Motorcycle bags: history and revolution

Motorcycle bags nowadays are used to carry any kind of things on a motorcycle. It does not matter if it is for commuting, for grocery runs or for road trips, riders cannot do without at least a bag. Single bags, throw over bags, hard mount, detachable bags, you name it. Let’s see the history of one of our favorite accessories for motorcycles.

As the motorcycle industry experienced a big boom in 1960 especially after the Vietnam War the motorcycle bags industry also evolved. As major motorcycle companies started releasing bigger and better motorcycle, bikers started to travel for longer and longer distances with their motorcycles. Many created groups and even organized cross country road trips. Throw-over bags, which embody how everything started, rapidly became obsolete compared to bolted bags.

The bolted bags trend started thanks to a group of riders that drilled several holes in the fender of their motorcycles in order to permanently bolt saddlebags to their motorcycles. This kind of installation made motorcycle bags safer, and had an enormous contribution in shaping the aesthetic appeal of the motorcycle launched on the market from that moment on.

The trend soon gained popularity amongst the riders, pushing motorcycle companies like Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company to start producing motorcycles with struts. This was very clever because struts enabled motorcycle riders to bolt the motorcycle bags on their motorcycles without making any permanent change to such as drilling holes in the back fender. Later down the road, the same strut enabled riders to secure other accessories to their motorcycles such as sissy bars and racks.

Lading on the North American market, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers – Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha – made sure that riders in their new market get enough room for the luggage. Yamaha took this very seriously: their motorcycles are manufactured with the most room for the saddlebags. They also made sure that the turn signal did not interfere with these types of bags, a common problem with smaller motorcycles.

In 1980 the motorcycle companies realized that most 1000 cc and above motorcycles are used for long rides. To further add value to their motorcycles they started selling them with fiber glass motorcycle bags. These motorcycles did well as they came with specific luggage that saved the bikers rider a lot of time and headache.

Despite the popularity of factory installed motorcycle bags, riders still prefer leather saddlebags in most cases. The main factor that makes leather saddlebags so appreciated is that they can be customized to a greater degree as opposed to motorcycle fiber glass bags.

Usually leather motorcycle bags are secured to the motorcycle through bag guards and are not easily removable. That’s where Ends Cuoio shows its innovative side: all bags have iron back-panel specifically engineered for the target motorcycle motorcycle model: this allows these bags to always have the right support and to sit flush to the motorcycle fender. This feature works perfectly with detachable systems that now allow leather motorcycle bags to be removed of/placed on the motorcycle with a single gesture. This feature for years could be only performed with hard bags. Having it on leather bags and, most of all, having it so optimized is something incredible.

Motorcycle bags: revolution is now

The motorcycle market keeps evolving and so do companies that produce accessories.
Being bikers ourselves, we are very aware of the challenges that every modern biker has to face. Therefore, we are always studying new ways to meet bikers needs. The new revolution in terms of resistance and ease of access is about to begin. These bags feature an all-new printed vegetable tanned leather that is way more resistant to scratches and bruises; and are equipped with FIDLOCK magnetic buckles that allow to open and close the bag without even getting off the motorcycle. Cool right?

The revolution of motorcycle bags is about to arrive, and we will be more than happy to introduce you to it.