Review of the SW-Motech Bag I bought
By Jeff Pamer
The (Physical) Breakdown:
I don’t want saddlebags. I don’t want extra nonsense on my bike. They’re a proclamation that I’ve made to the world: “I don’t care what my bike looks like, I need it to be functional” or “I have responsibilities now, and I need all this stuff with me when I leave the house”, and finally “my old, worn-out back hurts”.
Problem is that, for me, all of those things are true. So, where do we go from there? I’ve looked at a Yamaha FJR parked in a parking lot and thought, yes. Then I get about a million miles from ever shelling out any money, and I’m like, no. Don’t get me wrong, incredible machine, don’t want one yet. Certainly, couldn’t ride up to a dealership with my Thruxton to trade it in with a straight face. Nope.
Ok so, we need a middle ground. That’s where I ended up, and happily, I found one. One that actually opened my eyes to the true capabilities of my Thruxton.
SW-Motech: The Who and the Why:
SW-Motech was founded in Germany in 1999. These heroes started a business right in the eye of the storm of Y2K, a joke that could only possibly land with someone looking for luggage for their bike. The company has expanded to exporting to over 70 countries and producing a product that is known for being pricey, but unanimously considered worth the high price tag. You can read their entire backstory on the SW-Motech site. I discovered them on Revzilla while I was searching for my goldilocks luggage and found it in their Legend Gear line of bags.
The Legend Gear LC1 Saddlebag is part of their Legends line of bags and caught my eye while searching only because of the aesthetics. They look like an old WWII bag that they strapped on the 101’st airborne before they threw them out of planes and into German-occupied France. It looks like the height of 1940s functionality. Like it was found at an Army Surplus store in London in 1955 and some kid retrofitted it to hook onto the side of their BSA. In shorter terms, it was speaking my language through the screen of my laptop.
So, it checked the style box, but I was new to the luggage game, what was next? Next was hardware. How does it secure to the bike, how does the bag come on and off, or does it at all. Does it come with everything you need or is it ordered separately? As it turns out there was a bit to consider. I knew I only wanted it on one side of the bike. I’m an odd numbers guy. The bracket was easy enough to find on Revzilla’s site, and so was the one that worked on my bike. SW-Motech also has a trick quick release system for their bags. I made the call, threw a right-side bag and right-side bracket into my cart, and closed the deal. The bag itself was near as makes no difference $175, and the bracket was $104, so before taxes, I’m out the door for $279
The Bag and Installation of the Hardware:
When the bag arrived, I was blown away by the quality. The bag came in its own draw-string bag, bag in a bag. The bag is mostly made of a very thick waxed cotton canvas. This is combined with a Solid Napalon Synthetic leather that I wish was real leather, but I forgive them because of the water-resistance that the bag can offer. This is upgraded to waterproof when you pack your gear in the waterproof liner that the bag comes with. The quality of the bag doesn’t disappoint at all. I was very impressed. It has a capacity of 9.8 liters, which in real-world terms means that it will happily fit, a 13ich laptop, a 40 oz Hydro Flask, and still have space for another shirt, pencil case, and a few other small items. In other words, plenty of room for a day at work, or an overnight trip somewhere. The closure is threefold: there is a Velcro seal at the opening of the bag, then it rolls down. It’s then secured shut by aluminum hardware, two sinching down the sides and a larger one taking care of the top. Attaching the bag to the bracket on the bike is super slick. It’s secured in three places, one of which has a quick-release spring-loaded locking thumb-operated switch.
The Bracket was very easy to install. I did it in my garage in about 15 minutes. The fitments that secure the bag to the bracket need to be installed to the bracket using hex bolts. Then the bracket itself is attached to the bike using three bolts. Two that go into already present holes under the seat cowl. The third gets secured using the present hex bolt at the top of the rear shock. Just unscrew, follow the instruction for washer placement and sinch back down to spec. A couple of notes here; every different make of bike will have a slightly different procedure to install, so be sure to look at the instructions online before you buy. I also highly recommend using blue lock tight to ensure nothing raddles loose.
New Bike, New Me:
I love this bag. I only have two complaints: I wish it was a bit bigger sometimes, and I wish it looked a bit smaller on the bike. Take a note SW-Motech, it’s a reasonable request.
I also love how the bracket is so minimal when the bag isn’t on. It’s definitely still there, but not a huge eyesore. It is as minimal as possible, which speaks to the engineering that went into it.
The Thruxton, believe it or not, has been transformed into a light-duty touring bike. Not kidding. Not having a backpack on makes me able to run the tank dry before I need a break. It’s so damn comfortable. It’s a wonderful machine, made better by a well-designed, handsome, too big, and not big enough saddlebag. A bag that seems to have been designed specifically for people that don’t want them.
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