Riders who want to mount the same luggage on several motorcycles or leave it off entirely can go with hard-sided bags at great expense, or take the inexpensive way out and use soft luggage. The Sedici Distanza Slant soft saddlebags from Cycle Gear ring the register at just $149.99 but are quite fully featured. Handsomely styled in black 1680-denier Hyper Core Plus abrasion-resistant fabric with reflective piping on the rear and side panels, the bags are top opening to allow their full 1,309 cubic-inch capacity to be utilized. Additional zippered pockets are located on each side, large enough for maps, documents or light gloves. Each D Slant bag is 11 inches high by 14 inches wide and 8½ inches deep. That’s large enough to carry the needs of a single rider on a multi-day trip or, with economical packing, enough for two people for a weekender.
To explore the D Slant’s versatility, I mounted them on several motorcycles (Suzuki DR650 with rack system—perfect; Suzuki 650 V-Strom with muffler guards—also fit just right; Triumph Tiger 955—needed a little MacGyvering to keep them away from the high pipe); and I traveled cross-country with them loaded and mounted on a Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce.
The D Slant’s design looked stylish and blended well with the staggered pipes on the Deuce, but when loaded the right bag hung a little close to the upper muffler for my comfort. The luggage base material is touted to be resistant to exhaust burn, but I felt better with a friend’s fabrication that raised the bags above the extreme heat zone.
Click-lock straps at the front and rear bottom of each bag provide attachment to points on your motorcycle. Another positive feature of the D Slant luggage system is the inclusion of removable zippered inner bags. These allow for quick loading/unloading and the ability to leave the main bags attached to the motorcycle. The inner bags also provide another layer of moisture resistance. The Distanza Slant bags have experienced many days of heavy rain; soft luggage is not waterproof, but Sedici’s multi layer approach, coupled with the included removable rain covers, moves you as close to that goal as is possible.
For more information: Visit a Cycle Gear store or cyclegear.com
(This Gearlab review was published in the November 2014 issue of Rider magazine.)
