Some material objects just speak of adventure. Motorcycle tool kits, good knives, 40mm grenade launchers…and bandannas that have been freshly laundered to remove blood and oil stains, come to mind. A good motorcycle travel bag also opens the floodgates of wanderlust for me.
The Kuryakyn Freeloader motorcycle travel bag is one of those objects that screams “itinerant journey.” After I packed this thing with all I needed for a long weekend, I headed out of Columbia, South Carolina, and rode to Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. Everything I needed for a three-day trip fit easily. I had plenty of room left if I wanted to purchase any Blackbeard souvenirs. Over 300 years ago Blackbeard used to hunt in the waters off Ocracoke Island, and, honestly, who wouldn’t want Blackbeard souvenirs?
This bag is clearly designed by someone who rides. It attaches solidly to a sissybar without any extra straps required. I really like the system used to secure it to the bike, and it has been rock-solid for several trips now. It has a pocket for small incidentals like sunscreen and earplugs (or a flask and dry powder depending on the nature of your foray). There is a nice bungee that holds a bedroll and an external pocket will fit a bottle of Gatorade and some beef jerky.
It’s an attractive bag that comes in solid, pirate-black and is made of Anne Bonny-tough 1200 denier. I hit a few small rain showers and nothing inside was even damp, even though I didn’t take the 35.2 seconds necessary to slide the included rain cover over the pack. The bag has a zippered, roomy, bottom compartment that can be used to hold the rain cover without any wrestling and more importantly, without removing any straps from the bag. Sweet.
The Kuryakyn Freeloader bag is tough and affordable. It’s well made and even stylish. If Calico Jack rode a chopper, he would want this bag. I’m keeping mine. RC
Click here to view more Kuryakyn products.
