Bud Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Inquiring minds want to know. Link to comment
KTsRidin Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Still love my Big Mak bag (easy to fill the tank and roomy). Do a search on it and you'll get LOTS of hits. Link to comment
Stuart Bliwas Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I agree with KTsRidin. The Explorer bag is specifically designed for the R1100-R1150. Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Make that a third that is a Big Mak fan. It's a tad pricy, but worth it. Easy on and off the bike. Fairly water resistant. It just works so well, especially at gas stops with the easy flip up design. Shawn Link to comment
beemerFROG Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I just got a Nelson Rigg tank bag and think it's geat, especially for the price. It has not been outside yet as there is still snow on the ground but so far its performance in my garage has been flawless! www.motorcycle-superstore.com/item.aspx?style=18036&department=668&division=6 Link to comment
Brian PDQ Signs Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I've got a bag from Linda T , http://customtankbags.com/ She did an awesome job with many options including electrical connections, turns into a backpack and pockets galore, etc. You can also tell her what color you want to match your bike. I'd drop her a line in a heartbeat. Link to comment
daveinatlanta Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I too am looking for a Tank Bag and I saw the Big Mak. They look nice - when you need a tank bag. But when you don't need one, the rack it sits on is still there. Correct? I saw one poster here that recommended a smaller tank bag that sits on two screw/posts that replace two of the tank filler screws. That addresses the times when one does not need a tank bag and does not want the mounting plate, but the bag that this mounting uses is really small, about 2-3" high and it seemed as if it could droop down onto the tank. So - the Big Mak air bag seems to have the best solution - when you want to use a tank bag. If only the mounting could be QUICKLY removed too... Link to comment
Davis Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Some of us have made adapters to replace the BigMak long bolts with spacers with custom bolts and 4 short screws to attach the mounting bracket. With these (and a 3mm hex wrench) the 4 screws and the mount can be quickly removed. Adapter and screw Tank with mount removed Also, rather pricey but Marseemakes 6, 10, 15 and 20L tankbags which snap to a polymer mount around the filler. Not only do these remove easily leaving little of the mount on the bike, but since the remove completely rather than tilt for fueling they are less likely to interfere with dash shelves, such as the RCU or BMR, or other cockpit farkles. Marsee mount 20L bag SW Motech also make tankbags which snap to a ring around the gas filler. Unlike the Marsee magnetic catch, these pivot and latch with a spring pin. In addition, to several size bags with various accessory pockets and mounts, they also sell camera, pda, etc. mounts to fit the ring. Bag on GS Mount While I have a BigMak bag with the modified bolts which I like very much. If I were buying today, I look seriously at the Marsee or SW Motech bags. Besides being easily removed without much left on the tank and not hitting my BMR shelf, they have mounts to fit a large selection of other motorcycles. Link to comment
Bud Posted January 25, 2007 Author Share Posted January 25, 2007 Davis, Where did you get the modified bolts? Link to comment
Davis Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I made them. There was a member who made and sold them for a while, but I think he's stopped. There was a discussion about making them last year. While Uli(the member who used to sell them) and I made ours from a solid piece of SS stock, as was pointed out in this thread a similar system could be made from threaded rod, a hex coupler and some round stock with a minimum amount of machining. Link to comment
Bob_Minor Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I just bought this one: tank bag It fits nicely on the flat spot of the RT tank, has a nicely sized map pouch (rare on a tank bag this small) and cost all of $63, on sale at a local Honda dealer. Link to comment
Mike O Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Bud, I've used the Marsee and been happy with it. A complete write up about its function/feature can be found here. It's unfortunately sitting on an FJR in this picture but you get the idea: I've been happy with it and I think it would fit your bike just fine. Mike O Link to comment
Bud Posted January 25, 2007 Author Share Posted January 25, 2007 I just bought this one: tank bag It fits nicely on the flat spot of the RT tank, has a nicely sized map pouch (rare on a tank bag this small) and cost all of $63, on sale at a local Honda dealer. Bob, How easy is it to take on and off when you need gas? Is there a hole in the base for the gas cap? Link to comment
Bob_Minor Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Bob, How easy is it to take on and off when you need gas? Is there a hole in the base for the gas cap? It ataches in the front with two quick disconnect clips and in the back with a single clip. You can get to the tank by undoing any one of the three clips and pushing the bag out of the way. It has a foam base that is always attached to the bag so it moves out of the way with the rest of the bag. No need for a hole on the bottom (like the Eclipse's used to have). Link to comment
Bud Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 Thanks Bob. The price is right and the construction looks pretty good. Link to comment
Slyder_Steve Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Bud, I've used the Marsee and been happy with it. A complete write up about its function/feature can be found here. It's unfortunately sitting on an FJR in this picture but you get the idea: I've been happy with it and I think it would fit your bike just fine. Mike O Bud, I just found the Marsee 20L at Bob's BMW for a great price and bought it on the spot. http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1685 No affiliation, yada, yada, yada Link to comment
