Review: Ducati Performance rear tail bag for Monster 696/796/1100 - Ducati Monster Forums: Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum

uuu · 07-22-2011, 01:25 AM

I could not find any decent reviews on this bag, like how much it would carry (other than that it had a capacity of 18L, which to me means absolutely nothing!), would it fit a laptop, an ipad, a camera etc. Also if it would fit with the passenger grab bars installed on the bike. So with that in mind, some thoughts on the bag and pictures.

What comes in the box? - actually there is no box, the bag included the base, which goes on the seat, a rain cover and a strap to make the bag into a backpack. Fit and finish on the bag is not the greatest.

Fit: The base goes on the back of the seat and the holes on it line up with the two screws that hold in the seat cover. Had to struggle a bit to get it all to line up, but overall it fit well. It was also super easy to zip/ upzip the bag from the base. Still concerned about the zipper, when the bag is full, as that is the only thing holding the bag to the base - no other supporting straps

What can you fit in it? A laptop (10 inch netbook) or an ipad will not lie flat in the base of the bag, however, once you fill it up halfway you can lay it flat about mid-way. In terms of other things, with the bag extended, I was able to fit in 3 t-shrits, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of sweat pants (the thin kind), pair of flip flops, 3 pairs of socks, a netbook, a charger and some toiletries - with a little room to spare. So from the looks of it, you can pack enough for a couple of days in here.

Overall, the bag looks decent, seems like it will carry enough, but lets see how long it will last. I'm still not sure if it is worth the high price.

Here are some pics. More details info and addtional pics on my blog - http://ducatimonster796.blogspot.com/

papamama12 · 07-22-2011, 04:24 AM

it is very good

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Brackstone · 07-22-2011, 09:58 AM

Don't make the same mistake I did. Take off your seat cowl first kids!

uuu · 07-22-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brackstone

Don't make the same mistake I did. Take off your seat cowl first kids!

Yep- I don't think the tail bag base would fit with the cowl on given how snug the fit was on the seat.

_flatline_ · 07-22-2011, 01:46 PM

I also have the DP Tail Bag and I quite like it. I'm not really concerned by the zipper like OP is - it doesn't feel like that bag is going anywhere. I do wish it was secured to the bike more, but for safety reasons - maybe some kind of fastener under the seat. As it stands, anyone with an allen wrench could remove my precious tail bag (or the base at least - I generally don't leave the bike unattended with the bag attached).

In June I took my bike to Ocean City for a week at the beach with my family and packed everything I needed into my Tail Bag and a medium sized backpack. Between them I had 2 pair trunks, flip-flops+sneakers (wore my riding shoes), some shorts, several t-shirts, socks+underwear, 15" laptop (in the backpack), toiletries, chargers (for phone+ipad and laptop). If I hadn't needed to do some heavy-duty work while I was there, i wouldn't have taken the laptop, and may have been able to get away with just the DP bag.

While we are on this topic, where do you all store your title and/or insurance card? Right now I basically just keep them in the inside zipper pocket of my riding jacket. I'd prefer somewhere semi-secure on the bike, but I don't want to leave that information just sitting in the wide-open side pockets all the time.

uuu · 07-22-2011, 02:52 PM

Thanks for the feedback, I have not really used this enough to know how secure the bag is when full, but good to hear from folks that have used it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by _flatline_

While we are on this topic, where do you all store your title and/or insurance card? Right now I basically just keep them in the inside zipper pocket of my riding jacket. I'd prefer somewhere semi-secure on the bike, but I don't want to leave that information just sitting in the wide-open side pockets all the time.

I keep the info under the seat in a plastic zip lock bag, the stuff is thin enough to fit uner the tool kit.

_flatline_ · 07-22-2011, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uuu

I keep the info under the seat in a plastic zip lock bag, the stuff is thin enough to fit uner the tool kit.

I've thought about putting it under the seat, but I've had to get under there once before in the middle of a long-ish ride and even with gloves on managed to singe my hand a little bit. If I got into an accident or was pulled over by a cop, I imagine I might be shaking enough that I would melt myself to the exhaust system. Plus if I have my tail bag or whatever on there, it's even more ungainly trying to pry the seat off for a couple scraps of paper. I guess I need some type of small, inconspicuous tube that is secure to the bike and lockable.

uuu · 07-22-2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _flatline_

I've thought about putting it under the seat, but I've had to get under there once before in the middle of a long-ish ride and even with gloves on managed to singe my hand a little bit. If I got into an accident or was pulled over by a cop, I imagine I might be shaking enough that I would melt myself to the exhaust system. Plus if I have my tail bag or whatever on there, it's even more ungainly trying to pry the seat off for a couple scraps of paper. I guess I need some type of small, inconspicuous tube that is secure to the bike and lockable.

Unless you relocated the key/ lock for the seat, all you need to do is pop the seat off and there is more than enough clearance between the exhuast can and the lock. Never had any issues with that, gloves or no gloves. The tool kit/ papers, etc. go in the little spot between the servo unit and the tank.

uuu · 08-01-2011, 12:49 AM

Update on the tail bag.

I got a chance today to get in a pretty long ride with the tail bag, and through the ride I never felt any difference in the feel of the bike, no drag or anything like that. I had the tail bag pretty full. Without expanding it, it fit in a SLR camera (with case), a netbook, sweatshirt and a bottle of water. With all that in it, there was still some room to squeeze in stuff like a phone, some engery bars, etc. It also felt very secure, which was one of my concerns.

One downside - there is pretty much no room between you and the bag when it is zipped to the seat, so no chance of carrying a back-pack, unless it is one of the super thin messenger bags. Also the bag is not super comfortable as a back-pack - at least not to walk around. Also, if you are installing the base with the passenger grab bars installed, the side pockets will be pretty useless. All I can fit in there is a tiny camera on one side and a phone on the other.

Beef Supreme · 08-01-2011, 08:36 AM

Good review, thanks.