Fold Out Tank Bag
Fold Out Tank Bag
EVALUATION
One of the biggest problems faced by off-road riders is carrying tools. Not only what to carry, but how to carry them. Many firms offer bags that attach to the rear fender, the handlebar crosstube or the top of the tank. We have tried them all. Most will carry enough tools to repair a minor breakdown but all have disadvantages.
Rear fender bags are extremely hard on tools. The most violent place on an. offroad bike is over the rear wheel. If the tools aren't packed tightly. the bouncing will make them junk in a few miles. If packed tightly. the weight of them can be great. Crossbar mounted bags are pretty good as long as the rider is careful. about tool selection so weight isn't enough to make the steering heavy. Biggest problem with bar bags is that most won't fit the newer bikes with rear-set bars. That leaves the tank bag. Theoretically, the best place to carry any weight on an enduro machine is the middle of the bike-on the tank. Sev era! firms make really nice leather tank bags. They all have the same disadvantage: a forward riding position can be painful.
Enter Malcolm Smith. Malcolm is an avid six-day competitor who designs many of the products he sells. His latest brain storm is called a Fold Out Tank Rag. It is designed to sit low on the tank, yet provide the needed tool storage. The bag is a new concept that lets the rider determine the height of the bag by the amount of tools he stores in iL~
Malcolm took three thick piece$ of leather, sewed theni together so they fold into a tool roll, and used stietch material for the tool compartments and Velcro fas teners to hold it all together. On the top of this adjustable pouch he added a clear dover (also held down with Velcro), so an enduro rider has a convenient place to put his mute card and the trail rider has a waterproof storage place for his map. The clear cover lets a rider check his location with a glance. eliminating the need to remove the map from an endum jacket or fanny pack.
The bag mounts to the tank with a plastic collar that slides over the gas tank filler neck at the front and a supplied nylon strap at the rear. Since filler neck sizes vary~ the bag is available with several different neck sizes and is ordered by specifying the machine it is to be used on. They are available for all popular enduro bikes in~ cluding ITs, PEs, Maicos, Huskys. Can~ Ams. KTMs, KDXs and the new Honda XRs. With a selection like this it should be possible to fit almost any enduro machine. If your machine has an odd size filler neck it is possible to pop rivet a piece of plastic number plate to the bottom of the filler opening and cut a hole to fit the tank's filler pipe~ The bag in the picture was modified by the above method to fit on a.. Honda CR25OR tank.
If you like to carry tons of spare parts and tools, one of Malcolm's regular bags will fit that purpose better. The Fold Out Tank Bag is designed for the person who carefully selects his tools and wants to keep the weight and size down. Workmanship and materials are first class and the bag looks like it should last through many riding seasons with minimum care. Price is $29.95 from any Malcolm Smith dealer or Malcolm Smith, 7563 Indiana Ave.. River side Calif. 92504
