Triumph Adventure Tail Bag Review

I bought the Triumph Bag about a year back now and wrote about it back then. I have now got rid of it due to broken zips which "...aren't covered by warranty, my friend" according to the bike shop guy.

I had tried a couple of ideas before the Triumph bag including:

• Modified Ventura rack and Ventura bag
• The Ventura rack was only temporarily fitted on the bike and moved around a bit. I wasn't too fussed about having an upright bar fitted permanently in case it really didn't work.
• The Ventura bag has an odd shape and struggled to fit my usual gear when parked - helmet, jacket and a bit of other gear - rain gear and boots if required.
• The bag isn't waterproof at all.

• Modified Ventura rack and Gearsack bag
• same rack as above
• I had an old Gearsack bag that vaguely fitted the Ventura rack and so put that back on again. The Gearsack bag is a great shape and suits my gear requirements really well. Its also waterproof.

• BMW Duffel Roll
• I said this about the roll after we rode to Adelaide using it last year:
• "...Unfortunately it doesn't quite sit between the panniers across the tailpiece and is a bit lopsided but attaches firmly with the straps. The zip is the main complaint though about the bag - you need to be Hercules to open and close the sucker. I tried graphite, silicon lubricant, and even grease and none of them made any difference. The other problem is that I can't easily fit my helmet inside it due to the shape of the bag. I will need to try something else in future. I have used Gearsack bags up until now but I find I can't buy them anymore. Triumph make a 55l bag but its not waterproof.

• Triumph Adventure Tail Bag after a year of use:
• its a pain not being waterproof
• the waterproof cover works well though you have to stop and put it on when it rains of course
• the bag looks the real deal and fits really well and sits solidly whether turned onto the pillion seat when I ride solo or turned onto the carrier with a pillion on board
• I didn't really like how the claim of being "55 litres" actually includes the two side pockets. These pockets are about 10 litres each which makes the main compartment only about 35 litres. This makes it able to just fit a helmet and jacket when the bike is parked but that's all. This never really suited my gear carrying requirements.
• the final straw though was the zip to the main compartment breaking in two spots - at each of the two corners - see photo below.

As you can see, the teeth have pulled out of the zip so I can't just sew it back up. The whole 1100mm long zip would need replacing and I've put that in the too hard basket. "For want of a zip, the bag was lost..."

So, I'm back to using the Gearsack again though I have modified the attachment points. I have sewn on some snap buckles at each of the 4 corners on the base and attach it in the same way as the Triumph Bag. So far, it seems to be stiff enough to stand up by itself and, as I said above, the shape of the bag works for me.

This is the Gearsack in the solo riding position. I'll see how it goes over the next little while.

Michelin Anakee III tyres

Quick note to say I've replaced the standard Pirelli Scorpions with Michelin Anakee III's today - $475 for the pair fitted at Western Motorcycles, Penrith. 100/90 x 19 and 150/70 x 17.
Initial impression is that they are at least as sticky as the Scorpions and certainly don't follow the changing bitumen lines like old tyres tend to do. I will make some notes as we go along and get a few miles on board.

A word about the Scorpions - they were a little disappointing really - they stick well but they squared off badly on the trip back from Perth. We were 2 up with panniers but to get only 5000km from the back tyre was a bit ordinary I think - squared off and only 2mm of tread left in the middle. The front was 15000km old and had about the same amount of tread left.

They also both showed signs of perishing - the bike is kept garaged and undercover at work so its not sun perished.

Anyway, I will have a couple of trips this year and test out the Anakees and report back.