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2018 XR Tank Bag Recommendations

I have and can recommend the Wunderlich Tankbag Sport, purpose-built for the S1000XR. This is an exceptionally well-made piece of motorcycle luggage. And at the price, it should be. It was a rather appalling $189.95 when I purchased it; it appears now to be an absurd $293.95! It is small, but despite that, it definitely has space for typical day-ride sundries (e.g., earplugs, phone-charging cable, knife, wallet, pen, notepad, portable USB power pack, Garmin Navigator VI case). It mounts using three special Wunderlich-provided screws that come with the bag. These replace three of the BMW fasteners that come on the bike. They are somewhat like the male part of a snap button. I've found that when the bag is zipped up, it is harder to attach all three of the female fasteners on the bag to the three male fasteners around the tank. With the bag unzipped, there is more flex, allowing for easy angles by which to attach the fasteners. All the same, you can do it with the bag zipped up and full, it just takes a little patience. Note that coming from a magnetic tank bag may lend a certain impatience to getting this bag on, but as it is extremely convenient, it's worth getting used to. Also note that when the bag is mounted, when you crank the handlebars all the way to the left (normally when maneuvering the bike to park it and are moving the handlebars to their extremes, left and right), the horn button will make contact with the bag and you may inadvertently activate the horn. As an investment goes, I think this piece is worth 189.95 but maybe not $293.95.

I have recently purchased and cannot yet recommend the BMW-made, bike-specific tank bag (PN: 77498551736). At $336.00 it is obnoxiously expensive. Possibly worse, it requires the installation of bike-specific hardware, including two brackets at the front of the "fuel tank" and a bracket mounted under the seat. The way it attaches to these mounts is a little cumbersome, including hooks that insert into the brackets at the front of the tank and a nylon strap that goes through a small nylon loop that sticks out from under the seat at the back of the tank. The Wunderlich attachment approach seems superior to me. But neither have the old-fashioned, magnetic-tankbag ease (i.e., set it on the tank and go). Although I have not used it during a fueling stop yet, I suspect it will be extremely cumbersome in terms of retrieving the key from the ignition, unlocking and opening the fuel cap, and fueling. The interior is reasonably spacious and it does have a zipper on the circumference that allows for significant expansion of storage volume (Note the manufacturer-suggested limit on weight in the bag of 11 pounds). The interior of the back, like much of the BMW-branded luggage, has a typically Teutonic and complex waterproofing system that is clearly effective, but rather over-engineered. This system operates the way most dry bags do, via a folded closure that rolls over itself to ensure water-tightness. Adding more obnoxiousness to the price is the separately available map pocket (PN: 77458561547). At an additional $45.00, that brings the total price of the bag with a map pocket to an eye-watering $381. Still, if one is into that sort of thing (and I am), there is no replacement for having "the" accessories that were made for your bike. Even at a significantly lower price point, say half of the retail ($190.50), I'm not certain this bag would represent really good value.

As far as I know, these are the two tankbags made specifically for this bike. I'm unconvinced that either is the best; however, I've not tried any universal tankbags. Of the two, I prefer the Wunderlich offering, but it cannot hold nearly the same quantity of gear and has no map pocket.
 
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BMW Tankbag

After a lot of consideration, I sprang for the factory tank bag. It's more than big enough for me and is held on with a plastic clip and a two stainless hooks. Biggest complaint I have is it has to be removed every 200 miles to fill the tank, but in reality it slows me down and lets me stretch my legs at fill-ups. It easily swallows a bottle of water, a couple of eyeglass cases and a cellphone. There is no weather-proof opening for a cell phone cord, but I just trail the cord out the back between the two zipper pulls.

Overall, very pleased with the bag. Wish it was smaller.

Another bag I considered was a SPAD (if I remember the name correctly) from Spain, which are now available in the US. They are cheaper and range from smaller than the BMW to equivalent sizes.
 

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I ended up purchasing the sw motech evo engage. Have done 1000 miles with it really like it. enough room for the essentials plus a little and fits the lines of the bike rather nicely.
 
I ended up purchasing the sw motech evo engage. Have done 1000 miles with it really like it. enough room for the essentials plus a little and fits the lines of the bike rather nicely.

I will second the positive experience with the SW. I have had mine for 2 years with no issues. Looks good and does not interfere with full locked handle bar controls. One minor negative is it is not water proof. A rain cover is provided with the bag.
 
I will second the positive experience with the SW. I have had mine for 2 years with no issues. Looks good and does not interfere with full locked handle bar controls. One minor negative is it is not water proof. A rain cover is provided with the bag.

I use the SW motech Day pack. I like the engage, but the day pack expands taller, so I can carry a few larger items if needed on occasion. I've used this for a year, first on my FZ10, and now the XR.
 
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