Rapid Transit Recon 19 Tank Bag Review!

[Toogoofy317]

My Rapid Transit Recon 19 Tank Bag.

I bought this bag at the Polaris Dealership on John Young Parkway near the loop and Osceola Parkway. This was in March 2008. The price was 70.99 plus tax. I'm sure one can probably be had for a little cheaper online but it is well worth the money.

My first impressions are: this is a good size bag the dimensions are 15.8"X 10.2"X 7.1" or according to the site 1144 cubic inches.  The top of the pack has a clear map holder pocket that you can lift the top up and slide in either a map or what I normally do a post-it note with directions on it. It is a very practical piece for directions or if you want to look at pictures of the kids. Attached to the map holder panel is the "cell phone" holder. My old Nokia E62 would not fit in there but yesterday I tried my LG Vu and looked pretty good. The cell holder has a clear area so you can see it too. I personally use this pocket to hold my Ipod 30g video. I will go into why later on.




The next, area is the other flap that zips up so the map flap can sit on it. They are held together by a combo of Velcro and zippers. This area is the bottom flap and on top of it there are two little pockets for change. When I use tolls I put the exact amount in the top one and the spare change sits in the bottom pocket. Below this are two ports that hold the Mp3 player cord and the other is the port for the hydration bladder which will be explained in more detail. When you lift the back of this panel up it has a pouch to hold a MP3 player and you can run your earphone line through the port so there is no entanglement. Myself I put my phone in this slot and the Ipod in the top area because you cannot see the MP3 player and I think that is something I'd look at more than my phone. But, you may find it the other way around especially if your phone has GPS.



One of my favorite parts of this piece of equipment is the hydration bladder. Now, the bag did not come with the bladder but one can be had at Wal-Mart for $10. There is a special pouch that holds the bladder inside and keeps the water very cool and your stuff inside the bag dry. I like to fill the bag halfway and throw it in the freezer then I fill it the rest of the way with water and is cold all day with multiple refills. This works just as well in the middle of August in the Florida heat. I run the tube though the hydration port and on the outside of the bag it has two clips that will hold the tube quite securely but easy to pull off to have a nice cold drink of water at a stop light or whenever you choose! As I said earlier this is one of my favorite aspects being that I dehydrate easily.



On the back of the bag is a "sunglass" holder. This was about the only disappointment I could find in the bag. It is small as in will not even hold a pair of Oakley Half Jackets.
I did find a similar use for it. The pocket is great for my Oakley sunglass maintenance kit which is a small bottle of cleaner, cloth, and eyeglass tool. It will also hold a pair of ear plugs and it's case.


On the outside of the bag there are two pockets you can put slim things in like an envelope, tire gauge, or like I do the straps for the bag. Now, the straps I was referring too are a great feature of the Recon 19. Both straps attach at one point on the bag which is the narrowest point of the bag and then clip on to either side of the bag. They also form a chest strap which holds it to your back very well. I use this feature on my walk from the parking lot to work and when shopping.


Inside the bag also has too pockets that hold quite a bit. Personally on one side I have my PSP and check book and on the other side hold my charging cables. One for the phone, the PSP, and the Ipod. Inside of the bag holds a lot too. On a typical day it holds my half jacket case and two sets of lenses, disc lock, a few papers, baseball hat, and rain liner. Even with that there is still a ton of room! Also, inside of the bag is a small clip that will hold a set of keys

The Recon 19 is held onto the bike by a lot of magnets that are very strong. It has two wings that come out on the side to hold to the tank. There is also a flap that comes out for extra sticking power. Then on the bottom of the pack itself is four more magnets to make it that much more stable. I've had my bike up to 90mph and it holds great. It holds so well in fact I laid it on a metal shelf once and had to use both hands to get it off.. Here are pics of it on the bike!



This unit also has a pull out rain cover which is attached to the pack so it does not fly off and it stows away in a very small pouch below the sunglass holder. I have used this in some of our torrential downpours in Florida and have yet to deal with wet electronics which is a very good thing.

I have now had this bag right at a year and it still looks the way it did when I bought it. This bag goes with me anytime I get on the bike so it has seen a lot of sun and it has not faded one bit! It also has reflective piping along the edges for just a little bit more visibility. Another plus is the zippers for the top of the pack they are dual and held together with a strip of very strong fabric. Even though it is a year after I bought this bag I can carry it by this fabric and it makes zipping up very quick and efficient.

All in all this is certainly a terrific product and one that will continue to give many more years of service. My favorite part is the hydration bladder but there are tons of other things that remind me I got the right bag at the right price. The only downside if you can call it that is that it doesn't have a huge sunglass case. With all of the space I never even notice that part!

I hope this is informative and will lead our mighty moderators to strike up a gear area. I'd hate to put all of this work in and it get lost in the anals of GsTwin history. If we get an area there would be many more reviews on things as I get them. I welcome people to tell me what needs to be added or fixed and go from there. This will be the only one I do if we don't get an area because I don't want to waste my time!

Mary

[joshr08]

+ 1 mary great write up.  I cant wait to read more of them.

[PachmanP]

Good write up.  Thanks.
I do have one little caveat though...
PICS ON BIKE!!!!11 would be cool (and gives more chances to pimp your ride) 

[Toogoofy317]

Dang it I knew I forgot one LOL! I'll add it up in the review. I will take one good up clost one tomorrow and one of the bike acting like a grocery buggy!

