Magnetic tank bag recommendation?

[wavelet]

(newbie on the forum -- if this is the wrong subforum, mods please move as appropriate)
Hi all,

I just got a new-to-me 2017 MT-09 Tracer (FJ-09 in North American (-: ).
For road trips, I'd like to use a tank bag.

In my pre-bike purchase research, I'd read that magnetic tank bags work since the tank itself is steel, and was expecting/hoping I could use my Oxford Poducts 2004 vintage Compact Tankbag (magnetic, expands 16 --> 26 liters).
This bag has seen a lot of bikes & miles, but still looks new, and I really like it.

Unfortunately, turns out that the shape & slope of the tank are a problem. While the magnets themselves stick fine, the tank shape is such that they're not in the right locations, and the forward part of the bag is in the air so moves around a bit up & down at speed.

Also, to make the magnets stick the bag needs to be positioned all the way back on the tank, so the rearward part reaches the seat; that makes the bag slope sharply, making opening the side pockets a risky affair and the map pocket impossible to see while riding.

So, looks like a new tank bag is in order. Here's what I'd like:

1. Magnetic. Not negotiable. I've had way too many hassles & horror stories with strap mounts  and don't like the concept & extra expense of tank rings.
   The bag might also need  magnet(s) on the front and rear its base to be stable, as opposed to only  on the side, due to the "crease" on the side of the bike's tank.
2. Size: Expandable from 15 liters  to 25 or so. Ones with <20 expanded capacity would be too small.
3. Shape: Top of the bag should be reasonably horizontal when mounted (at least to the point that stuff can't reasonably fall out of the side pockets when being opened (-: ).
4. Decent backpack straps so the bag can be carried as a backpack when off the bike.
5. Nice-to-have:  base can be split off from the rest of the bag to make a separate map holder .

I'm having a hard time finding candidates, even ignoring price. There exist "adventure bike" bags, with a sloping base so the top is level, but they all seem to have strap-mounts only.

Anyone here have any experience with the magnetic base versions of the Oxford X30 or X40, or the newer M30R/M40R?
There are some closeout deals on the X30/X40 currently, being discontinued. Surprisingly, although the X40 is  longer than my current bag at 42cm vs. 33cm,  according to the pics in a preliminary review here in the forum, it does actually fit. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a follow-on post, so I don't know what it's like on longer trips.
Size-wise the X40 is overkill (I'm unlikely to ever need to expand it), but if it's the only one of sufficient size that's I know will fit, I'll go for it (I'm in Israel, shipping times/costs/hassles are such that trial & error and returning bags due to bad fit isn't practical).
The X30 is slightly shorter & narrower, and a better match volume-wise, but I haven't found any specific mentions/pics of it with the Tracer. All other magnetic bags I've seen were too small.

Anyone use a large-ish magnetic tank bag, or have another recommendation? TIA

[duhs10]

I used the Nelson Rigg CL 2015 MG tank bag for almost 3 years... just upgraded (which is a questionable statement) to one with a tank locking mechanism.

 

https://www.nelsonrigg.com/luggage/cl-series/journey-sport-tank-bag-detail.html

 

There is also a magnetic attachment you can add to the top for a GPS and some added storage.

 

https://www.nelsonrigg.com/luggage/cl-series/journey-gps-mate-magnetic-mount-detail.html

 

**EDIT** just realized you said "less than 20 litres is too small" ... this one expands to 18 litres and I considered that to be more than enough for a magnetic tank bad. Anyway I still recommend it if you can come down on that requirement... 1 more thing... if you have a '15 with the Matte finish you may want to consider something to protect the finish.

[fddriver2]

While not quite as big as you would like I have used a Cortech Super 2.0 12L Tank Bag for 2-3 years. It's not to big or small. Has an 8 magnet set up that is rock solid.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/cortech-super-20-12-liter-magnetic-tank-bag

[betoney]

33 minutes ago, duhs10 said:

 

**EDIT** just realized you said "less than 20 litres is too small" ... this one expands to 18 litres and I considered that to be more than enough for a magnetic tank bad. 

No kidding, 20+ liters is HUGE for a tank bag, I have a 5l, expandable to 10l and have never used it in the expanded configuration and carry my wallet phone, tool bag, insurance papers, sun glasses etc.  Some of the rear tail bags are less than 25 liters. 

