Integrated Luggage

None of the above is quite good enough for you? There’s still one more choice—let the motorcycle manufacturer incorporate carrying capacity into your bike.

A big, fully equipped touring bike isn’t the cheapest way to carry stuff, but it can be the most elegant way to go traveling on two wheels. You don’t have to do any adjusting to make sure everything fits, and you’ll probably end up with more carrying capacity.

But before you plunk down your money on a big tourer, consider whether it’s really the right answer for you. Touring bikes are great on the open road, but they can be a handful in city traffic, to say nothing of the occasional dirt road. 

If cross-country touring is really what you’re buying a bike for, then a full-dress tourer can be the perfect solution. But if you spend 50 weeks a year riding to work, and two weeks on the open road, you may want to consider one of the other options in this story.

To add hard bags, you’ll have to purchase mounting hardware specifically for your machine. Some of these brackets will also give you a luggage rack or a mounting point for a touring top box, to boot.

Bolting this stuff on shouldn’t be too difficult, although it will likely require you to relocate your rear turn signals. Then, once you have the hardware in place, you can simply pack the saddlebags and clip them into place on the machine.

The advantages of hard bags are many. All should be waterproof and lockable for security. And when you get to a hotel, you can unclip your bags and carry your luggage inside—just like you arrived in a car.

It’s not all beer and skittles, though. Hard bags may appear huge on the outside, but some are oddly shaped, leaving you with little nooks and crannies that aren’t particularly useful. And unlike soft bags, they won’t expand as you keep cramming stuff in. Plus, the mounting brackets can position the bags pretty far out, adding significantly to the width of your motorcycle. And even with the bags off, you’re left with brackets that might not be your idea of fashionable.

Still, life is full of compromises, and if you want the greatest convenience for long-haul touring, you at least need to consider getting a set of hard saddlebags.