Long Term Test – Viking Bags Classic Sissy Bar Bag
Can we find a better term than “sissy bar” for the back rest
on the rear of a motorcycle?
I like to
think of mine as the “Don’t Leave the Wife Behind When You Accelerate Quickly
Bar”…
It has other useful functions as
well, especially when you’re taking a longer trip and need a way to
secure all your stuff.
I have an older tour pack that has served me well, bought
second-hand from the Klimas Kollection, but this one had so many features that
I liked that I just had to
upgrade.
To that end, I looked for a bag that I could tour with all
summer long and came up with the Viking Classic bag from Motorcycle House (
http://www.motorcyclehouse.com).
There are lots of dealers clamoring for your
hard-earned dollars but these folks have everything you need in one place.
Where to begin? For
starters, it looks like an expensive piece of luggage, with heavy duty leather
and a hard shell. Look at all the straps that come with it! The only thing that’s missing is wheels on
the bottom and a pop-up handle, which no doubt will be on NEXT year’s
model. Seriously, this is tough stuff.
My last bag was Cordura nylon which is good, but not as tough as this
waterproof leather. It feels as rugged
as my Vanson competition riding jacket!
When it arrived, I couldn't wait to unpack it all and have a look.
The chrome buckles look great and have quick
release snaps hiding underneath, so I don’t have to fiddle with buckles when I
have gloves on.
The feature that sold me
on this particular model, besides the black leather and chrome, is the
side-opening zippers on both sides of the main bag.
On my old bag, I would invariably find one
more thing to bring on a road trip, and have to unpack it all just to drop said
item into the main bag from the top.
Here, as you can see, I can leave this bag mounted and easily open and
close to my heart’s content.
Which is
another reason I am leaving this on my bike all summer:
there’s simply no reason to remove it! You’ll
get the benefit of occasional updates and commentary as I use this to commute,
ride and tour all season long.
The mounting system adjusts to whatever size pad you have.
This is critical now that Harley-Davidson offers the WIDE backrest, as an
option.
Hey, if your old lady is
comfortable back there, she’s likely to ride with you more often.
Mine came set to the narrowest opening, which
was perfect for the smaller back rest on the VTX.
No adjustment was needed.
The bag system also comes with a roll bag also made of heavy
leather. This affixes to the top of the
main bag using two of the provided straps.
I won’t use the roll bag day-to-day, but it provides additional volume,
when you need it. There are shoulder
straps to carry this bag, and back pack straps to make carrying the main bag
easy. If you’re dragging all your gear
to a hotel room at the end of a long day in the saddle, this will make that part
of your day a little better.
If you don’t ride in the rain, then you’re not a rider. The bag has a waterproof cover, for those
days when you have to ride through foul weather to get where you’re going. Any biker worth his salt spends more time
riding than polishing. The riders who never cross state lines won’t be looking
into a tour pack system like this anyway.
The main bag zips open from the sides, as I mentioned
above. It also contains an adjustable
shelf unit. I can see how this would be
helpful if you had to carry a wet pair of boots, and didn’t want all your other
stuff to get soaked too. With 4 hook and
loop straps, it divides the main bag into an almost infinite number of
spaces. Inside the bag “doors” are small
mesh pockets, to carry stuff you want quick access to (sunscreen, etc). The outside of the bag is COVERED with
pockets. I’ve got the rain cover
permanently stashed in one, but I have a lot of others to choose from.
When packing a bag this big, remember to keep all the heavy
items low, so as to not affect your Center of Gravity too adversely. The bag mounts securely on a luggage rack or
on the rear seat, if your bike doesn’t have a rack. If you DO have a rack, follow the weight
guidelines and don’t overload it, if you want your gear to arrive at your final
destination along with you!
Here are a few pix I took today after mounting the bag on
the VTX. It looks good!
Tomorrow will be Day 1 of testing and I’ll write again about
my impressions and how the bag holds up to use, sun, bugs and weather. I can’t wait to sling my backpack into the
new bag and get some feedback from the other riders at work. I’m sure they will have something to say!
A low, slow wave,
Joe Rocket
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