I got the kit last week but I was out of town so of course the first thing I did when I got home (before I even got my stuff upstairs) was get these installed.
First impression - the box was smaller than I expected and everything was wrapped and protected nicely.
The Street bags are a soft/hard bag. They are a "PVC fabric" and have a molded shape to them so they won't sag or distort if not full of gear. Zippers move smoothly and they are expandable as well as being the weatherproof type of zipper. The bags also have built in handles for easy portability and rain covers are provided. The bag capacity is 21/23 liters per the Hepco and Becker specs. There are a front and rear D rind provided for expansion of luggage (as well as additional straps if needed). Too bad they are ABS plastic and will probably break after a while. They do have nice pouches that they fit into and seem to be on a stretchy material that brings them back into the pockets.
The expansion is not a full expansion. Meaning the zipper makes it around three sides and the fourth side is kind of a hinge that allows the bag to pop out vs a zipper that runs the full diameter of the bag allowing it to extend to a larger volume.
The bags are roomy and should be fine for both local rides when needing to carry "stuff" and longer multi night trips (depending on how you pac of course).
Mounting hardware - is good quality and easy to assemble. The C Bow mount (for this bike) consists of three parts. A rear mounting bracket (one labeled left and one labeled right), a front mounting bracket (also one each and labeled as left and right) and the C Bow brackets (non-directional). They are assembled easily on the bench then ousted to the bike and tightened up.
The overall fit was really easy and simple but did require the removal of the seat for one set of bolts (no big deal).
The front and rear brackets are powder coated black and the C Bow brackets are chrome.
Tools required - 12mm socket for shock bolt, 10mm wrench for C Bow bracket assembly, 6mm and 5mm hex for mounting assembled bracket to bike.
The install - took all of 15/20 minutes (including reading the one page instructions). As already mentioned a hand tight assembly of the brackets on the bench, remove seat, remove shock bolt and install and tighten mounting assemblies.
Functionality - The bags have an adapter mounted to them that slide onto the C Bow bracket and then lock securely via a key lock and a strap to the bike. The keylock* is the main mount and the strap is a secondary that runs under the seat and has plastic clips to lock the bags in and is clearly a secondary security measure in case the user does not lock the bag in place. I could see this happening if your not paying attention.
* There are two key provided as well.
Overall - Im really happy with this set up. This will provide a couple of good looking, roomy and easily removable bags that can be locked onto the bike in seconds or removed in seconds. They don't stick out too far and the brackets don't look horrible with no bags on them.
My only con is that in this case I think the brackets should have been black so they could blend in and hide with the seat vs being chrome which makes them stand out agains the seat.
One big benefit to this system is that those mounts that are on the bags can be removed and installed onto another set of bags if you wanted. I also checked and found that they could be ordered individually.
Pics
Front bracket mount
Rear bracket mount
C Bow mount from back side
Both sides mounted
Distance from edge of seat to edge of bracket
Bags mounted top view
Bags with strap (not under seat yet). Its adjustable and can go over or under the seat.
Bags mounted side view
No bag mounted
Bag detail
Zipper can be seen here, D ring pocket as well as one side that is hinged
Bracket on bag (can be removed and installed onto other bags of your choice
D rings
Bag expanded
First impression - the box was smaller than I expected and everything was wrapped and protected nicely.
The Street bags are a soft/hard bag. They are a "PVC fabric" and have a molded shape to them so they won't sag or distort if not full of gear. Zippers move smoothly and they are expandable as well as being the weatherproof type of zipper. The bags also have built in handles for easy portability and rain covers are provided. The bag capacity is 21/23 liters per the Hepco and Becker specs. There are a front and rear D rind provided for expansion of luggage (as well as additional straps if needed). Too bad they are ABS plastic and will probably break after a while. They do have nice pouches that they fit into and seem to be on a stretchy material that brings them back into the pockets.
The expansion is not a full expansion. Meaning the zipper makes it around three sides and the fourth side is kind of a hinge that allows the bag to pop out vs a zipper that runs the full diameter of the bag allowing it to extend to a larger volume.
The bags are roomy and should be fine for both local rides when needing to carry "stuff" and longer multi night trips (depending on how you pac of course).
Mounting hardware - is good quality and easy to assemble. The C Bow mount (for this bike) consists of three parts. A rear mounting bracket (one labeled left and one labeled right), a front mounting bracket (also one each and labeled as left and right) and the C Bow brackets (non-directional). They are assembled easily on the bench then ousted to the bike and tightened up.
The overall fit was really easy and simple but did require the removal of the seat for one set of bolts (no big deal).
The front and rear brackets are powder coated black and the C Bow brackets are chrome.
Tools required - 12mm socket for shock bolt, 10mm wrench for C Bow bracket assembly, 6mm and 5mm hex for mounting assembled bracket to bike.
The install - took all of 15/20 minutes (including reading the one page instructions). As already mentioned a hand tight assembly of the brackets on the bench, remove seat, remove shock bolt and install and tighten mounting assemblies.
Functionality - The bags have an adapter mounted to them that slide onto the C Bow bracket and then lock securely via a key lock and a strap to the bike. The keylock* is the main mount and the strap is a secondary that runs under the seat and has plastic clips to lock the bags in and is clearly a secondary security measure in case the user does not lock the bag in place. I could see this happening if your not paying attention.
* There are two key provided as well.
Overall - Im really happy with this set up. This will provide a couple of good looking, roomy and easily removable bags that can be locked onto the bike in seconds or removed in seconds. They don't stick out too far and the brackets don't look horrible with no bags on them.
My only con is that in this case I think the brackets should have been black so they could blend in and hide with the seat vs being chrome which makes them stand out agains the seat.
One big benefit to this system is that those mounts that are on the bags can be removed and installed onto another set of bags if you wanted. I also checked and found that they could be ordered individually.
Pics
Front bracket mount
Rear bracket mount
C Bow mount from back side
Both sides mounted
Distance from edge of seat to edge of bracket
Bags mounted top view
Bags with strap (not under seat yet). Its adjustable and can go over or under the seat.
Bags mounted side view
No bag mounted
Bag detail
Zipper can be seen here, D ring pocket as well as one side that is hinged
Bracket on bag (can be removed and installed onto other bags of your choice
D rings
Bag expanded