[wavelet]

Thanks for the responses!
Heh, I thought I might get some reaction on the  size req (-; . However, after ~275K mi of riding, my habits are kinda set.

Basically, the idea is that everything I might  need to access before the lunch/scenery/hiking break can be accessed without getting off the bike (but still stopping on the shoulder, of course), and additionally, any items of value stay in thetank bag.
So if I stop for any reason that requires leaving sight of the bike, I don't need to to spend  thought about whether the topcase/panniers have any valuables: I just lock up the bike & grab the tank bag.

Even on a half-day trip, with the above, I regularly fill the current bag when unexpanded (16 liters), once you take into account spare pair of gloves (if it gets colder/hotter than when I started), long sleeved shirt, camera+extra lens, medical devices (diabetic here), 750cc water bottle, spare glasses etc. A full-day trip can fill up the rest of the bag. I leave the top case empty to hold helmet & jacket on a longer stop (e.g., hiking), sometimes a bike cover.
While the previous owner did add Givi V35 panniers, I consider them a waste, and would have gotten soft saddlebags for the few times a year I need them (overnight trips (or grocery shopping (-: )).

duhs10:

Quote

I used the Nelson Rigg CL 2015 MG tank bag for almost 3 years... just upgraded (which is a questionable statement) to one with a tank locking mechanism.

 

https://www.nelsonrigg.com/luggage/cl-series/journey-sport-tank-bag-detail.html

 

There is also a magnetic attachment you can add to the top for a GPS and some added storage.

 

https://www.nelsonrigg.com/luggage/cl-series/journey-gps-mate-magnetic-mount-detail.html

 

**EDIT** just realized you said "less than 20 litres is too small" ... this one expands to 18 litres and I considered that to be more than enough for a magnetic tank bad. Anyway I still recommend it if you can come down on that requirement... 1 more thing... if you have a '15 with the Matte finish you may want to consider something to protect the finish.

I've heard good things about Nelson-Rigg. Thanks,  a couple of questions:

1. I notice that there are 3 magnets -- one at the rear of the bag, two at the front. In your experience, was the rear part stable on the tank?
2. Do you happen to have a pic of the bag on the bike? I'm curious to see how flat the top was on the sloped tank, given it's a standard flat-base bag, and how far from the seat it's positioned.
3. How comfortable are the straps for backpack use? I'm obviously not expecting something like a purpose-designed  pack, but basically something that's reasonable for walking 1-2 hours when off the bike.
4. Curious, why did you switch bags recently?

Re size, turns out Nelson-Rigg now has a slightly larger version, CL-2016, that expands from 18 --> 22 liters (vs. 13 -->18 for the CL-2015), that otherwise apparently has the same shape & features. That strikes me as a simpler solution than a magnetic extension that goes on top, and may be just the ticket -- I'll email N-R to ask what the actual lengths are of the CL-2015 & CL-2016.
Re paint, I have a 2017 Lava Red, so not matte. Not really worried anyway -- IME strap mounts are worse in practice. I've used about a dozen tank bags on nearly the same number of bikes; I've never had paint scratch issues on magnetic bags. I've had paint rubbed on every single strap-mount bag, and worse, the bags always move around. In one case, the bag shifted enough to hit the kill switch when I was leaned over on a sharp curve in the twisties, very nearly causing a nasty accident.

[carey]

After years of magnetic tank bags, I finally went with a rigid ring lock.  It holds the tank bag off the painted surface nicely.  I bought an inexpensive ring lock and mounted it to my existing tank bag.  I used a piece of rigid plastic to stiffen the bottom of my tank bag (think about a piece of tractor trailer plastic mud flap found along side the road).  This is the ring lock I used.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/cortech-ring-mount-for-dryver-tank-bag

[chitown]

+1 I'm a ring lock guy now on all my bikes.

Think I first saw the dryver ring set mentioned on advrider and I had an old strap bag that was perfect for the FJ-09. I used some scrap abs for stiffness/shape as it's a small bag but the cutting boards they sell at Target and Wally are options for something larger. 

[duhs10]

@wavelet

4. I changed bags because I wanted to try out the tank ring style mount. I like the new mount better than magnetic mounts, but I like the Nelson Rigg bag better... so I'm not sure which setup I'm going to go with in the end.

