Cortech 8230-0305-36 Black Super 2.0 Bag 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 Saddlebags
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 tailbag (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!
Cortech Sport Saddlebag Has Great 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.
Cortech Sport Saddlebag Makes Attaching to Your Bike Pretty Seamless
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.
The Cortech Sport Saddlebag Isn’t Perfect, Here Are Some of Our 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 hard shelled 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.
Cortech Sport Saddlebag 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.
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
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
Where to Buy
BestBeginnerMotorcycles has worked closely with RevZilla over the years to provide our testers with products to review. In addition to being a great site to shop from, they’re also a great partner. Both Amazon and Revzilla have a big selection of parts and accessories.
Where to Buy: Buy on Revzilla / Buy on Amazon
