Cortech Sport Tri-bag Review

Hollywood416

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
Visit site
For those that have been following my post in the touring section I purchased the Cortech Sport bag system for a trip from SC to Fla. I was planning this week but due to a family emergency I had to turn around about 70 miles in. Anyway I did get to pack them with weeks worth of gear and test them for a solid 140 miles. They performed flawlessly and have more than enough room to pack anything you would need for a week plus more. Took a little while to get them setup on the bike and attached a way I liked them but making a few chages of my own and seeing how others had done them I figured it out.

I started by following the directions and attached the saddlebags first then the tailbag with the bottom flap under the saddlebag straps. I think this is a must as it keep the whole works from sliding around even if you lean back against them. Then I attached the buckles from the tailbag down to the saddles running the rears under the back most portion of the grab rails as shown here.
hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2361-p1210008.jpg


Then I cinched up everything and got it all squared up the way I wanted it. Making sure I did my best to keep the height of each bag level. I then connected the front 2 straps on the saddles to the front of the passenger foot pegs.
hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2359-p1210006.jpg


I played with a few different techniques on the rear straps and finally decided to criss cross them to the muffler support. That won't work for those with aftermarket exhaust and FE but worked great fro me.
hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2360-p1210007.jpg


Once they were all strapped in place and loaded I went around all the straps cinching them up till they were tight and firmly held in place. Then I made sure to reach in behind the saddlebags and pull the neoprene layer out around the bags to protect the paint. They generally won't stay in place as your loading and strapping.
hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2354-p1070015.jpg


Now on to the loading I found it easiest to load the saddles first then the tailbag with the overflow and whatever I might need during the trip. With what I packed I did not need to expand the saddles but did expand the tail bag. Only issue I found with this was when expanding the tail bag it makes getting in/out of the saddles rather difficult. Which is why I chose to load them first. In this picture is the stuff out of one saddle and the tailbag. I had already unloaded the other one.

hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2357-p1210001.jpg

Pictured is set of T-handles, multi socket wrench, heavy baclava, spare summer gloves, 2 L-sleeve tshirts, 6 pairs socks, Flipflops, 4 undershirts,4 t-shirts, dig camera pack, spare batteries, toiletries, chargers for everything and map of the destination.

What's not pictured that was in the other bag was 4 pairs carhart jeans, flanel pajama pants and extra set of longjohns. As well as couple handguns/ammo I had packed for protection and to go shooting.

Then in the tankbag was everything I knew I could need along the way.
hollywood416-albums-cortech-sport-bags-picture2358-p1210002.jpg

Flashlight, GPS, Dig camera, Checkbook, Clear glasses, Pen/paper, Turn by turn directions, lighter, tire repair kit, chapstick, handcleaning wipes, instant heat pads, hankercheif and ins/registration papers.


I am sure there were some other odds and ends I forgot to list but as you can see I had plenty of stuff and room to spare. These are a must have for anyone looking to take a trip on a sportbike and not lug a stinking backpack around with you the whole time.
 
Last edited:

Botch

I.Y.A.A.Y.A.S!!
Elite Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
3,946
Reaction score
44
Points
0
Location
Ogden UT
Visit site
I can't quite tell from the photo; is your criss-cross of the webbing through the muffler support pulling across the edge of the metal? That may wear thru after time if it is.
But, again, I can't quite tell from the photo (it's been a loooong day...).
 

Hollywood416

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
Visit site
I can't quite tell from the photo; is your criss-cross of the webbing through the muffler support pulling across the edge of the metal? That may wear thru after time if it is.
But, again, I can't quite tell from the photo (it's been a loooong day...).

Yea it does and I did think about that too but it was strapped down so tight there is little room for it to move and rub. It doesn't show any signs of it yet and I figured if it did I would either run some elec. tape over the rough edges or a piece of rubber hose to protect it.

