After a little over a month or so of onership of my Super Tenere and nearly 6,000kms travelled I have some ideas about farkles it needs to become my ride of choice for long distances. The first thing is a tank bag, which is totally new ground for me because they just don’t go well on a Harley-Davidson Road King if you want to see the speedo.
My requirements were reasonably simple to define;
- I wanted a tank bag that didn’t scratch up the tank
- the tank bag needed to be able to be removed and replaced quickly for lightning fuel stops during time poor IBA rides
- the tank bag needed a transparent map pocket available to store ride schedules and logs with a pen. It was a pain having to unlock the top box to access the log during my SS1600 to South Australia
- the tank bag needed to suit the sloped tank of the Super Tenere and be reasonably narrow at the front so it didn’t foul the handlebars while turning
- I didn’t need a huge tank bag, it’ll be mostly used for camera, phone, pens and snacks.
- The tank bag need to be waterproof or have a cover that worked well
The tank bag that seemed to tick all the boxes was the SW Motech Bags-Connection City Tank Bag with the EVO Quick-Lock tank ring so I ordered one online from Motorradgarage.com.au. It arrived within a few days and the online purchasing experience was a good one.
The EVO Quick-Lock tank ring mounts over the ring around the fuel cap, still allowing for unobstructed access to refuel it. Installation of the tank ring was reasonably simple, take four of the OEM screws out and replace them with the longer supplied ones. BUT, the kit comes with bolts/screws for the Super Tenere and a Ducati and there is no information about which are the correct ones for the bike. So it took some trial and error to work out which ones to use which was annoying. Two of the countersunk screw lengths fitted into the front two holes of the Tenere and I don’t have any idea if I have used the right ones.
The mount that goes on to the bottom of the bag is then placed on the installed tank ring and you just push the City Tank Bag onto it, adjust it to where you want it and then release the unit from the tank ring with the pull cable mechanism. At this point you need to be careful you don’t move things around too much. Mark where the unit is in the bag and then use a supplied template to drill four holes through the bottom of the bag through the solid mounting area. Make sure you remove the loop and ring connected cover from the inside of the bag first as per the instructions. They even supply the 8mm drill you need to drill the holes in the kit, which was a very pleasant surprise.
Remove the template and screw the unit on nice and tight and the tank bag is ready to use. I’m non techy and a bit of a chicken when it comes to this type of stuff but I have to say it was really easy to install (except for the guesswork with the screws).
The bag is easy to clip on and take off in seconds. It doesn’t touch the tank at all. I already have a paint protection strip on the sloping top of the tank for zippers and the like so I’m OK if the case connects with the tank if it bounces around loaded up.
The bag doesn’t get in the way of the controls or handlbars while riding and turning. I have a picture of the clearance at full lock below. There’s some well thought out features to, with most of the zipper tags there’s an elastic “holder” to stop the tag flapping about (pictured below).
The map pouch is an accessory bought separately that clips over the bag. I probably would have preferred one that was part of the unit, but it connects solidly to the top of the bag and I guess when it gets scratched up it’s nicer just to replace the map pouch.
The bag also comes with a number of other accessories for GPS’s, phones etc and you can get a powered tank ring. I wasn’t game to go there! I haven’t been on a long ride with it yet, but all up I’m pretty happy with the Bags Connection-City Tank Bag.
If it proves too small or too big there are other bags available from Bags-Connection that will clip straight onto the tank ring, another bonus of the system. The City Tank Bag is iimpressive in it’s design and looks like a well made quality product. While only time will confirm that most of the reviews I’ve read of the bag suggest it’s made to last.
Update on 14 January 2021. I am still using this tank bag and have had it mounted on three other bikes over this time. It’s looking worse for wear but still completely functional. The only issue I’ve had with it is the mount mechanism on the bottom of the bag got full of dust and jammed up. I took it apart and cleaned it out. I’ve done that twice in 8 years. What a good bit of kit!