Next month we are off to the High Sierra Music Festival (about 130 miles up the hill) and I want to take the TBS, but the wife keeps looking at the large saddle and tail bags on the Beemer (with a view of having enough packing capacity to emulate the large walk-in closet) and then looking at the apparent zippo capacity on the TBS. Net result so far is close to a veto on the TBS for the trip.

In an effort to salvage my anticipation of about 80 miles of twisty stuff on the TBS, I'm a lookin' for a compromise gear carrying solution. I currently have Cortech tank and tail bags (obviously the tail bag is out if the rear seat is occupied by a wife) and I am thinking about the matching set of saddlebags. What makes me wonder is the photos that appear to make the bags horn in on passenger thigh space.

Anyone had any experience with these bags and a passenger?

...Bob

[ This message was edited by: bborzell on 2004-06-10 22:47 ]

I've got the Cortech saddlebags and tail bag on my '04. To research an answer to your question, I removed the tail bag and sat in the passenger position. The bags didn't interfere with my legs much, although they did rest against my calves. My heels were on the passeger pegs; it was difficult to get any other part of my foot on them. The real downside is that sitting on the connecting straps (that go over the seat) is pretty uncomfortable. Also, the saddlebags don't have significant capacity.

My wife and I circumvented this issue with the application of a second TBS ('03) with its own set of saddle and tail bags.

Anyway, it seems possible to carry a passenger with the Cortech saddlebags on, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Hope you find a solution.

BTW, did you get your TBS in Sacramento? There can't be more than a few of these around in Northern California. I bought mine in Mountain View; it was the only one they had and the only one they were gonna get.

Thanks for the research. I was also concerned about the sitting on the straps thing. Some years back, I had a set of Eclipse bags in a Honda Interceptor and I was able to run the straps under the seat. They barely cleared the exhaust, but they worked with a passenger.

It would be great if the 2nd TBS was an option, but my wife simply does not want to ride her own bike. Sounds like it's gonna be a Beemer ride instead.

Yep, I got my bike at Performance Cycles in Sacramento. It was the only one they had and they were pretty sure it was the only one they would ever see. The dealer in San Francisco said they had one (around February, I think) and there might have been one more as I called around. You sure don't see them coming at you on the road like I do when I ride the BMW. Seems like every 3rd bike is an R1150RT.

Thanks again for checking out the saddlebags.

BTW, I agree on your assessment of The Black Cat. Haven't been there since they moved (and we moved, and I retired making trips to Sacramento much less frequent), but the crepes are 1st class.

...Bob

[ This message was edited by: bborzell on 2004-06-11 10:05 ]

Will the straps of your bags go under your seat? I have a set of Tour Master Sport bags. The straps velcro together and fit under the seat. I am able to close and lock the seat, which also secures the bags to the bike.

My wife and I went on our honeymoon on my TBS a couple of years ago. She's not a heavy packer (Thank God). We each had one saddle bag. We filled up plastic shopping bags with the stuff we wanted (clothes, make up, etc.) and put them in the bags and took off for a week to a bed-and-breakfast in Hot Springs, AR. It was a blast and a trip we won't soon forget

__________________
Dave Arnold
'04 Rocket III
'01 Trophy 1200 (wife's ride)
La Vernia, TX

Huh! Routing the straps under the seat hadn't occurred to me, so I ran right out to the garage to try it. First indications are: it works with the Cortech saddlebags. The straps make the seat a bit more difficult to lock into place (as if that wasn't difficult enough in the first place). The bags sit quite a bit closer to the pipes; I'm curious to see how effective the heat shields are. It's a much more attractive look, but in the new position the bags crowd the passenger pegs considerably, leaving at best a tenuous position for feet. I could only get the back part of my heels on.

My bags leave just enough room to get your feet secure on the passenger pegs, with heals touching the bags. They angle back a bit at the front, which helps. My bags rest about 2 inches above the pipes and I haven't had any heat issues. I probably wouldn't pack a Hershey's chocolate bar in the borrom of the bags, but for most stuff heat shouldn't be a problem.

__________________
Dave Arnold
'04 Rocket III
'01 Trophy 1200 (wife's ride)
La Vernia, TX