Motorcycle Backpacks and Bags

Carrying your luggage on the bike rather than on your back, as you would with a backpack, is less tiring on a long ride, keeps the load off your shoulders and stops it pushing you forward under braking. This section brings together motorcycle bags from SW-MOTECH, Givi, SHAD and Customacces: tank bags, seat and tail bags, saddlebags and side bags, plus small leg and waist bags for what you need close at hand. To get it right, first decide where the bag will go and how it attaches.

Tank bags: magnet, ring or straps

A tank bag is the most practical for everyday riding, with your phone, documents or a spare pair of gloves in view. What sets them apart is how they hold on:

• Magnetic: on and off in seconds, but it only grips steel tanks without plastic covers. To avoid marking the paint, fit tank pads underneath.
• Tank ring: a bike-specific ring bolts to the fuel filler cap and the bag clicks onto it, then comes off just as quickly when you fill up. It is the system used by GIVI tank bags with Tanklock, SW-MOTECH tank bags in the PRO range and SHAD Click System bags, whose model-specific mounts are sold separately, as with the other two brands.
• Straps: for plastic tanks or off-road bikes with no ring, such as the PRO Enduro or the strap-on EASY bags.

Seat and tail bags

These sit on the pillion seat or a rack, held by straps or by dedicated systems such as Givi Tailock. Waterproof roll bags like the SW-MOTECH Drybag or SHAD Terra are the ones you see on adventure trips, with the tent and sleeping bag inside, while the PRO Rearbag or Cargobag expand or compress to suit the load.

Saddlebags and side bags

Soft saddlebags hang over both sides of the seat, and some, such as the SHAD E48 or Givi EASY, expand with a zip. For heavier loads it is best if they rest on a side carrier: SW-MOTECH Legend Gear and SysBag bags mount on model-specific carriers, and Givi Canyon bags hook onto Monokey side racks. If your exhaust sits high, that carrier is also what keeps the bag off the hot silencer. On custom bikes, Customacces saddlebags, soft or rigid with a classic look, are the natural choice.

Small bags, always within reach

SHAD leg bags, waist bag and toll bag carry the essentials without you having to get off the bike. And if you already have a SHAD top box or panniers, their inner bags let you lift everything out in one go when you reach the hotel. To carry more with a lock, move up to rigid motorcycle luggage.