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[St] Of Bags and Seats



I can address both bags and seats threads:
 
My son and I took a 5-day mc trip two summers ago.  Rigs were:
 
'98Suzuki Bandit 120/Givi 36L bags on Givi Wingrack:
Very secure. Also very ugly- even with bags off.  Nothing uglies the back of a sport or sport/touring bike like Givi Wingracks.  I understand someone else makes Givi-compatable racks that are easily removable, better looking/less obtrusive, and also less expensive than Givi's.  No brainer.  One thing the Wingrack did do- provided me with a level plane to strap tent, sleeping bag and such too.  But that made the bike a bit tail heavy.  Only a problem once on the trip- when David and I finally did the drag race, I was fighting to keep the front wheel on the ground, so his 750 cc's beat my 1200.  
 
'99 Suzuki Katana 750/soft bags:  Actually a lot of room.  Bags fit the design of the bike much better than ANY (espcially those horrid Beetle bags) hard bags I have ever seen.  
 
Fast forward- in July, David and a friend of mine who also lives in New Orleans will be joining me on another 5-day ride- this time the rigs will be:
 
'01 Sprint ST, with Triumph soft bags, strap-on tank bag (darn plastic tank!).  I will be primary rider.  
 
'01 Suzuki Bandit 1200, with 36L Givi's and Wingrack rigged to fit, magnetic tank bag. Tail plastic was trashed by previous owner.  I have replacement, but kept cracked one on there so I could rig the WR- very secure, Givi's cover the ugliness with their own ugliness.  Good GOD, Givi makes some hidious looking stuff.  98 and 01 Bandits are different, WR mount is not interchangable.  Ray will be primary rider of this bike.
 
'88 Suzuki Katana 1100, with BIG (as big as the Givi's) Nelson-Riggs soft bags, and tank bag.  I am impressed with these NR bags- big, open all the way, soft so they fit on lots 'o bikes (except up-swept cans will melt 'em- thus no good on Bandit, and Sprint's can needs to be rotated down.)
 
Ride will in part give me chance to evaluate all three bikes, and all three bag setups.  We will switch off on bikes about every (or every other) fuel stop.  Shold be fun- three big, 1000 cc or bigger bikes (close enough), 100+ HP, but also three different interpetations of the same basic concept- Sprint the refined sport tourer, Bandit the hooigan, Katana kickin' it old school sport-tourer but with almost 40 more HP than the other two.
 
SEATS:
98 Bandit had stock seat the whole time I had it, untill, as it happened, the last month, when I scored a Suzuki gel seat cheap.  Nice upgrade, that gel.  I liked it, and did not find it had the heat-retention I have heard about.  Or maybe I was subconsiously preparing myself for the hot-air blast of the Sprint...
 
88 Katana has stock seat.  Gonna stay that way, for now.
 
01 Sprint has both stock seat and Corbin (yes, the same company that makes those ugly Beetle bags, and is responsible for that stupid cross between an electric car and a giant golf ball.) seat.  I've ridden on both, but longest has been several hours.  Will put the Corbin on the Sprint for the trip.
 
Watch for my reports...


      
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