Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag | Gear Review

Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag
Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag

Carrying stuff on a dual-sport day ride is easy, right? You toss it in a backpack or bum bag and head for the hills. Or maybe you bungee it to the back or drop it into saddlebags. These conventional methods have worked for years, so why change? Comfort and performance come immediately to mind. I don’t like a big load on my back when I’m riding and don’t want to land on a fat fanny pack positioned to bruise my spine. Having gear strapped on behind hampers my movements and the bike’s handling. Saddlebags aren’t bad, but they also position the load behind the rider.

So what’s a duallie dude to do? Well, after testing the Giant Loop Great Basin saddlebags on my F 800 GS last year, I’ve stayed in the, uh, loop on their new products. After a couple of test rides, I’m convinced that their new MoJavi saddlebag demolishes my day ride dilemma with a combination of innovative design and quality construction. Using a rugged chassis similar to that on the Great Basin, the MoJavi lashes onto your do-it-all machine with a simple three-strap system that locks it down over the worst thrashing you can dish out. Two straps keep the ends pointing forward and down, while the center strap either wraps around a rack or clamps onto a fender with metal clasps. The rack on my Suzuki DR-Z400S supports the center of the pack, but it worked best to clamp the MoJavi to the rear fender.

Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag
Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag

Giant Loop sews long, roomy pouches on both sides of the chassis and a smaller square one on top from the same tough, coated truck-tarp fabric as the Great Basin. Waterproof zippers provide access and a compression strap on each pocket secures the load. You say there’s rain in the forecast? Giant Loop recommends you seal the seams to maximize water protection. Total capacity is 10.5 liters, enough to carry my solo dual-sporting kit, plus a few extras.

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On my last ride I packed the left pocket with a big tool roll and an emergency space-blanket; my first aid kit, a spare bungee and TP (trail paper) went in the top case. The right side handled my tire kit (21” tube, patches, tire irons), a bicycle pump, 25 feet of 5mm rope and – a half-hour into my ride – the wind/rain liner from my jacket. All that, and there was space available in each compartment for more stuff. I still wear a hydration pack keeping water handy, but it’s no longer jammed with tools and emergency gear. Should you want to turn your bike into a camel, each MoJavi side pouch easily fits a 2-liter Platypus bladder. Like the Great Basin, this bag doesn’t budge while on the bike, but takes just a minute or two to install or remove.

The side pouches point toward the front of the bike, so dropping the heavy stuff in first puts the weight close to the center of your motorcycle. Compare that to having your gear hanging off the side over the rear wheel or piled on top of the rear rack and you can begin to see the handling advantage of the made-in-USA MoJavi. Unless you really slide your butt back or mount the bag too far forward, Giant Loop’s dual-sport solution is completely out of the way while riding. With its rock-solid mounting system and compression straps, the MoJavi becomes part of the bike, and its empty weight of just 2.5 pounds won’t weigh you down. Giant Loop is asking $199.00 for the MoJavi. More info and photos here: giantloopmoto.com.

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