What is this? A box, left right here out in the middle of the floor....
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| (Wonder what's in the box?) |
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| (Something blue under that plastic perhaps) |
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| (Ooooh - Cortech sport saddlebags and tail bag for Max) |
The back story: A few weeks ago I was chatting with SpartanBabe and mentioned riding next weekend since Troubadour was going to be doing some Team Oregon training in Portland. She stated that she was signed up a 5k (3 mile) run in Sublimity for their Harvest Festival that day.
I hummed and hawed and thought about it and asked her if she minded company for the run. She thought it sounded like a good idea and before I knew it I'd signed up for my first 5k run.
The only problem with riding to run is that I didn't have luggage for Max and had no way of carrying my running shoes, water bottle, etc. The search was on for luggage.
On Sunday after returning from Tacoma, we were surfing the interweb and saw pictures of the blue Cortech luggage, then learned it is now discontinued. To eBay.... Luckily we found a seller that had several sets of the blue in stock for MSRP. Sure it would have been nice to get them a little cheaper but I was happy to have found them at all.
After a small discussion we decided to go for it. It was delivered Friday and hubby mounted them for me yesterday morning so that I could get a feel for the weight as we rode to coffee. I was a little worried about how bright they are, but when on a bike we want to be as visible as possible right?
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| (Max packing a little luggage) |
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| (Does this make his butt look big?) |
As I was sitting on the bike ready to leave the coffee shop, Troubadour asked for my camera and took the following picture.
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| (Me and Max - ready to ride) |
" The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are comprised entirely of lost airline luggage." - Mark Russell
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Niiice... are they water 'resistant' or 'waterproof'?
ReplyDeleteResistant. They have covers. I thought of going with hard cases so that they were waterproof and locking, but they were out of my price range at the moment.
DeleteReally, really nice and the color is great. It all fits like a glove- no tush issues.
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha. I have a habit of pushing back on the seat so they actually keep me where I am supposed to be. Not sure how that will be for long trips.
DeleteLooks good..
ReplyDeleteNice fit and color. Time for a Costco run?
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the 5K race! Are you staying for the tractor pulls?
Hmmmm, it does open up the Costco option doesn't it?
DeleteI don't think we have plans to stay for the tractor pulls, but I will leave it up to Meg. The plan is to ride, but if she has her two dogs then we will cage it. I'll find out tomorrow.
Trobairitz:
ReplyDeleteI used to have a set of Cortech Saddle bags which I purchased at Aurora Suzuki in Seattle. I used them on my Prev Suzuki SV650n and they worked out great. I took a trip to Kelowna and packed clothes in plastic garbage bags and then inside the Cortech but I don't think they ever got wet inside. I only had the black ones, but blue better matches your bike. I think they were expandable
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Good to know that someone else has had the bags and had good luck with them. And on a Suzuki too.
DeleteThese ones are expandable too which is nice.
Brandy they look awesome, like they were made for Max!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dar. Will be nice to be able to carry something now.
DeleteHubby bought them for me for my birthday. I am so spoiled.
I used that Cortech tailbag for years (in black). It was perfect on the back of my Sporty and my BMW R1150R. (I didn't have a topcase on that BMW.) The tailbag is so versatile and holds an incredible amount of stuff. Enjoy it! And a 5K?? Whoo hoo!!
ReplyDeleteGood to know the tail bag works so well.
DeleteYep, my first 5k. I thought I was going to have an impromptu in-law visit that would have prevented me from attending, but that worked itself out so it is game on.
Max's butt looks great packing a little luggage and it'll give you a little independence too. Have a great run!
ReplyDeleteIt will be nice to ride to work if I want or need to and be able to carry my shoes and lunch.
DeleteThanks, I am looking forward to the run.
Excellent snag on the color! They look like a great match and should be great on upcoming trips.
ReplyDeleteI had to get the color while still able to find them. Once they are gone, there will be no more. I was a little worried about the color, but I think it works with Max's frame color.
DeleteNice! The blue really looks sharp on Max.
ReplyDeleteI had the topcase off of Sam this summer and used Ron's saddlebags a couple of times. Very handy yet easy to install/uninstall. Shoulde be nice for any little tours/weekenders that you have in the future.
Have fun on your 5k!!
Thanks Kari. I bet it felt different to have saddle bags instead of the top case.
