[moravecab]

Hi all. I don't know if this has been covered but I found a cheap option for tank saddlebags for the TW. I was at Wal-mart and found this in black. They also had the camo version. For $22 I figured it was worth a try. I was impressed that it fit pretty well. You can adjust the center connecting straps at the velcro to make the top a little more narrow for our monster gas tanks

I just took it for a spin, 100 miles of mostly pavement and some gravel. It worked well. The great thing is that it blocks the wind that would normally hit your knees. That was much appreciated as it only got up to 31 degrees. I didn't have a lot of gear on the bike but was able to maintain 65 mph easily (my bike is completely stock 2010), so I didn't notice any extra wind resistance because of it. I really doubt that this is waterproof, so I keep everything in gallon zip lock bags.

I have a magnetic tank bag on its way so I'm interested in seeing how well the two will work with each other. I'll get pictures posted as soon as I can.



Ben

 

[dhoenisch]

I purchased one of those this past summer, but have yet to actually try it out. In fact, it's still sitting in the trunk of my car in the Wal-Mart bag. Thanks for the report though. With mine, I was going to mount two magnets on the inside of them so they stick to the sides of the tank better, unless I go the route of the Clarke tank.



Dan

 

[qwerty]

My magnetic tank bag won't stick to the Clarke tank. Bunjie cords look funny but work just as well.

 

[old dog]

I have some small ones made to slip over a pommel[saddle horn].Remove gas cap,slip over tank opening lip,magnets in the bottom of the bags work,but I use a miniature bungee cord.You can find them probably anywhere they sell horse stuff.They are small,a few candy bars,smokes,condoms.you know,the bare necessities.

 

[old dog]

I have some small ones made to slip over a pommel[saddle horn].Remove gas cap,slip over tank opening lip,magnets in the bottom of the bags work,but I use a miniature bungee cord.You can find them probably anywhere they sell horse stuff.They are small,a few candy bars,smokes,condoms.you know,the bare necessities.

 

[darnold87]

The stitching on the saddle bags on the walmart product are weak. If you're gonna carry any weight, like more than a can of pop and a sandwich or so (while riding trails), be sure to beef-up the stitching. I had mine on the back of my t-dub while riding trails around the Santiam Pass in Oregon... I looked back to check on it and one of the saddle bags was GONE. Quickly realizing I just lost some goodies (mini flashlight, a digital camera, and some trail maps), I spun around and hauled butt down the mountain. I was super lucky and found the saddle bag in the middle of the trail less than a 1/2 mile back. I still haven't repaired the saddle bag yet but plan to and will be stitching it well.



Just be forewarned that the quality is mediocre. But for the price, it's hard to pass up. With some stitchwork, I think they would work out fine.



FWIW, I tried mine on the tank and the hole was way to small to go over my tank spout. I cut it out to a larger size and its still a tight fit. I wasn't even sure I could get my gas tank cap back on. I'm definitely interested in seeing some pics.



Here's a pic at the start of the day, before saddlebag failure:

 

[peruano]

You are hitting the big gas cap/filler opening vs small gas cap/filler opening dichotomy. Pre 2003 big, Post 2002 small. Apparently the Wally World model is small enough to complicate us pre 2003 folks. FYI. Tom

 

[darnold87]

Interesting! I had no idea that Yamaha changed the size of the filler hole...

 

[peruano]

Here's the relative difference in size. Old style is larger. These are oem caps off of other Yamaha bikes, but same the filler tubes were used across many models. I would wager that old style gas caps from autos (lets say 30s thru 60s Chevys would be likely to fit the older TWs. I've never tried them, but I did find these Yamaha caps to be much more convenient than fighting the tight fit and protruding key of the caps coming on the TWs.

Tom