Dual sports, standards and sport bikes are among the most popular motorcycle options around. But how in the heck do you do multi-day touring on them? In this episode of EV Rider I’m reviewing Cortech Super 2.0 36L Saddlebags and Super 2.0 24-Liter Tail Bag, which I purchased for my 2020 Zero Motorcycles SR/F.
As an EV motorcyclist, I need more room than most bikers because I carry an emergency charging cable on longer rides, just in case I end up in an area with an out-of-service charging station and I need to plug into a wall socket somewhere.
I also carry an adapter that lets me refuel at Tesla destination chargers. Fortunately, my Zero’s built-in storage compartment provides plenty of space for the emergency charger.
But that doesn’t leave me room for all the other stuff I need for multi-day trips like rain gear, clothing, a chair, camera gear and few other odds and ends.
When I leave my bike unattended, I also like to have everything secured rather than leaving my helmet, jacket and gloves just laying on the bike.
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After lots of research, I opted for Cortech’s Super 2.0 saddlebags. At the time of this story and video’s publication, they were $199.
I picked them over other options, including hard side cases, for a variety of reasons.
At the top of the list is cost. Factory side racks and hard luggage would have cost more than triple the price of the soft luggage I selected.
Next up was the way the saddlebags integrate with Cortech’s Super 2.0 24-Liter Tail Bag.
The saddlebags include a quick snap system that allows me to easily detach the tail bag when I’m heading in for the night.
The lines of the bags also complemented my bike better than most of what I looked at in a similar price range.
The saddlebags are easy on, easy off. I can throw them over the bike and then lock my seat in place on top of them, allowing a cleaner look and providing at least a small bit theft deterrence.
After that, you can loop the straps into your bike’s rear foot pegs, frame or other mounting position to keep the bags from flapping around.
I owned a pair of the same Cortechs from 2014 to 2016 that I kept on my previous bike full-time. They held up well with one exception. The last set did gradually fade in the Florida sun.
I haven’t had this set long enough to know if Cortech has improved its color durability over the years.
The zippers haven’t changed and that’s a good thing. The zippers on my last set held up fine. Breaking or ripping zippers have been a common complaint I’ve noticed among some reviewers with some other lower end brands.
One of my favorite features is how the bags can expand in size. They unzip to increase the storage capacity when it’s needed.
The bags do include rain covers and side storage areas. They’re also reinforced to hold their shape when they’re empty, which makes them visually more appealing.
Although heat is never a problem with my EV motorcycle, the bags do include heat shields for those of you riding bikes with hot exhaust pipes near where the bags would rest.
I can’t speak to how durable those shields might be so if heat if a concern, you’ll want to search out other YouTube reviews to see if anyone can comment how good the shields are.
Back to the tail bag, it also expands via a pair of zippers, making it suitable for several days’ worth of clothes.
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