MotorCycle Mania

This Ventura Estoril Seat Bag Looks and Works A Treat!

The seat bag might have a funny name, I mean what’s an “Estoril”, but it works a treat. After picking up the new Monster S4R it didn’t take long to work out there was no room for anything, sunnies, sunscreen, earplugs, whatever.

( You could fit this to almost any bike)

I asked the Ducati guys about options and nada, zilch, no options on this issue. So I did some research and found a bikeshop in Adelaide (Bills Motorcycles) who had what I wanted to look at. How rare is that!

Upon inspection I reckoned it would do just fine, gave it a dry run in the car park and handed over the money. It was only about $110 so pretty good value I thought.

This thing went on like a factory accessory and in fact I went across the road to the Ducati guys and showed them. They were so impressed they ordered some to stock.

In this podcast I talk about:

Fit:

Quality:

Looks:

Ease of Fitment:

Does it Work:

Here’s a few piccy’s

You can see it looks like a bought on and you can clip it off and on. Anyway I’ll tell you all about it in the review.

Please leave a comment, below.

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Motorcycle Luggage Straps, Bags, Thermals, Shoulder Bags, Luggage and More.

Motorcycle thermals made by a motorcyclist! You’d reckon they would work?

I interview Andy White of Andy Strapz fame and get quite a look at his motorycling world. Every product in Andy’s catalogue (a lot) has been born of a motorcycling need or borrowed from another country to benefit motorcyclists here in Oz.

Andy started making luggage tie downs called “Andy Strapz” because he hated “occy straps” and with good cause. As a nurse Andy had seen one too many eye injury from these cantankerous little suckers and thought there had to be a better way. Once his mates saw how good they were, they wanted them too, just like every mate. And so his business was born.

I even bought a pair of these first run straps while travelling through Geelong about 8 years ago and had a great run with them.

Andy needed saddlebags so invented his own! His Expedition Panniers have had rave reviews and have a lot of cool features we discuss in this podcast.

Thermal Underwear was a pain in the but for motorcyclists so Andy designed his own! The sort of stuff he would want to wear on a bike, and it seems plenty of others do too.

I love the AABagz and wish I hadn’t spent over $200 on the BMW rear bag recently. Yes, the beemer bag is good but this one from Andy would have suited my needs better. I just didn’t know it existed at the time. I recently bought a set of Rain Off Overgloves from him at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Expo and we discuss these in length and answer all the questions you might ask if you wanted to buy some.

In fact we talk about a lot of his gear all made in his own factory in Melbourne making definetely Made In Australia. He also backs everything with a no hassles satisfaction guarantee. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview with Andy. I know I enjoyed the chat.

Over the last 8 years I have bought two sets of piggyback straps and a set of Rain Off Overgloves from Andy and paid full price so I give you my no bull “spent money and tried it opinion”

You can check out his Andy Strapz price list here

If you’d like to browse his site click here: Andy Strapz Web Site

If you use Andy’s stuff tell us what you think! Just hit the comment link below.

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What I Think Of The RJays Universal Super Top Box.

Value for money at $150.00 is exceptional, considering the BMW topbox was around $800. I opted for the cheaper option and although the RJay’s unit comes with a universal mounting bracket, it wasn’t an easy fit for the R1200GS.

I have seen the topbox on many other motorcycles and they all used the universal bracket and it looked like it fitted fine. I think it was just the shape of the rack on the Beemer and I curse all of you who fitted this box easy.

Now, back to the Topbox itself. It’s strong and mounts well to it’s universal bracket. The key and lock work fine. I haven’t tried it for dustproof but it certainly keeps the rain out and has been watertight through some big rains

The shape is pretty cool and it easily holds a full face helmet. There is a rubber backrest for the pillion and the key both unlocks the top and also unlocks access to the red spring clip which holds it on the bike. You can see the red button just under the keyhole.

I drilled holes in mine and fitted stainless steel brackets (loops) on the four corners of mine and this allows me to tie stuff up on top, like another bag.

