SW Motech Pro Tank Bags - Would I Buy Them Again?

[@martinl6205]

Great review and thank you for such direct honesty

[@phildivalerio]

A problem (the ferrous dirt) I've never encountered. Thanks for the heads up. I've had the exact same Day Pack for two riding seasons and love it. I've been on a couple of long trips with it (not involving dusty conditions) and have had no problems at all. In general, I dislike larg-ish tank bags because I think they look terrible and encourage you to fill them up with stuff best left in the panniers or pack pack (or home).

[@PetraGulyassy]

I bought Givi xs308 for my gsa and zipper split in 4weeks of light use, got replacement and same happened with second ine. Ive cheked their reviews and 9 out of 10 had exactly same issue. No more Givi for me then, and thinking about buying sw motech . Tganks fir review, love how stright to tge point it is 👌🏻

[@person.X.]

Useful review. Here in WA (Western Australia) our whole state is made out of iron ore so that magnetic lock issue has the potential to be a serious PITA!

[@charleselliott1568]

Straight forward and to the point.

[@erling2631]

Have ridden a lot with various SW-Motech pro bags, and never had problems with the magnetic lock, but if you have released the strap as loose as you have the ones in the film, I think more that you have got a bit of the strap underneath so it gets stuck between lock ring and tank ring, I know a lot of people have done that, and that's why I have it quite tight on mine so I don't get that problem, I've gotten a lot of metal containing dust on the mangnet but never had a problem with them triggering, so I think probably it's user error, have had the pro series since it arrived, have several beags both the one you have and the new ones, agree that the big one is too big for gs.

[@razorwired130]

Earned a subscription with this one my friend. I have two of these pro bags. One each on my FJR and K1600. Shopping an ADV bike. While I haven’t had any issues with my road bikes -yet - I won’t be putting one on my ADV.

[@markmayhew5487]

Thanks for the very informative review. I've got a 1250GS, and am using a BMW large trank bag, Black Collection. I think I appreciate more now its simple strap attachment system, even though it's a minor pain at gas stops. It's also got an inner waterproof "bag", which to me is way more convenient than a rain cover. The only thing I don't like about the BMW bag is that it can slide slightly from side to side, no matter how hard I tighten the straps.

[@thewoodster8607]

I have a MM Nomax tankbag and here I am looking for an alternative! It's a great bag and the build quality is superb. The design is well thought out so you can separate stuff in the bag in different zipped compartments. This prevents it becoming a 'lucky dip' when you try and find something. The carry straps work well as well. The reason I am looking to change is because you have to take it off the bike EVERY time as you cannot secure it and the securing strap setup becomes weary. If you are going off road Id say it's perfect because you are generally in isolated areas and never lose sight of the bike so you just leave it attached. I want something I can leave secured to the bike when I go into coffee shops etc. Just my humble opinion.

[@chrisparsons3141]

I take my GPS, phone, and wallet off my bike when I go "inside" somewhere. If someone wants the dumb bike shit in my tank bag I guess it's theirs. In about 25,000kms of riding and eating out and a few hotels I've never had an issue with someone messing with my tank bag or bike. Having said all that I'm sure my tank bag and bike will be stolen the next time I leave it overnight. Ha.

[@DavidSmith-jj5pr]

interesting. my givi tankbags have never had a problem, and I live in the desert. went with givi because I liked their tankbags more, bullet dodged apparently. QR lock rings work perfect.

[@GregB91565]

Ahhh yes, gotta love the German over-engineering 🙂 I think this is the 3rd generation of their tankring setup. I currently use the EVO (2nd gen) setup. Locking ring, but NO MAGNETS to attract the ferrous stuff (interesting!!). The cool thing with the EVO is that it can be hot-wired to the bike & charge things in your tankbag. Best of Luck in finding the 'right setup' that works for ya 🙂 Greg

[@iw5722]

I bought ring and daypack bag shortly for Yamaha MT 07. As I am riding just on paiwment roads because of streetfighter and there are no dust this hard way, as it is offroad the case, I am very Happy with it and don't need to carry a backpack as it is very uncomfortable for myself.

[@erdemkaya846]

there is a lock pin sold by SW Motech for antitheft, I have used second gen now this one; never had an issue with it. Dust collect thing is very interesting

[@useless274]

The info about the lock ring is priceless. I tend to prefer a handlebar bag (giant loop's) and been thinking about those 'fairing' side bags from wunderlich. That would probably be plenty of capacity for me but there isn't a place to put larger items. I own mosko's backcountry panniers and can confirm they are bombproof and extremely well thought out, albeit kinda heavy.

[@jj82695]

I just got the yukon pro for my cb500x. It is a nice sturdy bag but it sits too close to the seat and it goes up against my chest if lean forward. I like to ride my bike like a sport tourer so it just gets in the way a bit. I stupidly threw out the packaging for the ring mount so I can't return it.

