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Nearly lost a saddlebag on the Coquihalla and now I check my straps twice
Last August I was riding the Coquihalla from Merritt to Hope when my left saddlebag started flapping around 110 km/h. I pulled over at the Britton Creek rest area and found the bottom strap had worn through because it was rubbing on the exhaust shield. I used two zip ties and a bungee from my toolkit to strap it back on and limped the rest of the way to Hope. Lesson learned the hard way, so now I check strap tension and heat clearance every time I fuel up. Anyone else had a bag let go mid ride, and what do you keep in your kit to fix it on the shoulder?
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grace_hunt8414d ago
Man, I have to say I see it a little different. Checking every single fuel stop sounds like a lot, and in my experience that constant fiddling can actually wear things out faster, all that taking up slack and re-clipping works the buckles and straps. I ran bags for years and what saved me was setting them up right once, keeping the weight low and even, and just giving the straps a good tug at the start of the day instead of babysitting them every 200 km. The Coquihalla is rough on gear for sure, but burning yourself out on checks can make you sloppy, you stop really looking. A quick feel at lunch plus a proper look when you bed down has worked fine for me, your mileage may vary.
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