Motorcycle Saddlebags 
You get two main types of motorcycle saddlebags - hard luggage and soft luggage and they are exactly as their name suggests. The debate between which is the better type of luggage is as typical as that between motorcycle textiles and leathers, and as always, it comes down to your personal preferences and the type of riding that you are going to be doing.
Hard Motorcycle Saddles Bags
Hard motorcycle saddlebags are rigid in construction and usually come in the form of panniers and a top box. They are usually made of a hard plastic or aluminium are rigidly mounted to your bike with metal or plastic brackets - unfortunately these brackets can sometimes be a pain when you don't ride with your luggage as they can stick out and catch on you and your gear. This is why I would recommend that you only purchase hard saddlebags if you are planning on doing a fair amount of motorcycle touring
Why Hard Luggage is better than Soft Luggage:
- It is a lot more waterproof than soft luggage, in fact even with a waterproofing spray, soft luggage will not stay dry in heavy rain
- It is sturdier on your bike than soft saddlebags which tend to move around a lot while you're riding
- The sturdiness of hard motorcycle saddlebags can even help reduce the damage in a low speed spill
- It is harder to remove or steal hard luggage
- It has a much higher carrying capacity than soft motorcycle saddlebags
Soft Motorcycle Saddles Bags
Soft motorcycle saddlebags are made from strong material such as canvas, nylon or occasionally leather. Typically, throw-over panniers and tank bags come in the form of soft luggage, and these can be bungeed to the luggage rack or pillion seat. Some soft motorcycle saddlebags have internal stiffeners, usually made of plastic, so that the bag can hold its shape even when it's not full.
How Secure are you?
Get Geared also have a great selection of locks.
Why Soft Luggage is better than Hard Luggage:
- It is much cheaper than hard motorcycle luggage
- It is very flexible - easy to take on and off, and soft motorcycle saddlebags can be wrapped up and put in another bag
Tips
- The only waterproof soft saddlebags I know of are the Aerostich/Ortlieb Saddlebags. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell you need to order them from the states, but check them out at www.aerostich.com
- Soft motorcycle saddlebags may touch the rear body plastic and scratch your plastic, especially if you are on a sports bike, so try and cover them with some sort of abrasion resistant covering, like shelf paper
- Soft motorcycle saddlebags can also tend to press against the rear plastic of your bike and bend it. The best way to prevent this is to get the bag to sit as high as possible by adjusting the straps
- You can also prevent the bags from pressing against the rear of your bike by setting up some sort of support for the bags straps that forces the bags further to the side
Tank Bags
Obviously motorcycle saddlebags are used for touring, but even if you are just commuting into work, I would suggest that you get a tank bag. A good sturdy tank bag is ideal for carrying those things that you may need at a moment's notice, like your rain gear, water, licence, cash, camera or cigarettes. You can pick up a 5L Magnet Office Oxford Sprint mini Tank bag from Get Geared.
A tank bag, as the name implies, is a bag that sits on the petrol tank. Tank bags are usually made of codura nylon and some have internal stiffeners to keep their shape. Most tank bags are expandable, and they usually get taller as you expand them to hold a higher volume. Most tank bags are meant to have some sort of foam pad to prevent the bag from scratching the tank.
Tail Packs
Tail packs look just like tank bags. The most important difference is that a tail pack will have straps or bungees coming out from the side it so that it can be attached to the seat. They do not have the carrying capacity of saddlebags, but can be used either as an alternative to a tank bag or else for overnight touring trips.
Tips
- Just be aware that if you ride with a pillion that the straps will need a bit more tweaking to get the correct position so that your partner can reach the foot pegs with comfort
- Most saddlebags should come with a lifetime guarantee, so don’t settle for anything less
Where to Buy Motorcycle Saddlebags
- SPORTBIKE have a great selection of luggage and you can search their product listings by the following categories
- Cargo Luggage (Prices range from £9.99 - £89.99)
- Kappa Hard Luggage (Prices range from £39.99 - £224.99)
- Luggage Accessories (Prices range from £0.59 - £7.99)
- GET GEARED have a large stock of motorcycle luggage. You can search their product listings by the following categories:
- Motorcycle Luggage, Bags and Rucksacks (Prices range from £9.99 - £49.95)
- Motorcycle Saddlebags (Prices range from £54.99 - £129.99)
- Motorcycle Luggage Tank Bags (Prices range from £9.96 - £89.99)
- Motorcycle Leather Luggage (Prices range from £9.99 - £89.99)
- Motorcycle Luggage Accessories (Prices range from £2.95 - £49.95)
MAKE SURE that your saddlebag fits properly. Enjoy your touring!