I’ve tried most forms of tank bags . . . this was my first go at the very clever ring-mounted “Engage” bag by Bags Connection (bought mine from Pirate’s Lair). For those not familiar, the bag itself attached to the bike via a plastic horseshoe shaped ring that joins up with a mate that’s attached to the ring around the fuel door. The advantages?
- The bag doesn’t touch the tank, sparing the paint all manner of abuse.
- The bad comes on and off, literally, with a snap. No more fuss and bother. Off. On.
Here’s the step-by-step installation on my K1200GT.
Start by removing the screws holding the filler door to the tank. Don’t worry, there’s nothing that will fall through. Just back them out.
You only want to take out half of them, which half will be obvious when you hold the mounting ring up against your tank.
The ring that attaches to the tank looks just like a horseshoe. It’s made of plastic (strong looking stuff). The trim ring is metal.
It’s not clear to me that you need the metal ring, but I mounted it. The kit comes with screws of two lengths, so use the long ones if you use the trim ring.
Here’s what it looks like mounted (above too) with the mated part you’ll attach to the bottom of your bag.
And again. The spring-loaded pull pin at the top is the key to looking the bag in place.
This is the tricky part. Place the bag on top of the mated up connectors. Move the bag north and south to get it where you want it.
I wanted to be sure to clear my Zumo, so I moved it back from full forward about an inch. The way to mark this is by sliding a piece of masking tape up under the bag while it’s in place. It’s a pain and you’ll need to fiddle and experiment a little until you commit to drilling the four holes you’ll need to screw the bracket to the bag.
Here’s the bag in place from my view in the saddle.
I’ll do a ride report, but for now I can say with confidence . . .
The installation isn’t difficult. Whatever time it takes you you’ll get back on your first long ride not having to fiddle the bag on and off every time you stop for gas.
- The bag itself is very clever, well-thought out, and beautifully made.
- At first I thought it was too small. Then I decided I should just carry less stuff.
- If for some reason I want to carry more stuff, there are lots of other bags you can buy that mount up to the same ring. Cool.
Tags: BagsConnection, Engage, BMW K1200GT, Zumo, Garmin
Hi there, I have an 07 R1200R and am looking for a tank bag, there is only one BMW option, which works with straps. Not too bad but over $400cnd dollars . I live in Canada and unfortunately it appears as if there are no Canadian dealers so I am currently conversing with TwisterThrottle.
With regard to the bag itself, i am considering going with the tank ring that provides power as well.
Do you have a ride report yet? Any further comments?
Thanks,
Stephen
Stephen. I believe you’re talking about the marsee bag? There’s a discussion on http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=17095 and http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=18838 that might help. The bag I have is a very nice piece of kit, though small, and not electrified. It’s good for wallet, camera, extra gloves, and a couple of bits and bobs and that’s about it. There is a similar but larger bag available at Twisted Throttle you might consider if you like to carry a lot of kit on your tank.
Going down the road the bag works as it should. It goes on and off the attachment ring easy as you please. Having spent years struggling with straps every time I stopped for gas on the FJR, that alone was worth the price of admission. Beyond that, nothing really more to say. The bag is absolutely secure. You can lean on it and in every other way treat it like you would any bag. I would absolutely get another and might add the larger bag to my collection. Hope that helps.
C56
Thanks for the install directions! After I installed mine on my GT I noticed that when I turn to left lock on handlebars that it activates my horn. I’ve tried moving the bag back a bit but it still hits the horn button. Have you run across this problem and if so how did you correct it?
Thanks,
Chris
Chris, I have the same problem but it seems to be the front clip that the map case connects to. As long as the map case is not on it is fine. Scares the crap out of you when it goes off backing up out of a parking spot!!
Thanks for the detailed instructions and great illustrations for the installation.
I am close to buying the same bag for my ‘07 K12GT. I have handlebar risers on my bike and wanted to ask you if you thought there was enough clearance.
It’s a very small bag. I can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t fit with the bar risers. I’ve seen a K-bike with the bigger version of the bag that seemed to work well. I say order it.