When you plan to put down the miles, a tankbag is a vital piece of package. Even on touring baggers just like the Harley-Davidson Highway Glide and Road Glide that my pal Eric Birns and I rode from California to Texas and againyou want a handy place to stash necessities like a water bottle, sun shades, and faceshield cleaner.
Each Glides have helpful storage drawers to carry and cost a smartphone. The Highway Glide additionally has small storage compartments inside its frame-mounted fairing, however the Road Glide doesn’t. Even the Highway Glide’s compartments are small and awkwardly formed. The Nelson-Rigg tankbag supplies as much as 7 liters of easy-to-access storage.
Nelson-Rigg has been making bike baggage for the reason that early Nineteen Eighties, and its Route 1 line is aimed toward cruiser riders. For our nine-day, 4,200-mile journey, Eric and I supplemented the Glides’ saddlebags and chopped Tour-Paks with Nelson-Rigg’s Route 1 Traveler Trunk Baggage and Journey Magnetic Tank Baggage.
The Journey baggage safe to steel tanks with 4 robust magnets inside wing-like flaps that reach nicely past the perimeters of the bag. This spread-out design ensures the bag received’t slide round even when totally loaded. A grippy, textured rubber materials on the underside of the bag and flaps received’t scratch or mar paint, nevertheless it’s all the time a good suggestion to maintain the underside of the bag clear, particularly after using in windy, dusty circumstances.
The bag’s tapered design is barely wider on the entrance than the again, and it measures 10x8x4 inches in the usual configuration (5-liter capability) or 10x8x6 inches when expanded (7-liter capability). The perimeters of the bag have leather-like vinyl panels with reflective piping. On the entrance is a handy carry deal with, and on the rear (going through the rider) is a pass-through port for a charging cable or wired earbuds. Atop the bag is a transparent, touchscreen-friendly pocket that may maintain a smartphone, GPS, or map.
Contained in the bag is a hi-viz orange lining that makes it simple to see what’s within the bag, in addition to three mesh pockets, two of which have hook-and-loop closures. There’s additionally a water-proof rain cowl with a transparent high.
Utilizing the Journey tankbag is simple. Simply open the flaps, lay it on the tank, and fill it with no matter you need. On the Harley Glides, the tankbag sits behind the gas filler, so it doesn’t have to be eliminated throughout fuel stops. Throughout longer breaks or on the finish of the day, you simply pull the bag off and carry it with you.
The Nelson-Rigg Route 1 Journey Magnetic Tank Bag retails for $124.95. It’s lined by a lifetime guarantee, and the colour is assured to not fade.

