Motorcycle Saddle Bags

Let's take a look on the motorcycle saddle bags market. As you probably already noticed, today there are just few motorcycle manufacturers out there that dedicate their time and money to provide us with good quality saddlebags along with good motorcycles. Majority of motorcycle dealerships do not have any saddlebags to offer at all, just few of them have very limited variety to choose from. But mostly - all of the bags offered are cheap and are made of poor quality leather that sags after three or four months of use.

Buying saddlebag is not as hard as it seems in the beginning; you just need to understand the quality criteria to look for. Majority of bags are made of metal, leather, hardware and plastic. To make a smart buying decision you have to make sure that quality is good enough for the price being asked.

One of the most important factors when buying a saddlebag is to concentrate on the leather. Both: synthetic and cowhide leather have their own pluses and minuses. Despite the fact that synthetic leather is much cheaper (saddlebag should cost no more than $200), it is not so popular among serious motorcycle riders. Best way to identify the quality of the leather is to check its thickness. Cowhide leather bags in today's market cost from $200-$400.

Once the quality of leather is identified, second most important thing to look at is the metal used as a decoration or elements that keep the saddlebag together. It should be the stainless steel that rivets and studs are made from. If brass is used instead of a stainless steel, then it is only a matter of time and all the metal elements will rust very soon.

And finally the last important thing to check is the mounting hardware which should be provided along with the saddlebags. I want to emphasize the importance of having a clear mounting instruction with it as well. Otherwise, improperly mounted saddlebags can make some damage to your motorcycle.

Before I finish this article, there is one more thing. Your motorcycle saddle bags should have a locking system as well as they should be detachable. This will be very convenient when traveling.