As you can see the BMW bag straps on nicely. This bag also will hold a full face to give you an idea of size. Maybe drilling holes in the new topbox isn’t for everyone? But I reckon it adds versatility and at $150 we are not playing with sheep stations. It’s still waterproof and has not compromised the strength at all.

All in all the RJay’s Topbox is great value for money, strong, waterproof, versatile and in most cases easy to fit. I would need to do a whole other podcast about fitting it to the R1200GS. But as mentioned most other bikes it fits easily.

For more info about the RJay’s Topbox and other cool stuff : Motorcycle Topboxes

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to andy@motorcyclemania.com.au with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the
review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the
phone call (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or leave a comment by clicking the “leave a response” link at the bottom of this podcast!

Motorcycle Luggage From RJay’s, Which Works, Bigtime!

This podcast covers the RJay’s Expander Raxck Bag which I’ve owned for a while and done many trips with. The wonder of this bag is it’s versatility. It can be just right for a one up trip with plenty of space for storage without being too big or it can unzip, expand up to it’s full 82 litres and it can hold just about whatever you want. Ideal for those extended two up trips where the hairdryer just has too go.

At only $120.00 I reckon it’s great value. You may think it’s a lot but when you see one of these babies in real life and see how it unzips and the other features I think you will agree with me.

Here it is in it’s small version. All nicely zipped up. The front pouch you can see unzips from the bag and becomes a shoulder bag, another cool feature.

The bag is made of 1800 denier ballistic nylon which means it’s tough. I have not had a problem with the zips and they seem very robust.

Mine looks abit more faded but you can see the side pockets unzipped. They are huge.

From the side view you can see how the pocket fits over the sissy bar and if you look closely you can see the straps on the front of the bag clipped around the saddlebag support and blinker. This is after I cut them.

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to andy@motorcyclemania.com.au with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the
review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the
phone call (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or leave a comment by clicking the “leave a response” link at the bottom of this podcast!

To play the audio simply click the button below.

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The Dri Rider Throwover Saddlebags Have Proven Themselves.

I’ve owned these saddlebags for years. Done many thousands of K’s with them and carried tons of stuff from lingerie to firworks and they’ve never let me down. They are about as simple as luggage comes for a motorbike. They are two big rectangles with some velcro straps that connect to each other and you throw them over or under your seat!

They are cheap so don’t expect waterproof as well but that was easily fixed with a couple of big garbage bags slipped inside. After that the clothes were dry as. If you throw them over your seat as I do it’s a breeze to get them off at the end of the day. I did some research and I’m not sure they are still available however if you see some in a bike shop and want a cost effective pair of touring saddlebags make them an offer. Here is the picture of the next version. The concept is still the same but it looks way more tricked up than mine.

The new version, more pockets same versatility.

The only damage I have noticed over the years is thay have faded to a dark grey from their original black and a corner or two has rubbed through where it has contacted the bike. Bear in mind this has taken years and no eveidence of it tearing further has appeared. They are very tough.

My bags are simple with one zip on top and one on the side. Just one big box!

The new saddlebags look trick and probably expand too. My old ones have a rubber lining on the bottom and a hard plastic insert in the bottom  to keep them square.

They connect with these velcro straps which adjust to fit almost any seat. They must be very well sewn because I have loaded these up very full and heavy and the stitching has not torn or come undone.

If the new saddlebags from Dri Rider are as tough as these then they will be great as a simple luggage solution for your motorbike. You can find a catalogue of Dri Rider stuff at the wholesalers website: http://www.mcleodaccessories.com.au/

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to andy@motorcyclemania.com.au with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the
review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the
phone call (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or leave a comment by clicking the “leave a response” link at the bottom of this podcast!

Cool Day Trip Bag

I wanted something that was easy to fit and would stay on the BMW either on road or off road. This bag was not made for the R1200GS but for the BMW R1200S and other models. Yet I recon it fits on the rear rack pretty darn well. It will hold a full face helmet so there’s plenty of room for water, sunnies, more clothes, caps, gloves, sunscreen and yet be small enough to look OK on the bike. Listen up to how I found it below.