DeleteWe were worried a fully loaded top case might have felt a little top heavy for me and between buying the top case and the racks, it was quite pricey. One thing about not selling the Gladius in this country any more is that accessories aren't as easily available.
These bags were advertised for a Ninja 650, but we knew they'd fit.
They look great! Now you'll be looking for reasons to disappear for the weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe 5k is a good excuse to test them out, but at the same time it takes away my excuse not to commute the 3 miles to work on the bike.
DeleteThey look perfect, how exciting now you can do all those things you thought you couldnt because ya needed somewhere to put stuff. A whole new world has opened up!!
ReplyDeleteMax looks sexy with them on too .. no butt issues at all :)
It will be much nicer to actually have a place to put stuff. Even if it is just a bottle of water or my extra gloves.
DeleteGlad it doesn't give Max any butt issues, I don't need a bike with a complex.
Trobairitz:
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday !!
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Thank you Bob. I spent it driving home from Tacoma.
DeletePerfect! I had the tail pack for my Ruckus scooter. These are high quality items, IMHO. Sorry to learn they are discontinued. Why DO they do that!?
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful on your Max and your butt actually looks smaller next to them! LOL
It is good to know it is high quality. I have had a Cortech jacket and it weathered well. I don't know if it is the model that is discontinued or just the color. The color might not have been a big seller. I am hoping it fades better than the black does.
DeleteAlways good to find something that makes the butt look smaller, thanks.
Max looks great! I love the color and it seems to fit him well. And NO, it doesn't make his butt look big....haha
ReplyDeleteMs Vicky looked like she was wearing wings when I first put her bags on her. But I got used to seeing them. The bike looks great...:-) And you look like your probably become "one with it" when you ride.....:-)
or were you asking about your own butt??? haha.....Oh dear. I might have messed that one up! So, I'll just say No to both! hahaha
DeleteHa, thanks Patricia. I left the butt comment open for interpretation.....
DeleteHey Trob I can vouch that you made a really good decision with the cortech sport bags. I have the same tail bag on my 1098 and it was originally on my Monster. So far it has totaled 20k+ miles without an issue! Having some extra storage is great too you might find it to be your most used piece of gear.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It is always good to hear positive feedback on gear purchases. Nice to know yours has lasted so long too.
DeleteThey look really nice. I had a red Oxford Luggage set a while back that were superb but a bugger to keep clean in the wet and dirty conditions.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see what these do in the dirt and rain. They came with covers but those don't usually stay in place.
DeleteThe Oxford's came with plastic covers and a bungy cord to keep it in place. The forgot the back facing the rear wheel though!!!
DeleteYou must have some really BIG shoes. The bags look good and should help out with visibility issues from traffic. Something more to catch the eye is always good. Are those rims the lighted ones? Sure looks like it.
ReplyDeleteHa funny. They are only size 7.5 really they are. Yeah, I am hoping the bright color will attract a little attention for visibility purposes. I hate attracting attention to myself, but it is safety related when on the bike.
DeleteThe rims just have standard blue reflective rim tape on them, (not light emitting at all) but for some reason they always seem to reflect a lot of light. I guess that is a good thing.
I have the same saddle bags, and I must say I am not super impressed. The rain cover broke after one massive storm. The vendor sent me a replacement, but still. Also, the inside panels are starting to show a lot of wear and tear, despite the fact that I have used them only 5 times. Perhaps you'll have better luck.
ReplyDeleteUh oh. That doesn't sound good. So far that is the only bad review I have heard. I hope mine hold up better. Thanks for letting me know your experience with them.
DeleteThey make you look skinny!
ReplyDeleteThen I shall keep them, anything that makes it look skinnier as we get older is a good thing.
DeleteI like the look of those...I had spotted them last year too but did not know how much riding I would do to justify the expense. As it turns out, I could have used them and will be looking for something similar next year. Nice to see how they look on Max with you in all of your gear!
ReplyDeleteThanks - I don't think there are a lot of pics of me on the bike.
DeleteThey don't make the blue bags anymore, I had to buy them from Ebay, but got a fair deal.
Last weekend I noticed that they sell some nice looking gray (fake carbon fiber) looking ones that would be nice on the Gladius. I forget what brand then were though. Would blend in better than the blue, but it aids in visibility. I don't usually ride with them on the bike but they are good for travel or if I need to commute on the bike.