I've been looking at bags for a while but it's hard to decide. I think I'm leaning towards this Cortech 2.0 18L. Normally I would get a magnetic bag but I plan on painting my fairings and tank a House of Kolor Kandy so I'm leaning more towards a strap on bag.
Anyone using the Cortech 2.0 18L strap bag?
Who is using a strap bag I am general?
Strap on bags were designed more for the bikes with plastic tanks. A lot of modern bikes have them now. If you have a metal tank get a magnetic one. They are a hell of a lot easier to use. You just plonk it on and you are away. I use one on my bikes and if it is a half decent one it wont scratch your paint.
Only issues with the magnets are 1) they can scratch the paint and 2) they screw with the metal flakes in the paint.
House of Kolor paints are not cheap. Their Kandy's are even more. Even PPG Vibrance collection is costly. I will be spraying a PPG ceramic clear coat. 3 stage paint with 10-12 coats (minimum 2/4/4) is going to be sick and I'm not sure I want magnets on the tank.
I bought an Eclipse strap-on tank bag for my first bike back in 1984 and never heard of plastic tanks or magnetic bags back then. Had about 3 of them over the years and the last one was a magnetic JR bag. It was handy enough but I waxed my gas tank one day and it began sliding around on the tank after that. Took the easy way out, just quit waxing the bike. :thumb: Haven't had much need for one since I added the Givi trunk so I gave it away.
Quote from: weedahoe on January 10, 2013, 08:12:52 AM
Only issues with the magnets are 1) they can scratch the paint and 2) they screw with the metal flakes in the paint.
So how is a strap on bag gonna be different?
A strap doesn't have magnets so it won't affect the metallic paints.
I've been look at all kinds of bags and think I'm going to order this one
Magnets on a bag are in the fabric, so they are not directly on the tank.
As for playing with the flakes, the flakes would have to be iron and the paint would still have to be soft. Once hardened, they won't move. And probably they are not magnetic. You could put some paint in a jar and thin it down. Put a magnet on the side of the jar and see what happens. But once the paint hardens, the flakes wouldn't move even if they could. If they would move, you'd have to always park your bike in a different direction due to the earth's magnet. Magnetic lines of the earth would put streaks in your metal flake paint :bs:
I got that. But being I'm going to be painting my bike in the next few weeks, the paint will be fresh. While water Bourne paints cure from the top layer down, polyurethane paints cure from the base coat up ad takes weeks to months to cure. Thus why I'm really not digging magnetic bags.
Until fully cured, wouldn't any bag tend to dent the top clear coat, leaving fabric textures there? I'd worry more about that than a magnet affecting the look of metal flakes. Corn flakes - that's a different story. Heavy metal flakes: they're just bad performers with little musical ability.
There are tricks to shocking the clear coat to get it to harden sooner. The radio of it with activator also helps as do the temps. Besides, the bag I seen straps around the triple and bottom of the tank. I guess it would depend on how much you tighten it down, but it seems less force on the tank than several magnets. I'm new to bags so IDK
If a magnetic bag is going to effect you paint with scratches so is a strap on bag. It is not the weight of the bag, it is what you put in it that contributes to how much weight/pressure is on your tank. The bags by themselves are not heavy at all and all the decent ones will be padded. If you are worried about your paint don't put a tank bag on until your paint is fully cured, whether it be a magnetic or strap.
I am just letting you know that the magnetic bags in my experience are way more convenient than the strap. The strap on bag I had required that you put a cover that fitted over the tank and tightened with straps. Then you just clipped the bag onto the cover. This meant for it to be practical you had to leave the cover on when not using the bag. Not my cup of tea. If you have your heart set on one go for it. :thumb:
I had it, it was great. I strapped it down, it has clips for easy removal, also hidden in a small pouch in the back is backpack straps. has a place for keys, a hole to fish headphone wires through, and a waterproof clear pouch on top for a gps or w/e.
Backside was wetsuit material, and unless your tanks dirty, it would never harm it due to vibration causing abrasions.
Well worth the 110 I spent for it. :thumb:
Scratches come from Something being stuck between the tank and the bag and the bag moving. Strap or magnetic won't matter in this regard.
I've used my Mag bag for a couple/few years now and no scratches on the tank because of the bag.
But hey, you do what you like, then report back :thumb:
Don't like using a backpack? :dunno_black:
I have a backpack but getting it on and off with a full jacket is a big PITA
So as an update to this, I had bought a Cortech 2.0 18L bag.
It was very nice but for 18L and expandable, IMO, it was very small. My Alpinestars MX-5 boots wouldnt even fit in them. So I sent it back and ordered an Alpinestars Areo Tech bag.
I will post pics once it gets here