Find photos here as I explain the bag on audio.

Get Paid $20.00 For Your Review!

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to Contact Andy with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the
review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the
phonecall (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or simply hit the comment link on the bottom of this podcast! And say something.

To play the audio simply click the button below

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Making Use Of Space On A Motorbike.

I am becoming a hoarder, or more to the point a carrier. I’m discovering all these cool motorcycle luggage storage solutions and I’m just carrying more and more. But you know what? It doesn’t seem to matter because they are pretty well hidden and it doesn’t affect the bikes performance in any way. So if it’s not hurting anyone or thing it must be OK?

This is R1200GS Specific. Touratech and Wunderlich both have this cool little bag. Looking at the catalogues they look EXACTLY the same? There is quite a bit of space under the factory rear rack on the R1200GS.

In the Touratech catalogue they say this little bag is ideal for carrying a spare pair of gloves or some additional camping gear. Definitely not your tent poles! I use it to carry my visor cleaner can of Plexus and a rag I always use and is becoming pretty Plexus soaked (which is good). You’ll also find a small bottle of Antifog (which doesn’t seem to work) I also carry the piece of paper which has the wheel removal instructions and torque values for the bolts. Why? It seemed as good a place as any and I’ll never remember those figures.

Get Paid $20.00 For Your Review!

You can actually store quite a bit of stuff and people always seem to notice the bag and comment how cool it is. Why? I guess it is a cool place to utilise and anyway, people can be weird can’t they?

Pictures of the Under Rack Bag are here. Touratech model number is 055-155, Australian price at time of blog is $42.44

I reckon it’s great and give it “The DUCKS GUTS” rating

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to andy@motorcyclemania.com.au with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the phone call (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or simply hit the comment link at the bottom of this podcast! And say something!

This product is so simple and self explanatory there is no audio.

Simple Yet Super Useful Accessory For Your Motorcycle.

Have you ever come back from a trip away with the mates and as your parking the bike and reliving all the fun bits you realize you either didn’t take a photo or should have taken more?

I have and have tried several solutions. The pockets on my motorcycle jacket are already full of earplugs, wallet, hanky, keys, cable ties and all manner of other stuff accumulated over time. So I didn’t really need to try and jam a camera in there.

I’ve carried my SLR Pentax in the topbox, which takes up a crapload of room, and anyway I found it was just too much drama to get it out and use it, when I simply wanted a quick memory shot. So, I had this idea! What if I bought a small digital camera and kept it somewhere really convenient and easy to get to, like right in front of me every time I pull up.

Get Paid $20.00 For Your Review!

I searched for a solution and the touratech handlebar bag came up. It works fantastic and I keep the camera, small tripod, earlugs, rag, cable ties, and other stuff from time to time. It works, I get the camera out more often and take a ton more shots of the ride now. Same fun but more memories, and EVERYONE wants a copy of the photos.

Even though this particular podcast is about the handlebar bag for the BMW R1200Gs, the concept is universal. If you can find a bag to fit on the bars of your bike I thoroughly recommend it as a place to keep all manner of goodies handy, even something to snack on.

In this podcast Andy talks about how it fits, some short comings in the Touratech version and how to make it work better.

Photos Of Touratech Handlebar Bag 055-1228 On Bike If you have a Touratech catalogue the bag is on page 285. Their price is AUD $42.44 from my pricelist.

Also here are links to a Wunderlich Catalogue their bag is on page 45, Andy talks about this bag too in the podcast. I don’t know the Aussie price of this unit. Can anyone help?

C’mon! why not review your Motorcycle, Motorbike accessory, your favourite ride or one recently ridden? Simply
send an email to andy@motorcyclemania.com.au with your best contact phone number and a brief outline of the review you’d like to do and I’ll phone you. We’ll set up a time to talk, I’ll interview you and record the phone call (unless you live close by, then I’ll visit). Then publish it on this site.
EASY, and you’ll be famous!

Or simply hit the comment link at the bottom of this podcast! And say something!

To play the audio simply click the button below.

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