G/F650GS Seat Bag

[cberry]

Anyone have experience using the Wunderlich Seat Bag (p/n 1250104) or similar luggage? I'm thinking it and a small tank bag might be all that's needed for short trips.

 

[gblawler]

Anyone have experience using the Wunderlich Seat Bag (p/n 1250104) or similar luggage? I'm thinking it and a small tank bag might be all that's needed for short trips.

I use a large waterproof duffel as a seat bag. In addition, I have a Tour Master Cortech Sport Tail Bag that I leave on the bike all the time. The duffel is a cheap one ($30-$40) that happens to be the same shade of blue as the bike, so it looks like it fits in. It has a rigid bottom, so it doesn't droop. I use 2 bungee cords that are just the right length to go around the duffel and hook on the rear passenger handles. I bought this thinking it was a quick substitute until I figure out what to do for more permanent luggage, but actually works pretty well. It has a side pocket on each end that is handy for putting things you need to get to without opening the duffel, as well as 2 pockets in the front. It is big enough to hold everything I need to camp backpack style for several days. Backpacking tent, sleeping bag, Therm-A-Rest Trail-Lite sleeping pad and all the misc. stuff. When I get to the camp site, I just take the whole duffel off the bike and put it in the tent, so it is not in the way on local rides.

If you have not used a seat bag before, you may want to pick up a cheap duffel like I did to see how it works for you. I haven't seen anything about the motorcycle seat bags that looks any different than my generic duffel.

The one thing you have to get used to is when the seat bag is attached, you can't swing your leg over the bike in the usual way. So, it is a little cumbersome to get on and off the bike, but it is fine once your are rolling. The duffel makes a pretty good backrest.

The tank bag is definitely something I am thinking about adding for longer trips.

 

[cberry]

Thanks for the info on your duffel Glenn. Since the G650 is new to me I haven't developed a typical mission plan for it yet. However, I'm leaning toward using it for shorter trips where I would RON at a motel, not needing much gear. I use the RT for the long trips.

If I do long trips with the GS, I'll probably go with some sort of lockable hard bags for security reasons. I went ahead and ordered the seat bag today and feel as though it will add enough capacity for the shorter trips. My tank bag is small, a Cortech bag which just barely holds rain top and pants. I'll want to add flat tire repair equipment which will fit into the seat bag, a change of clothes, and a toothbrush.

 

[gblawler]

>I'll want to add flat tire repair equipment

Does the G650GS have tube tires? I know my Dakar has tubes, so repairing a flat means removing the wheel from the bike and removing the tire from the wheel. This doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would want to do on the side of the road. I have thought about carrying a bottle of slime. They make one that is supposed to be specifically for motorcycles. I have heard both pro and con opinions on slime, but all the arguments against using slime are about how is gums up the inside of the wheel. If you have a tube, it seems like that would not be an issue. I do not plan to run it with slime in the tires. I am just thinking about using it as an emergency repair until I can get the bike to a shop to replace the tube.

What are you planning for a tire repair kit?

 

[akbeemer]

My wife uses the BMW two part tail-bag on her 650 (http://www.bmw-riders-gear.com/BMWR...=ON&p1=1&p2=12&s1=72607671316-322&bplo=&bphi=). She's put about 10k miles on it and really likes it. It seems bottomless when she's loading gear. I bought her a rain cover that was designed for a backpack to enhance the water protection and keep the Alaska mud off of it. It is also easy to put on the bike and to remove.

 

[Dakar001]

I use an Ortleib waterproof bag for longer trips and it is great, but for shorter trips I recently bought a waterproof Kriega 20L dry tailbag I absolutely love. I clip it to the rear rack and it holds my rainsuit, tool kit and miscellaneous items. You can clip smaller 10L side bags to each side of the 20L if I want to carry more, and it's still small and tightly held in place. This Kriega stuff is the best I've seen. Check it out at www.kriega.com

 

[cberry]

>I'll want to add flat tire repair equipment

Does the G650GS have tube tires? I know my Dakar has tubes, so repairing a flat means removing the wheel from the bike and removing the tire from the wheel. This doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would want to do on the side of the road. I have thought about carrying a bottle of slime. They make one that is supposed to be specifically for motorcycles. I have heard both pro and con opinions on slime, but all the arguments against using slime are about how is gums up the inside of the wheel. If you have a tube, it seems like that would not be an issue. I do not plan to run it with slime in the tires. I am just thinking about using it as an emergency repair until I can get the bike to a shop to replace the tube.

What are you planning for a tire repair kit?
__________________

On my RT I carry a pump and plugs. These have got me down the road reliably in the past, but won't work on tubes. Tonight at a club get together I posed the question to one of our more experienced riders and his answer was: "A can of Fix-a-Flat". It has worked OK for him in the past. He suggested the large size. In my GMC Sierra I carried a can that was about 16" long, for truck tires. I don't think that would fit in my luggage so I'm going with the smaller size can. It should work well because of the smaller volume of the m/c tire.

About the seat bag. The Wunderlich bag is an 8-18 L bag. Between it and the Cortech tank bag I should have enough space for travel during the summer season as long as I don't bring a lot of support equipment. Thanks for the other comments on dry bags. For now, I'm just going to 'wait and see'.