Cortech Sport Saddlebag Review

When it comes to carrying things on a motorcycle sportbikes have gotten the short end of the stick for a long time. Cruisers are almost always seen packing around saddlebags, in fact it just seems natural for a Harley or similarly styled bike to have a luggage system of some sort. Cortech has come to the rescue of all of us sportbikers and put together an excellent saddlebag/tailbag system that would make even the most diehard cruiser rider jealous.

Tailbags and Saddlbags

The Cortech Sport Tailbag was my first piece of motorcycle luggage and I really love it. I've put it through a lot of abuse and it has held up well. Although it served me diligently for years, after I got my Givi rack system I retired the tailbag to the back of my closet where it has remained until recently. A week ago I decided to take a vacation from Santa Clara, CA to Reno, NV and Moscow, ID for 9 days. I had stupidly purchased 2 large Nerf guns for my nephew and they took up all the room in my givi case so I had to store everything else in my tailbage (not enough room!). Thankfully, the good folks at the Motorcycle-Superstore saw this as a great opportunity for me to run the Cortech Sport Saddlebags through the wringer!

Expandable Space!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that even though the saddlebags offered a lot of space right off the bat, you could also unzip a portion of each bag to gain about 75% more room than you would normally have. This is also the case with the tailbag which helped a LOT when I was trying to find a space for my shoes. As you can see from the pictures I had quite a lot of stuff: T-shirts, pants, shorts, socks and various other clothes as well as odd items like 16oz boxing gloves, harmonicas, books, sneakers, and misc electronics. Without the ability to expand it would have been a tight squeeze getting everything inside, but with that extra space I found that I even had room to spare.

FULL PACK!: All the Stuff that fit in my Saddlebags

Attaching to the Bike and Ride Report

The saddlebags attach to the bike in a relatively unique way with a system of hook and loop snaps. You loop the strap portion through a sturdy part of your bike (I chose my rear pegs and rear turn signals) and then you snap it into the appropriate connector on the saddlebags. It was a little confusing at first and it took me about 10-15 minutes to get them on the first time. After that initial setup I found I could set up my straps and put on the whole luggage system in under 5 minutes. The instructions that came with it say that you can leave the straps on the bike as a sort of 'quick release' attachment, but I wouldn't try riding around with them unattached to the saddlebags because they are likely to fall off. If you had your bike parked at a motel though and you just wanted to bring in your luggage for the night then I think it would be find if you left the straps on your bike

The saddlebags sit up higher than a normal cruiser bags would to avoid the hot exhaust pipe that is prevalent on most sport bikes. To increase protection the bags also come with a heat resistant liner on the bottom which kept all of my stuff protected from the heat of the exhaust.

I loved the fact that the Tailbag mates up perfectly with the saddlebags. When both were together and on the bike it felt extremely solid and I couldn't see anyway for them to become separated without human interference. I would feel comfortable driving with these at triple digits without having to worry about them coming loose. Even though I had loaded down the bags quite a bit, I don't think it effected the handling at all. This is probably because the saddlebags and tailbag are all low profile which keeps the weight in a much more manageable position. I think having a passenger on the bike would add more stability issues than these fully loaded bags ever will.

Small nit-picks

The one bad thing about having the saddlebags expanded is I was VERY nervous while lane-sharing. The bags didn't really stick out that much, but even a few extra inches can mean the difference between clipping a mirror or not. Because the saddlebags aren't hardshelled I was also worried that if I did hit a mirror that they might snag and pull my bike into the car. I'm pretty sure a lot of this was in my head because I've seen cruiser riders with wider bikes than me splitting lanes in places that would make a Ninja250 rider sweat. When the bags are not expanded they don't stick out any wider than my legs normally do which makes them ideal for lane-sharing.

I made a modification to the straps on the way back from Reno. In addition to the 4 clip-straps included with the luggage, I added 2 zip-ties from the saddlebags to my givi rack for some added stability. I noticed that towards the end of my first trip the bags would move forward a bit if I hit a large bump because of the angle of the rear seat. This wasn't a huge problem, but one that was easily remedied for less than 25 cents!

Conclusion

I really love the look and functionality of this sport bike luggage system offered by Cortech. Everything is extremely high quality and I have no doubt the saddlebags will last for years just like my tailbag has. If you are planning on taking a long trip or if you need some extra compartments for groceries I would definitely recommend this system.

Pros

• Lots of room!
• Attaches to the Tailbag or can be used by itself.
• Sturdy construction, heat resistant on the bottom.

Cons

• Saddlebags can slide if your seat is angled and the straps aren't tight enough
• When expanded the Saddlebags could inhibit lane-sharing

Specifications

• 1680 Denier ballistic nylon construction for durability
• Protective heat shield on lower section of bags helps to prevent pipe burn (minimum clearance of 2" required)
• Neoprene strap and side pads help to protect the motorcycle´s finish
• Zippered side pocket on each bag
• Scotchlite® 3M Reflective Tour Master logo & striping
• Internal support panels
• Quick release mounting system
• Rain Covers included
• Convenient carrying handles
• TPR zipper pulls
• 12"H x 15"W x 7"D (17 Liters per Side)
• Available colors: Black, Red, Blue

Buy the latest version now at www.Motorcycle-Superstore.com!