Mike O Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Bud, I just found the Marsee 20L at Bob's BMW for a great price and bought it on the spot. http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1685 ... That is cheaper than what I paid for mine. It is a good price, and you can see from those pictures a good fit for the RT. Mike O Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Bud, I just found the Marsee 20L at Bob's BMW for a great price and bought it on the spot. http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1685 ... That is cheaper than what I paid for mine. It is a good price, and you can see from those pictures a good fit for the RT. Mike O I had almost this version (25 L vs 20 L) that I used for over 2 years before I decided I wanted the Big Mak. It's a good bag for that price. I never had any problems with it and still use the wallet that came with it to this day. I can see how someone would opt for that vs. the $230 or so for the Big Mak. I paid closer to $150 for my Marsee. I never did use its full capacity either. For trips a week or less I could never see needing the expandability it has. It is nice to have it in reserve, just in case. Shawn Link to comment
Mike O Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Shawn, I think they're probably both very good bags. Maybe you or someone else can explain (since you've used both the Marsee and BigMak). What is it exactly that you saw in the additional ~$100 value over the Marsee bag? I have no scratches on my tank from the Marsee (maybe you did?) The one thing I disliked about the Bigmak was that plastic tongue being there when the tank bag was not in use (or you add more bolts to the tank to work around that..still?) Sure the Bigmak flips up faster than the Marsee, but the difference in time is insignificant compared to the minutes I spend filling the tank anyway (I remove the two back clips swing it out of the way in under 5 secs.) And as you know, one can attach or remove the Marsee in less than 10 secs with the four clips holding it on. Sizes are approximately the same. Ditto pockets, map case, etc. What I do see as better on the Bigmak are the stiff sides on its tank bag. But I'm not sure I'd pay $100 more just for that difference. So what am I missing? Mike O Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 .....Maybe you or someone else can explain (since you've used both the Marsee and BigMak). What is it exactly that you saw in the additional ~$100 value over the Marsee bag? For me Mike it was a matter of convenience on a couple of points. 1. I personally found the gas stops and dealing with the strap attachments to be a bit of a pain. This of course is will vary by user and their tolerance for this action. I just found it much easier at gas stops to flip the Big Mak up. I have friends with Big Mak's and they usually were waiting on me to get the Marsee attached before we could move on. Like I said, YMMV. 2. This reason is probably the biggest for me. I have two bikes that get just about equal use. Both my R1100RT and my R1100S have the Big Mak mounts on them and moving the bag from bike to bike is a breeze. And to tell you the truth, I didn't want to deal with putting another set of straps on the R1100S when I purchased it. I have sections of the R1100RT protected near the seat to tank interface with the clear 3M protective sheet. I just didn't want to have to deal with that on the R1100S. So, I guess the reason I found the Big Mak fit my needs better really was ease of use. For me, having the plate attached for everyday riding doesn't bother me. But, like I said.... YMMV. Shawn Link to comment
Mike O Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 ...2. This reason is probably the biggest for me. I have two bikes that get just about equal use. Both my R1100RT and my R1100S have the Big Mak mounts on them and moving the bag from bike to bike is a breeze. ...Bingo...That makes sense to me and I could see with your approach you've effectively amortized the cost over the 2 bikes. Thanks, Shawn. Regards, Mike O Link to comment
szurszewski Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Also, rather pricey but Marseemakes 6, 10, 15 and 20L tankbags which snap to a polymer mount around the filler. Marsee mount 20L bag Spotted a corona on ebay yesterday - looks like the ring to go on the 1200gs, but the listing says it will fit a host of other BMWs (if you check the Marsee site, they list which rings fit which bikes - bags are all the same). Even the buy it now seems to be much less than etailers. Link to comment
Mike Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I too am looking for a Tank Bag and I saw the Big Mak. They look nice - when you need a tank bag. But when you don't need one, the rack it sits on is still there. Correct? As has already been written, that's correct. I never have bothered with trying to modify the rack so it's easily removable. But, my tank bag habits may be a bit different--with previous bags, the only time I ever removed them was to wash my bike or to take the bag into a restaurant or hotel. My Big Mak's always loaded with some spray cleaner (like Plexus), a couple of cloths, earplugs, tire repair kit, and a couple of other goodies. The Big Mak's a great design--one of those simple, yet elegant solutions that make you wonder why no one else thought of it before. Link to comment
Slyder_Steve Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Bud, I've used the Marsee and been happy with it. A complete write up about its function/feature can be found here. It's unfortunately sitting on an FJR in this picture but you get the idea: I've been happy with it and I think it would fit your bike just fine. Mike O Bud, I just found the Marsee 20L at Bob's BMW for a great price and bought it on the spot. http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1685 No affiliation, yada, yada, yada Bit of a hijack, but I received my new Marsee bag from Bob's BMW yesterday. 4 days coast to coast--$125 delivered. Link to comment
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