Vetter Bagman Redwing Snap Strap

VETTER BAGMAN REDWING SNAP STRAP

EVALUATION

A BETTER-BRED BUNGEE

MOTORCYCLING’S UBIQUITOUS BUNgee cord and the cockroach have two key points of similarity: They’ve both survived through generations, intact and almost totally unchanged; and they’re both basically omnivorous. A bungee’s plastic-covered hook-ends can devour OEM paint and bodywork with the same gusto a roach has for the glue on a canned-good wrapper.

Through some technological inbreeding, though, in the laboratories at Vetter Products (Rantoul, IL 61866; [217] 893-9300), BagMan has come up with a new twist on the bungee. Called the Redwing Snap Strap, it utilizes three pieces of tubular nylon webbing. The center section sheathes two '/4-inch-diameter elastic cords for stretch, and the end pieces of webbing secure to the center one with Fastex buckles for adjustment. Adjusted to its shortest length, the Snap Strap measures approximately 15 inches, stretching to 23 inches. At full adjustment, the Strap is approximately 32 inches long and stretches to 40 inches.

Apart from the adjustability-a trait shared with some other moreevolved bungees-the Snap Strap might seem like an overly complex exercise in inbreeding. But it’s how Vetter bred a bungee’s fangs out of existence that makes the Snap Strap remarkable. In place of the usual raspy coiled ends, a 12-gauge flatsteel hook is held captive in both outer pieces of webbing. Further, a 3/4-inch-square piece of leather is sewn to both ends. The result is an adjustable bungee with its jaws wired shut, one that shouldn’t develop a taste for your bike’s paint or plastic.

That trait-along with its adjustability-makes the Snap Strap an uber-bungee amongst its less-wellbred brethren. It’s a useful, handy bit of genetic engineering, at a price ($5.99 each, in black, blue or red) that won’t consume your wallet. And it’s strong enough that it'll probably outlast your bike-although it probably won’t outlive the cockroach. IS