Time for a review. I bought these crash bar bags from Storm Industries for the Terra about six months ago. Important thing to note: these particular ones only fit a TR 650 fitted with AltRider crash bars. They can make other ones for other bars but you need to send them a pattern of the bars.Website here: Stormind.net I got them because I do a fair bit of solo, off-road riding and I like to carry everything I would need to get myself out of trouble but I really, really hate riding with a tank bag. I have a very nice tankbag from Enduristan but it’s sitting in the cupboard, unused. Main problem is that I find it gets in the way when I’m standing up. When I saw a reference to the Storm Industries crash bar bags on Cafe Husky, I decided to give them a go and placed my order with Brady (who was a nice guy with good communication). They are made to order so you have to wait a week or so (plus shipping time) which is reasonable. I received them from the US (to Australia) within about 2 weeks or so of ordering. The price was quite reasonable. So am I happy with them? - definitely! Fitting to the bike was easy: 6 Velcro tabs on each bag that wrap around the crash bars. The fit is secure and they don’t seem to move around at all, even in the roughest terrain. They’re very sturdy - I’ve hit the dirt (ok, mud) twice with them on and they’ve not suffered any damage. They’re well made - there has been no problems with the zippers, stitching or fabric in the six months I’ve been using them. I keep a spare front tube, trail stand, pump, and puncture repair kit in the left one and my spare rear tube, Tyre levers, Bead Buddy and wet weather pants in the right hand one. There’s still room in each to add more stuff if I need. That’s a lot more than you’d fit in a tank bag and the weight is carried down a lot lower. Most importantly (for me at least) they DON”T GET IN THE WAY WHEN YOU’RE STANDING UP! The positioning is really good and my legs have never bumped into them when either standing or sitting. There are some drawbacks to these over a tankbag: * I don’t keep anything that’s breakable in them due to the fact that they’ll be one of the first things to hit the ground in a fall * it’s not easy to see what’s in them and I ended up writing what is inside each on the outside with white ink (see photos). * the openings aren’t huge so I have to jiggle around a bit to get things like tubes in or out. For day rides I use these plus a small Ventura tail bag that straps to my Nomadic Rack (which I’m also very happy with and is a vast improvement over the OEM rack) that holds anything that’s breakable or I want to access quickly. In short, I’m very happy. They’re well made, convenient and I’d highly recommend them. Jim
I just got a set of these because I didn't really like the way the Wolfman tank paniers set on the Terra. While these don't hold nearly as much as the Wolfman I think I like them. I was also concerned about restricting the airflow through the radiator and also possibly mounting too close to the exhaust on the left side but neither of these seem to be a concern. I think these will work out just fine. Thanks Jim.