Unless your talking about the place about halfway up the strap in the pic. If so that piece is plastic and smooth so shouldn't be any worries there.
 

cv_rider

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
819
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
Danville, CA Bay Area
Visit site
I used that same setup for commuting for a year and half before jettisoning it for a top case. Works well. It does have good capacity, especially with the abilty to expand them, but even so, no single bag has much volume, so its hard to get larger things in. I never could get the saddlebags to hang straight down - they kind of bent around the grab bar, reducing their capacity somewhat. I also found that when I expanded the tailbag, it lost rigidity and kind of flopped down.
 

Hollywood416

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
Visit site
I used that same setup for commuting for a year and half before jettisoning it for a top case. Works well. It does have good capacity, especially with the abilty to expand them, but even so, no single bag has much volume, so its hard to get larger things in. I never could get the saddlebags to hang straight down - they kind of bent around the grab bar, reducing their capacity somewhat. I also found that when I expanded the tailbag, it lost rigidity and kind of flopped down.

Yea they do bend around the grap handles a little at the top I found you can either lower them a little to get underneath the handles or just deal with it. It was a non-issue for me as I was mainly loading soft stuff like clothes. The tailbag does flop pretty bad when you expand it and don't have much inside thus the issue getting into the saddles but if you pack it tight enough it will get it's shape back. Also have to make sure the rigid flaps inside are layed down and tucked in correctly which makes a big difference. The top cases are nice and functional but very pricey and IMHO are absolutly fugly, functional but fugly. The cortech bags just flow with the lines of the bike so much better and abuility to carry just the tail(90% time for me), just the saddles if 2 up or all 3 made my choice an easy one. :thumbup:
 

Hollywood416

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
Visit site
Nice description. Do you think these Cortech bags would work if you had a seat cowl on. I am guessing they would not

I think the saddles would work just fine as you could run the straps under the cowl. Now the tail bag is another story but putting it on would defeat the purpose of the cowl anyway so. :thumbup:
 

Metal Mike

New Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Stow, MA
Visit site
Hollywood 416,

Thanks for the product review. Very thorough!

I just bought the same exact set up as you (Cortech Sport Saddle Bags, Tail Bag, and Mini Tank Bag). But, I'm concerned about the heat from the underseat mufflers and the sides of the Saddle Bags. As you know, Cortech gave the bags heat-resistant panels on the bottoms of the bags, but not the sides. Was the heat from the underseat exhaust an issue for your Saddle Bags? Did the neoprene hold up to the heat too? From your photos, it looks like you just strapped them on without special regard for the mufflers. In other words, I didn't notice any heat shields or anything else.

Let me know how you handled that situation. Thanks!

Metal Mike
 

Hollywood416

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
Visit site
Mike,
No issues whatsoever. I didn't do anything special and even had clothes inside ziplocks inside the saddles so had there been any issue they would surely have melted. Also no apparent wear/heat on the neoprene either.
 

hansfz6

Junior Member
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
USA
Visit site
I have the same bags for about 4 months, after about 2,000 miles they still look like new. HIGHLY recommended, even in the rain without any covers barley any water got in, all my stuff was dry :noworries:
 

vegas

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Angeles
Visit site
Trying to get some clarification here.
These bags look different from the cortech saddle bags found here:
Cortech :: Luggage :: Sport Saddlebags

Are they indeed different bags?

Secondly:
If they are the same bag, what kind of commonly found objects could you fit in the saddle bags? A bread box? 6 pack? Two 6 packs? Could you fit a helmet?
None of these things are actually things I'd like to bring along, just trying to get a sense of space :)

-alex
 

GSBandit6

Junior Member
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
60
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
Visit site
I've had these for about a month and would concur with Hollywood's review. I have had some issues with heat or wear caused by the saddlebags. Since your heat shields are painted black (or so it appears), you probably wouldn't have noticed it. The neoprene has left a black stain or smudge on my silver heat shields that will not wash off. It's not really that noticable, but I have removed my saddlebags until I can come up with a way to put a layer between the neoprene back panel and the heat shields to keep from any further staining.

Other than this, these are great and I love the versatility they provide.
 
Top