Compac European Tour 4000 Saddlebags.

Compac European Tour 4000 Saddlebags.

EVALUATION

Big and black, Compac’s latest giant-size soft saddlebags are easy to use and easy to like. Another set of soft luggage? Yes. Just like all the rest? No.

Connoisseurs of saddlebags will instantly spot the huge capacity of the Compac saddlebags. The simple mounting system and ease of use will also be noticeable. These are the Compac European Tour 4000 saddlebags.

To understand how these saddlebags fit into the realm of luggage, consider the range of sizes. At the small end are small leather pouches that don’t interfere with a motorcycle and are more decorative than functional. At the large end are solidly mounted, hard luggage with enough room to carry a couple of helmets in each saddlebag.

These Compac saddlebags fit at the large end of this spectrum. They can carry about as much pure stuff as any of the large permanent saddlebags, maybe more because the semi-soft construction allows odd-shaped things to fit inside. According to the people at Chase Harper, who make the E.T. 4000 bags, the volume is 4000 cubic inches, about 2.3 cubic feet. That’s huge. To make that much room useable, there are four compartments. The main compartment is protected by a fiberboard shell that holds the saddlebags in shape. A flap wraps over the top of this compartment and is held closed by a pair of hefty zippers and a Velcro patch. With both zippers open and the patch lifted, the entire top of the saddlebag opens up for easy filling. On the outside of this main compartment is a slim secondary pouch, with a single zipper opening along the top. In front of the saddlebag are two smaller pouches, one stacked on top of the other, each with one zippered opening.

Onto these cavernous hulks are fastened numerous nylon straps and handles and loops. The main load carrying support comes from a pair of wide Velcrobacked straps that join the two saddlebags and can be fitted to a variety of motorcycles where they ride on the seat. There’s plenty of length for the widest seats, though on some narrow seats there’s almost more carrying strap than necessary. At the front and rear of each bag is a short, narrower strap with one half of a quick-detach plastic connector. The other end of this connector joins a nylon loop that can be fitted on rear footpegs, brackets, frame tubes or license plate holder. Fastened correctly, these smaller loops hold the saddlebags down and keep them from sliding around on the seat. In fact, even without these connected the Compac saddlebags didn’t move around and our normal use consisted of just throwing them over the seat and riding away. Isn’t that the whole idea of saddlebags?

Cordura nylon fabric is used for the main body. It’s somewhat moisture resistant, but in any real rain the waterproof nylon outer covers must be stretched over the saddlebags to keep things dry inside.

This is durable stuff. Another, smaller, set of Compac saddlebags has been in use around the CW offices for a couple of years. They've been lashed across maybe two or three dozen different motorcycles, carried every imaginable shape, seen thousands of miles of road use in all sorts of weather. They still look as strong as they did two years ago. The E.T. 4000 saddlebags appear just as well made, but larger.

What makes the Compac E.T. 4000 saddlebags different from all the other big, black bags is their unusual combination of size and usefulness. None of the other throw-over saddlebags we’ve seen have been as easy to use.

The only shortcomimg to these bags is the size, which may be too large for some motorcycles and some uses. They can intrude on passenger room or access to the passenger footpegs. Of course Compac makes four other sizes of saddlebags, all of them smaller, all of them just as convenient, and all of them less expensive.

These are the top-of-the-line models, capable of swallowing enough pure stuff for extended journeys. Price is $167.50 from Chase Harper, P.O. Box 4098, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93103. (805) 9657977. B