There’s never too much information out there about luggage options for motorcycle tourers and this combination I’ve put together for my VFR800 is particularly interesting.
By pairing the SW Motech Pro Cargo Bag and the matching Pro Tent Bag you’ll have a stylish, good quality set for the pillion space on your VFR800 and, with the sneaky addition of a telescopic stool, you’ll find it fits perfectly, without the removal of the pillion grab handles.
With a 15 liter tank bag there’s a total of 83 liters storage. That’s enough for long weekend of summer camping.
The main bag here is the SW Motech Pro Cargo Bag which is a 50 liter soft bag that straddles the pillion seat. It works perfectly with the VFR800 and it looks good too.
I’ve used this luggage with my tank bag for hotel-touring and the only issue I had was that it would shift slightly forward over the course of a day. That’s due to the mounting points.
I’ve tried it without the pillion grab handles and it sits nicely. I’ve also tried it with the handles fitted and it sits awkwardly…but it raises the sides further away from the exhaust and keeps everything more stable.
Here it is, fully loaded, on top of fitted grab handles:
You can see that there’s plenty of clearance between the bag and the exhaust.
Here it is with the grab handles removed:
There’s not much difference but it’s enough to cause a little worry about the exhausts.
What if you could raise the pillion seat so that the bag sits flat and high?
Meet the telescopic stool that sits perfectly on the VFR800:
Now when you add the cargo bag, it sits perfectly.
Apart from the obvious advantage of having a collapsible stool with you, it seems like the bag now sits further back.
I’ve added the Pro Ten Bag (18 litres) to the top. It clips into place on the cargo bag and after a test run it appears to be very secure.
As usual with soft luggage, you need to tighten up after the first 10 minutes of shake-down riding, but after that it was secure.
What’s in the luggage? A weekend camping kit.
The magnetic tank bag there is old and came with the bike when I bought it in 2021. I had intended to throw it out but it works really well. I guess it’s a 12 liter bag. It can be extended to about 18 liters but it’s way too tall to use for any distance when expanded.
In total that’s 80 liters. For hiking, that’s easily enough for a full week of camping. On a motorbike, however, you’ve got additional kit to be aware of.
80 liters of motorcycle luggage is just about enough for a summer weekend away. If you want a warm sleeping bag, thick jumpers and a good supply of camping food, you’ll need 100 litres for the same weekend. Add a few additional bike tools and you’re above that.
I’ve found that a good quality tripod bag will fit between the tent bag and cargo bag which would give me another 8 liters but with four bags in total it’s not ideal. A light, 10 liter rucksack is also an option.
This is the equipment I’m carrying, along with a 1 liter water bottle, a toiletries bag…and the stool. The blue dry bag holds the one-man summer tent that’s now inside the SW Motech tent bag.
You’ll see that there’s no food included here and you might notice that my sleeping bag is huge. I will be replacing that and will probably gain a liter of storage when I do.
The only thing left to do now is to go camping. In the meantime, catch me on Instagram as V4_chippy.
I’ve also got a YouTube channel. Chippy Mobility.
