Krauser Star Saddlebags And Soft Top Case
Krauser Star Saddlebags and Soft Top Case
EVALUATION
Once upon a time Krauser motorcycle luggage was synonymous with BMW motorcycles because the Krauser equipment was sold through the BMW importer. Krauser luggage was noteworthy because it detached from the motorcycle and because it was attractively styled. It also was relatively expensive and that combined with the BMW connection to establish the Krauser saddlebags as a quality product.
The latest Krauser saddlebags and top boxes are entirely different from the Krauser luggage of even a year ago. The latest Krauser full-size saddlebags are called the Star, and they look like larger versions of the Starlet bags Krauser introduced a little over a year ago. They are large capacity (Krauser claims 40 liters or about 1.4 cubic feet per bag) molded plastic.
Mounted on a motorcycle the Krauser Star saddlebags don’t look drastically different from the former Deluxe bags. There’s still a raised band the length of the hinged door and the shape is the same slightly angled rectangle, viewed from the side. But the inner panel, where the plastic bag mounts onto the cast aluminum bracket is a much cleaner shape now. And there’s no metal band around the sealing edge of the door, nor is there a metal hinge at the bottom of the door. There are also no more white saddlebags. Only a pebblegrain black surface is offered.
What rates as the greatest novelty of the new Krausers is the plastic hinge at the lower edge of the saddlebag. Actually, there are four plastic hinges on each sad-
dlebag, and they just snap in place. These aren’t conventional hinges, either. There’s no pin for the hinge, it’s just a thin plastic edge that bends. That’s it.
Krauser is very proud of the plastic hinges. Obviously they don’t rust. And they don’t bind. There aren’t any metal rivets to rust or loosen. Also, the four hinges cover the bottom of the saddlebag almost completely, helping keep the saddlebags waterproof. Krauser also says the hinges are unbreakable.
Normally the words Plastic and Unbreakable are mutually exclusive. And the hinges on the Krauser saddlebags certainly didn’t look unbreakable. So we sat around the office bending the lids up and down, occasionally twisting the lid a bit just to watch the plastic hinges break or crack. And after doing that a couple of hundred times we figured there must be a better way to break them. So we pulled the hinges off the bags and stuck one in the freezer of the refrigerator. People do, after all, ride when the weather is below freezing, and if they break when cold, we’ve learned something. What they didn’t do, though, is break. Even after sitting in the freezer overnight they wouldn’t break. Immediately after taking the hinge out of the freezer it was very stiff, but as soon as it began to bend the heat from bending the hinge caused it to loosen up.
As it turns out, the plastic hinges may be the best part of the saddlebags. Another excellent design feature of the Krauser bags is the wide overlap where the lid meets the body of the bag. A lip on the main body of the bag fits into a 0.25 in.
groove around the perimeter of the lid. At the bottom of the groove is a soft rubber gasket. The combination of rubber gasket and wide overlap makes for a highly waterproof seal.
As good as all these parts are independently, there was a problem with our saddlebags as they fit together. The hinges snap into place on the lid and the bag body, and the location of the hinges isn’t ideal.
As a result, the alignment of the lid and the rest of the saddlebag wasn’t consistent and unless the saddlebags were closed with extreme care part of the lip would catch the groove in the wrong place and bend one edge of the groove. That would cause the lid to seal improperly and made it difficult, but not impossible, to latch the lid. Of course when the saddlebag was closed with the seal misaligned the hinge would pop out of position. >
Mounting the saddlebags on the saddlebag mounts was another difficult chore. The mounts attached to our Suzuki GSI100 easily and with no problems. Most of the Krauser mount is standard for all motorcycles, with shorter attaching brackets tailoring the bracket to different motorcycles. The business part of the mounting is a rectangular ring of cast aluminum. The inside edge of the saddlebag has a mating protrusion that fits inside the rectangle to maintain position. At the forward end of the protrusion is a webbed flap that fits around the aluminum bracket.
