For longer trips, motorcyclists often have to carry clothes and other essentials with them. Motorcyclists rely on hard or soft luggage to store, carry, and protect their belongings. Hard luggage is steel and metal containers while soft luggage is leather bags. While on the road, it is important to keep your bags and contents safe. This article lists various ways motorcyclists can secure their soft motorcycle luggage.
Table of Content
1. Motorcycle Luggage Safety
Many motorcyclists love to travel for long durations during summer. During longer trips, motorcyclists may need to carry certain essentials, such as their wallets, repair tools, spare clothes, etc. When visiting another town, city, or state, motorcyclists can encounter various dangers, including risk of theft. If you leave your motorcycle unsupervised for a long time, you risk your motorcycle or its cargo being stolen.
To deter thieves, you can install a security system and take other measures to keep your motorcycle luggage safe.
2. Hard Luggage Vs. Soft Luggage
Hard luggage is made of highly durable materials and can include built-in locks to prevent access to your belongings. However, a drawback of hard luggage is that they are heavyweight and can reduce your motorcycle’s speed.
Soft luggage is lighter, cheaper, and can be waterproof. Soft luggage has less storage capacity but takes up less space on your motorcycle.
3. How to Protect Your Soft Motorcycle Luggage
Listed below are steps you can take to protect your soft motorcycle luggage:
3.1 Take Your Bags with You
If you check in at a hotel or visit a restaurant, it is safer to take any soft luggage with you. Leaving luggage on your motorcycle could attract unwanted attention. But it might be difficult to constantly keep removing soft luggage every time you leave your motorcycle alone. If you are camping, keep the soft luggage inside your tent.
3.2 Motorcycle Cover
Concealing your motorcycle with a cover will help hide any luggage still attached and attract less attention from potential thieves.
3.3 Steel Nets
Steel nets cover your motorcycle and any soft luggage attached. They come with security locks but can be expensive and heavy to carry.
3.4 Park in a Safe Area
Park your motorcycle in a public and well-lit area. Motorcycles parked in less crowded areas are easier for thieves to steal. You should try to park your motorcycle in front of your hotel or tent and within view of any security cameras.
3.5 Pannier Mounting Plates
Motorcyclists can install pannier mounting plates to attach soft luggage. Pannier mounting plates include a lock system to secure them in place on your motorcycle. There are two adjustable valves at the end of the plates to lock or remove any soft luggage. Pannier mounting plates with locking mechanisms tend to discourage potential thieves.
3.6 Asking for Help
If you are traveling with a group, you could ask your friends to watch your motorcycle until you return. If you visit food establishments, restaurant owners and waiters may look out for your soft luggage if they provide the service.
3.7 Security Loop Cables
Quick loop security cables are an efficient and cheaper way of protecting your motorcycle from theft. The security cable comes in two sizes, 36 and 84 inches. Motorcyclists can hook the cable with their jacket and the chin bar of the helmet with the 36-inch quick loop security cable. With the 84-inch security loop cable, motorcyclists can secure a lot of gear. It provides a more secure grip than the 36-inch cable.
Saddlebag basin bags are used to store your gear which contain many straps so that motorcyclists can secure the soft luggage with security loop cables. You can lock the cable with the motorcycle to secure your luggage to a greater degree. Security cables can be tied to the straps on the luggage bags to ensure better security.
4. FAQs
4.1 Why Do Soft Luggage Have Extra Straps?
Soft luggage has extra straps to provide extra support and safety.
4.2 How Can You Tie Your Luggage on a Motorcycle?
By using security loop cables, you can tie your luggage to your motorcycle. You can use long and short security loop cables to secure your luggage.
5. Final Thoughts
Keeping your motorcycle luggage safe is a priority for almost every motorcyclist. Soft luggage cannot carry as much cargo as hard luggage. However, it is easier to travel in traffic and across long distances with soft luggage. You can protect your soft luggage by using steel nets and pannier plates. Taking your valuables with you can also ensure your belongings are safe. Viking Bags has many parts and luggage options, including sissy bars, fairing, handlebars, crash bars, sissy bar bags, and motorcycle saddlebags that you can install for a better riding experience.
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