[@2008fjr]

I feel your pain. I have the Daypack version, use it on 2 different bikes and mine can sometimes be a real bitch to remove. I have cleaned it and used a dry lube on the mechanism and it didn't make any improvement. As far as the bag, I like it but don't want to fight with it. I may be looking for something else as well.

[@c.jgrant776]

Looking at giving this tank bag a try on my Sheriff BMW motor… not much dirt use but I like the quick on and off for when I have to leave the bike… really interested in selling???

[@tonynguyen1761]

Thank you for the review, I had Givi tank bag before, sold it and now looking for a replacement but can not make up my mind, between Givi, SW, Mosko and Wunderlich. Your review gave me my decision to go back with Givi, thank you

[@TomtheDilettante]

sounds good! Thanks for watching and glad you found it useful! I'll have to check into Givi myself. I was leaning towards Mosko because I like the 30L bag I have of theirs but damn is that stuff expensive! :)

[@tonynguyen1761]

@TomtheDilettante I agree with you 100%, I am searching for GIVI ST 605 and 611, and it seems more feasible

[@pgrundle]

Thank you Tom, awesome video!!

[@roadnwater]

Good review. I have an R1300GS and am having a difficult time finding a tank bag. I have numerous strapped on ones but BMW redesigned the steering head and gas tank to make it impossible to locate straps without interference. I tried the City Bag also and the Wunderlich medium click on one and both are too wide. If only Motech would not put the large pockets on the side. It looks like I am forced to go to Givi. However the only bag they have that fits the GS tank contour is way too large, like the Motech GS one.

[@PetraGulyassy]

Don't even think about givi xs308. Have to return 2 in one year with same problem. After watching reviews on them its clearly manufacturing fault.

[@larsonl6376]

SFMF. Is that a transceiver on your bike? What are you using for a mount? Link al or, please.

[@TomtheDilettante]

SF! Good eye. Yes, that is a transceiver on the bike :). Video on that is coming out next week. Just finished filming it.

[@jege41]

Glad I watched your video. I will stick to Wolfman.

[@Yowzoe]

Like you, I'm new to ADV. The bike I just bought (cb500x '22) has a ring, so I'm in the market for your small bag, even though I've never used a tank bag. I think I can deal with the bag's downsides, and I'll be mostly using the bike as a commuter and FS roads. If you think we can figure out a price and a way to pay, I'm in.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Hey there and welcome to ADV! The CB500x is an AWESOME bike from what I hear. If I could afford another bike, that one is definitely shortlisted as a "want". At the moment, I haven't yet decided on or purchased a replacement bag. Stll considering the Mosko Moto bags but dang they're expensive! If I pull the trigger and these become redundant, I'll let you know. Safe riding out there and happy adventuring!

[@Yowzoe]

Thank you! I'm picking up the bike in California in June (I'm in Washington). It has a metal extension from the gas cap to place the ring (and bag) closer to the seat. On my way up I'm gonna stop at Twisted Throttle store in Portland (which distributes sw-motech in the US) and try one on. i'll give you a holler after that if I'm digging it. i'm in no rush. By the way, I'm only interested in the small one, the 8 L bag. lots of add-ons to consider buying for this bike, and they added up, so saving some bucks anywhere is always good :-)

[@RaymondvanNiekerk]

Great video! Only wish I’d seen it before I bought this item.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Ha. Some people still love em. I still think they're a quality bag. The deal breaker for me was the latch mechanism's susceptibility to failure from iron-rich dust. Makes sense I suppose since it uses magnets. Just not something I thought about until it became an issue :) Ride safe!

[@RaymondvanNiekerk]

Thanks for the reply. It’s seems we own exactly the same bike, same colour scheme. I’m trying to get used to the mass - my driveway is multi-contoured and about 15 degrees angle, so the most risky part of my ride is parking!

[@razorwired130]

@@RaymondvanNiekerkparking off camber is a beatch on these big bikes!

[@LeeviVesanen]

Hi, can you fit a 14" laptop in it?

[@kleinbiker1]

“….and your mom” 😂

[@taswr]

Sounds like you need a backpack not a tank bag.

[@jamesdjesse]

Way overpriced

[@TomtheDilettante]

can't really argue with that. I was surprised to find how many brands price their bags in this range when I first started looking. Guess as long as suckers like me continue to pay that price, they'll continue that way :)

[@aldra744]

I have SW city tank bag like yours never expiriece any problems with unlocking

[@TomtheDilettante]

glad to hear you've never had problems. I didn't have any problems with these either until that one scenario of driving thru a lot of dust offroad that happened to be high in iron. Of course, it got all over everything, not just the bag...but a lot of the dust was attracted to the magnets of the quick mount and caused it to jam on me. Since I have them, I'll still use them. They're really nice bags afterall. I just won't be bringing them on any more offroad excursions :)