To attach the saddlebag to the mount, the forward flap is positioned around the edge of the aluminurp rectangle, then the back of the saddlebag is pushed onto a tab where it latches. It’s an effective and simple mount and it enables the Krauser bags to fit a very wide range of motorcycles.
As our saddlebags came, though, there was a problem. It was virtually impossible to latch the latches. The tab that protrudes from the mounting brackets can be adjusted up and down, but not in and out, so if the fit is a bit tight, there is no easy adjustment. Another problem is that it is difficult to determine whether the bags are positively latched in place or not. As a test, various people around the office were asked to attach the saddlebag, which they did after varying amounts of pounding or pushing. But after each person attached the bag, it was possible to hit the bottom of
the bag with a hand and have the saddlebag detach.
After removing the latch from the back of the saddlebag we were able to carve out the single hole enabling the latch to be repositioned so the saddlebag could be attached securely.
Only one key was needed to open the saddlebags or detach them from the motorcycle, which is certainly nice. However a second key was needed for the latch that held the soft top box in place.
In order to prevent the saddlebags from popping open accidentally, the bags are closed by two latches and a lock. In order to open the saddlebag, two tabs must be pushed down to open the two latches, then the key must be inserted and the lock unlocked. The key can’t come out until the lid is again fastened, latched and locked.
This is a very secure system, but in dayto-day use it was less convenient to use than a simple unlatch-and-open saddlebag.
Where the Star shines is in sheer volume. The shape is very efficient, so there isn’t much wasted space. Bulky items fit well, with some exceptions. Large-size full face helmets didn’t fit easily, and even smaller or medium size full face helmets caused the lid to bow out in order to close the saddlebags. Krauser says the dimensions of the Star bags are 15.5 in. high, 20.5 in. long and 10 in. wide. Those are maximum dimensions and the slight taper in the shape means that a box of those
dimensions couldn’t be put inside the Krauser saddlebags. Still, the bags are some of the larger saddlebags available and have as much useable room as anything else made. They also fit close to the sides of the motorcycle, extending only 29 in. from outside to outside edge.
Some of the additional features, such as the plastic pocket inside one of the lids to hold helmet shields, are excellent ideas. While others, like the nylon straps inside the bags, don’t work as well. The straps are fine if the saddlebags are fully loaded, but for holding in small items, the straps are too long, so that the ends don’t stay hooked.
Along with the Star saddlebags Krauser sent a soft top case. The Krauser top case is much different from other top boxes in appearance and design. A molded ABS plastic pan, 12 in. by 16 in. has two metal lugs that fit into the rack, plus a latch similar to the latches used on the saddlebags. Riveted and stitched to the base is a heavy woven plastic soft case. All the seams go through an extra layer of heavy leather-grained Naugahyde.
A plastic zipper closes the top of the case to the sides. An unusual feature is a second zipper around the perimeter of the bag’s sides. When the zipper is fastened around the bag, the bag is only about 8 in. high. Unzip the middle zipper and a folded-up extension unfolds, extending the bag to 12 in. high. Two leatherette straps wrap over the top and have buckles to hold the top of the bag tight when it’s extended. The straps are too long to fasten securely around the bag when it’s zipped into the lower position, but a few holes punched in the straps could solve that.
Unlike the saddlebags, the top case can be removed without a key, making it far more convenient for commuting use. In fact, in most use around our office the top case was used far more than the saddlebags for picking up pieces or running errands, while the saddlebags were reserved for carrying heavy items or for long trips.
Recommended weight limit of the saddlebags is 33 lb. per bag, a fairly high limit. That capacity for carrying lots of weight and volume make the Krausers useful for long distance travel where smaller bags and non-detachable bags may be less convenient.
The Krauser luggage is not cheap. The package shown on the Suzuki adds up to $544.90 worth of accessories from Krauser. The Star saddlebags are $299, the mounting kit is $85, the soft top case is $129.95, while the rack is $30.
Available through Krauser distributors, or contact Krauser USA, 7012 Woodlawn Ave. Northeast, Seattle, Wash. 98115. (206) 522-9484.
