Rk Accessories Mirage Bag
RK ACCESSORIES MIRAGE BAG
EVALUATION
SOFT LUGGAGE FOR SPORT-RIDING WEEKENDS
WTHOUT A DOUBT, SOFT LUGGAGE IS one of motorcycling’s modern miracles. With the mere addition of saddlebags or a tankbag, a rider essentially can have two bikes: old faithful and a medium-distance tourer. Many sportbike pilots, however, think the stuff is intrusive and ugly and makes a sleek backroad weapon look decidely bovine. And while the avoidance of soft luggage leaves a bike’s styling inviolate, it also leaves its rider with next to no carrying capacity; so he rarely ventures more than a half-day’s distance from home, as if tied by an invisible tether.
The Mirage II bag from RK Accessories (P.O. Box 1006, Windsor, CA 95492-1006) can cut the tie that binds a rider so close to home, without making his bike look like a twowheeled pack animal. The Mirage II is intended to complement a sportbike’s appearance by imitating, with color-matched graphics, the familiar shape of a roadracer’s seat cowling. The bag’s emphasis on styling is uncommon among soft luggage, and it gives the Mirage the distinctive shape that sets it apart from other soft bags.
But in construction, the Mirage seems typical of the breed. It adheres to the formula of a urethane-coated outer shell, a nylon-lined main compartment, and a zippered opening with a Velcro-fastened weather flap. Likewise, the use of foam sewn into the base, sides and ends to help the bag keep its shape when empty is common practice.
Carrying capacity puts the Mirage on equal footing with a number of typical soft bags, as well. The main compartment is 19 inches long, 9 ¥2 inches wide and 9 inches high in front, tapering down to 5 ¥2 inches high in back. That adds up to a cargo area rivaling that of most mediumsize tankbags, which gives a solo rider plenty of room to pack for a weekend trip. In addition, two long, flat, exterior pockets with Velcro-secured flaps offer small-item storage, and their leading edges sweep forward to blend in with the lines of a bike’s seat, bodywork or frame.
That styling lick creates an awkwardly pointed corner that traps small articles, though; and the pockets’ narrow, flat sides bulge noticeably when filled with anything much thicker than a wallet. Plus, the pockets tend to flap around when the bag is being carried, although that’s more a function of the bottom-mounted carry strap than it is of the pockets themselves. The strap, a piece a nylon webbing running the length of the bag, forces you to tote the Mirage upside-down, an awkward proposition that makes you look like you’re carrying a pet manta ray.
Those criticisms might seem to border on nitpicking, but things like wonky pockets and a poorly placed carry strap stand out on an item that otherwise works so well. For example, the Mirage’s mounting system— rubber-covered, J-shaped clips on four nylon straps, with buckles for adjustment—keeps the bag firmly in place; and although the buckles and straps do take a bit of fiddling to get the bag mounted, they also keep it securely fastened and allow it to fit a variety of bikes. Moreover, the bag is surprisingly waterproof, considering that the seams are not sealed. We subjected the Mirage to six hours of intermittent showers and another hour-long ride in hard rain, and the contents always stayed dry.
Such performance, along with a healthy carrying capacity, helps make the Mirage II a splendid partner for the solo rider out on a weekend jaunt. And if the $124.95 retail cost seems a bit pricy for such utility, RK also offers the Mirage I, a single-color version (in red, white, blue, black or silver) for $89.95. RK will also make the Mirage I in custom designs for the same price as the Mirage II; and all the bags have a one-year guarantee on the workmanship.
Overall, RK’s Mirage bag won’t turn a cutting-edge sportbike into a coast-to-coast touring rig, but it can accomplish the next-best thing: It allows a sport rider to broaden his horizons while he’s tilting a few.
