Tankbags as an accessory for the BMW GS: 4 reasons to get one

Posted on 2009/03/14

Tank bags are very useful accessories to add to your BMW GS. They come in all colors and sizes and varying degrees of quality, are easy to find and manufactured by many different companies. A tank bag for your motorcycle is usually placed in front of you, above where the petrol tank usually resides and behind your handle bars. Here are five reasons why you need a tank bag for your GS: easy of access, visibility, price, as a navigational aid and safety.

Motorcycle tank bags offer easy access to your stuff

Tank bags are attached to the bike, usually in one of two ways: either they have magnets which attach to the body of the bike, or they use Velcro and straps to keep them in place. Either way, the bag (and its contents!) is right in front of you, between your legs. You can’t miss it. This makes it really easy to get at whatever the contents are. Items like cameras (even the bigger SLR ones), wallet & money, paperwork, keys and small tools are perfect goods to store inside a tank bag. When refueling you dont even have to dismount your BMW to get at your wallet and you can equally easy snap photos without leaving the driver’s seat (don’t attempt this when riding!).

You could store these items in a backpack on your back, or in the pockets of your motorcycle jacket or pants but its always preferable to keep as few items as possible on your back, for safety and comfort reasons. Ever thought about what a set of screwdrivers in backpack could do to your spine when you fall? or what damage a solidly built camera will do to your chest when stored in a chest pocket? Put them in a tank bag and stop worrying. Most likely you’ll be carrying your hydration device on your back, and this can already weigh several kilos. As a nice bonus, some tank bags are waterproof, or at least have a rain cover - make sure you have this option!

Note: Some riders have claimed that you should always keep your personal papers and most vital possessions like passports, credit cards, motorcycle papers and some cash on your body at all times. These items wont injure you in case of a fall and dont weigh alot. Imagine a crash that lands you several feet away from your bike and you cant get up: in the ensuing chaos, somebody could still grab your tank bag or its contents. Sure, losing a camera sucks but losing your passport is 10 x worse.

Visibility of a motorcycle tank bag

Tank bags offer improved visibility in two ways: You can always see the content and optional reflectors allow you to be seen better. When traveling off the beaten path its not uncommon to attract a lot of attention from the “indigenous personnel”  when taking a break, crossing borders or refueling. While almost all of these occasions are lots of fun, sooner or later you’ll encounter an asshole who’ll try and pilfer stuff from your bike. The sneakiest ones will be able to get stuff out of your backpack by slicing it open with a razor blade, especially since you cant possibly keep an eye on everyone around you. Good motorcycle panniers for BMW GS offer good temporary protection from thieves, but ease of access here is not that good. A motorcycle roll bag can also easily be sliced open to pilfer its contents. With a tank bag right between your legs, none of this can happen.

Some tank bags have reflectors or reflective tape stitched in to them. While these should definitely not be your only reflectors, try and get a tank bag that have them. The best ones are made from 3M Scotchlite reflective material. You can never be too visible while on the road with your BMW GS. Get a tank bag for your BMW GS to keep you and your personal contents safe!

Price of motorcycle tank bags

A lot of accessories for your BMW GS can be quite pricey ... Good panniers and racks can run in to the 4 figures, helmets and clothing costs 100’s of dollars as do most things from the Touratech catalog. BUT - a decent tank bag doesn’t need to break the bank. The cheapest ones can be gotten for as little as 20USD and even a waterproof Givi tank bag with multiple zips, compartments and handles that holds as much as a small backpack still costs less than a hundred bucks. Considering all the pro’s outlined here such a tank bag is a great investment!

Tank bags as a navigational aide

Providing you don’t have a GPS mounted on the handlebars of your BMW GS and you dont know your route off by heart you NEED a tank bag to store your maps. Most tank bags have a transparent and waterproof component at the top in which you can slide a map, ready to read without having to get off your bike and dig around in whatever other motorcycle luggage item is attached to your bike. I’ve taken trips into foreign lands without GPS or a tank bag and when riding along little roads or through towns, having to stop at every corner to get a map out of your backpack is a royal pain in the you-know-what. Save yourself the hassle and get a tank bag with a map reading compartment.

Note: be careful reading a map while you’re riding! Unlike a GPS which is (or should be) almost in your direct line of view, you still have to look down and avert your eyes from the road to read the map in your tank bag. As we all know, this is not safe and can result in ... something not good.

Further motorcycle tank bag advise

• Make sure its built from good quality cordura type material
• Test out how waterproof it is by stuffing it full of newspapers and holding it under a running shower. If after a few minutes all the newspaper inside are dry, you can be sure the contents will never get wet. If you plan to cross rivers, try putting the bag in a bucket of water. I’m not sure if any motorcycle tank bag can withstand this ...
• Don’t overpack: No matter how well its built, you’re putting unnecessary stress on the seams and zippers and it makes it much harder to get at the contents. Ease of access is what it’s about here.
• Don’t put it full of heavy items: these items should go at the bottom of your panniers. The tank bag is one of the highest points on the bike and putting 10L of water here will probably make the bike harder to handle, especially off-road
• Don’t pack it full of hard items: should you get rear ended or crash into something, your chest may hit the tank bag. If you have a set of wrenches at the top of your tank bag then you might well break a couple ribs. The chest is one of the most overlooked parts of your body to protect.