1. here are 3 magnets in the exterior flaps and 1 or 2 underneath the bag in the center.  The 2 magnets on either side of the bag do the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to securing the bag.  The one at the back sits on top of the plastic near the base of the tank, but is strong enough to still steady the back.  Never had any issues with the bag moving around at all.

3. The carrying strap that came with the bag is not a "back pack" style strap. its and over the shoulder strap.  Its easy to carry, but if I were going out hiking I wouldn't bring it.

2. Pictures below... The bag has a slight slop when on the bike, but it never caused me any issues.  I could imagine that if was completely full some things could possible fall out.  I think you will have this issue with most magnetic tank bags for the FJ/Tracer due to the shape of the tank.

The optional attachment installed...

 

Without the attachment..

 

 

 

[wavelet]

Thanks for the suggestions guys/gals, but considering what tank bags cost, I'll DIY a solution only if I have to (-;

On ring systems generally, couple of issues I have with them:

• Position on the tank is fixed, no fine tuning possible;
• A ring on the bag makes it awkward if not impossible to use as a backpack; I absolutely want to be able to grab the bag off the bike, remove the base, and comfortably walk with it on my back ( 1-2 hours, not a 10-day trek in Nepal (-:
• I actually consider a single point-of-contact with the tank a bug, not a feature; I prefer the bag's weight to be spread around the tank for better stability. Sure, if the base of the bag is completely rigid it won't move even with a single point of contact, but  then it's not really soft luggage any more and still less convenient to use as a backpack.

[wavelet]

@duhs10

2. Thanks, all the pics are really helpful! The distance to the rider looks fine, and the slope is reasonable (my current bag does much worse); also looks like there may be a little bit of extra room in front, so possibly the CL-2016 might fit as well -- I'll wait to hear from Nelson-Rigg on actual lengths.

1. That  scheme of having magnets also underneath and at the back is clever (I was wondering why a couple of reviews  mentioned 4 magnets, whereas the pics only showed 3) and I suspect helps with odd-shaped tanks like ours.

3. The bag instructions I downloaded show the shoulder strap  threaded through a D ring on the  bag making V-shaped backpack straps -- looks usable for short jaunts, if not comfortable as padded straps.

[duhs10]

@wavelet

I'll have to look into arranging the strap as a back pack. I never realized I could lol.

[wavelet]

So, I heard from N-R.
For  future reference, attached is a pic with the dimensions of the CL-2015 and CL-2016. It can also be seen that there are 4 magnets in the base of the bag, so together with the two in the flaps on the side, it should hold on quite well (I think the magnet on the rear flap, near the rider, which contacts the plastic overlay on the tank near the seat, won't).

Also turns out Nelson-Rigg made a still larger  bag (in strap & magnetic versions), the CL-2020 (expands 20 --> 26 liters), which has since been discontinued; instead of having a standard covers-entire-top-of-bag map pocket, it has two separate transparent pockets, one sized for a independent  SatNav device, and one for cell phone (which however is too small for the flagship smartphones of the past 2-3 years, let alone phablets). It's basically like having the "journey" option of the CL-2015 attached full-time, only for two devices rather than three.
While I don't have official external dimensions for it (N-R said they couldn't tell me, since they no longer had one on the premises to measure (-:  ), some places list it as 17" x 12.5", with height from 8.4" (unexpanded) to 10.5" (expanded), which looks like it matches the pics.

I wasn't able to get more info on the specific suitability of the X40 or other Oxford models for our bikes, but looking again at the pics in the prelim review I linked in my OP,  it looks like the front of the bag is in the air instead of solidly on the tank, and basically, due to the shape/slope of the tank, bags that only have magnets on side flaps won't work (except very small ones).

So Nelson-Rigg it is... After doing some measurements & extrapolation with my current tank bag, I decided the CL-2016 (let alone the CL-2020) would be too large in terms of length for the Tracer's tank, so I'll have to compromise on overall capacity and ordered the CL-2015...
What also helped the decision was that it was  an unbelievably low  £18 on Amazon UK (US$60 equivalent delivered to me). I was just about to post that here for anyone interested (Amazon US price is ~$108), but literally a couple of minutes after I bought it the price went up to £82 )-: Incidentally, for anyone interested in a large magnetic bag for other bike models, the CL-2020 is now only $70 on Amazon US, which is a pretty good deal.