach it to my R18B. There are 4 standalone "infinity" straps to latch it to the bike through 4 attachment points on the bag. I had this sitting on the pillion part of the seat. In using the mount points of the hard bags to strap to, I found too much play in the rearward movement of the bag no matter how tightly I had it tied down. The problem is that the front mounts of the bag end up ahead of the mounting points of the hard bags. You can't get a tight enough pull on the strap to keep play out. I was worried the vibration would shake the bag backwards, and while not likely to fall off, it's a worry I didn't want to have.
I have RoadStyler rear crash bars and found the solution with them. There are "slots" in the bar mount plates that put the bag mounts behind them, thus allowing a properly tensioned tie down. As well, the slots perfectly fit the bag straps. Win!
Once I sorted this out and had the bag strapped tight, I realized that the bag kind of "smooshes" at the bottom. I don't think this compromised the overall rigidity or permanently damaged the bag, but I didn't like to see it on a $400 bag.
Loaded up my gear and zipped up. In that regard, it was great. It sat affixed to the bike and didn't move a bit (thanks again to the RoadStyler bars). Access to the inside was easy. Removing and putting it back was simple enough once I realized how to mount it.
There are a couple outside and inside zip pockets that are nearly useless unless you're storing your documents or flat items. The included rain cover is nearly useless as well, in that 1) it's difficult to pull over the bag, 2) there's a cup holder on the outside of the bag that you have to wrestle this thing over, and 3) it's meant to cover over the whole bag and clip to itself to hold tight, but you can't do that because the bag mounts are in the way.
All in all, it did what it was made to do, but not without more gripes than praise.
Pros:
- fits ~3 days worth of clothes
- canvas and stitching seem of good quality
- good lookin' piece of kit
- cup holder held onto my 18 oz yeti bottle without issue
Cons:
- expensive at $400
- it'll mount to a standard R18B, but will have play and may slide backwards during a ride. Will work better if you have the RoadStyler rear bars.
- crushes slightly when mounted
- feels like it wasn't designed with regard to the bike
- rain cover is difficult, if not impossible to use as designed. You can pull it most of the way on, but certainly not all the way.
- if you lose or damage a strap, you're gonna have to find out how to get a new one. Not sure a readily-available alternate option would work
Overall:
At $400, this is probably $250-300 overpriced. But hey, it's a BMW bag! I could have found another solution, but figured maybe this bag was engineered more specifically to fit the bike than it probably really was. I do have the RoadStyler passenger backrest and rack that I bought for the sole reason of tying a bag to (Biltwell exfil 80), but wanted a bag that I didn't need to install the backrest to use. I prefer the bike without the backrest, so would only install/uninstall when traveling (probably an hour job each way). While the BMW bag ended up working out okay, I'm going to check out the new Biltwell exfil-105, which has more room, is already waterproof without a cover, and should strap down however I need it to. I do worry it'll impede opening the hard bags, but we'll see how I can work around that. Maybe I can put the quick needs in the side pockets of the Biltwell instead of in the hard bags. I wouldn't recommend this bag at retail. There were too many "really?!" things about this bag that put me off. I'd use it again since I own it, but will likely shelf it once I find something more up to the task that won't deform or give me worry about it moving.
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