Mary

[joshr08]

mary now all you need is for them to either make each write up a sticky or make a gear section so your awesome writeups dont get lost in the mix.  keep up the great work.

[Toogoofy317]

I would even settle for a Stickie because I put in about an hour's worth of work getting all specs, writing, pics and what not!

Somebody please tell me i don't suck or something. Only two people find this stuff informative yet questions are asked weekly on this same thing?

Or like someone else said "we are just too lazy"

Mary

[joker79507]

I was actually getting ready to look for a tank bag that can act as a backpack.  I am a student and it gets annoying wearing a backpack while riding everywhere I go.  Do you think it would hold a couple school textbooks?  The books are probably about 13"x9" and like 1.5" think.

[Toogoofy317]

I was able to fit my intro to Psych book from college in the bag it is close to what you describe. But, I cannot fit my 15" dELL Inspiron E1505 in it if that gives you an idea!

Mary

[s0crates82]

so... has anyone had any problems with these magnetic tank bags demagnetizing their credit cards?  I suppose you'd just make sure to put your wallet in the top pocket as far from the magnets as possible, but i dunno, i'm a lil paranoid.

[fred]

so... has anyone had any problems with these magnetic tank bags demagnetizing their credit cards?  I suppose you'd just make sure to put your wallet in the top pocket as far from the magnets as possible, but i dunno, i'm a lil paranoid.

No problems here. I leave my wallet in my tank bag pretty much all the time and none of my credit cards have been demagnetized. I've even carried a hard drive or two in there without any data loss, so you should be fine.

[bassmechanicsz]

This is a great tank bag i have the same one.  I have never had any problems with demagnetizing my credit cards and i just throw my wallet in the mix of everything.  I believe their is some sort of shielding that prevents the magnets from actually attracting what is inside the bag since when i throw anything metal in the bag it never sticks to the magnets.  This bag is great for commuting to work since it easily fits a pair of shoes and a lunch and still has some room to spare.  I usually use the side pockets to carry an extra pair of gloves and they fit in with no problem.  I don't think i ever realized the sunglass pocket in the front of the bag until you pointed it out and it does seem like it was made for the bike since it fits the tank perfectly.

If you are looking for something to carry textbooks they also make one that is rectangular which might be a better option for carrying the textbooks but might not fit to the curves of the tank as well.  I looked at the rectangular one and it also has alot less little pockets for stuff so everything just gets thrown into the mix pretty much.

[VSG]

I would definitely like to see a gear section!  There's a lot of people who are new to motorcycles that buy a GS.  Having a gear section would be especially helpful for them.  At the same time there are plenty of people here that have a lot of experience and could give some great reviews.



I have this same tank bag, I think it's great.  There are times that I wish it were a little bigger, but I like the fact that it's not bulky at all and still holds a lot of stuff.  As a plus, it looks great and really seems like it was made for our bikes.

[applecrew]

 

Do ya think it's big enough to hold a laptop, lunch and maybe some extra clothing? I gotta get rid of my backpack for the summer (my jacket won't vent properly otherwise...)

Thnks,

[JStrube]

What a nice write up!  I might have to get one of these.  I'm also in for a Gear section.  Maybe even divide it up into sections, helmets, bags, clothing, & general.

[bassmechanicsz]

Do ya think it's big enough to hold a laptop, lunch and maybe some extra clothing? I gotta get rid of my backpack for the summer (my jacket won't vent properly otherwise...)


It really depends on the size of your laptop and what kind of clothes you are planning.  I would say if you have a 14" or smaller laptop probably and maybe a tshirt and non bulky pair of shorts and a lunch.  Best way to really know would be go to a local dealership that sells the bag with the stuff you want to put in there and just try it in the store.  I took my shoes off in the store to make sure they would fit and see how much room i had left.

[fred]

Do ya think it's big enough to hold a laptop, lunch and maybe some extra clothing? I gotta get rid of my backpack for the summer (my jacket won't vent properly otherwise...)

Thnks,

It might fit some tiny netbook, but not any normal sized laptops. You could fit some clothes in there. I usually have a sweater in there for when it gets colder out at night. If you're looking for something that will hold a laptop, you'll probably have to go to a tail bag or some saddle bags.

[pronator]

Hey Fred,

Can you post up a pic with the bag on a nekkid pre-2001 when you have time?

Thanks! 

[fred]

Hey Fred,

Can you post up a pic with the bag on a nekkid pre-2001 when you have time?

Thanks! 

Sure thing, I'll try and grab a picture of it tonight on my way home.

[JStrube]

Hey wait, I just read it a bit closer & in the first part, you mention having your Video MP3 player where you can see it, you mention that you will get to "why" later...  but never do.  Why?  Curious minds want to know.

[Toogoofy317]

OH I thought I did in the explanation of it! Sorry, uhm the mp3 is under the flap can't get to buttons. On the front it has a clear shield that 1) I can see it and 2). I can actually skip through songs if I need too! I'll clarify in the article.

I knew I did here it is: "Myself I put my phone in this slot and the Ipod in the top area because you cannot see the MP3 player and I think that is something I'd look at more than my phone. But, you may find it the other way around especially if your phone has GPS."

Thanks all for the replys!

Mary