Carry-On Cruisers
When You're Pushing 2 Liters, Your Bags Better Be Big
The whole point of riding a tourer is being able to take it all with you on the road, and in that regard most of these big boys don't skimp on capacity.
Total capacity as listed by the manufacturers can be misleading, though-all these bags have wildly dissimilar shapes, and that can mean the difference between hauling home that oddly shaped antique you found on the way or just settling for easily packed T-shirts.
The saddlebags in our group of five range from the basic traditional box style of the VTX1800T and C109RT to the shapely, leather-covered bags of the Stratoliner. Both the Honda and Suzuki bags get genuine leather covering a molded plastic interior on a steel frame with a box-top-like closure. Both also feature top-loading lids and buckles concealing quick-release clips on the sides. Where they differ is in cargo capacity-each bag on the VTXT claims 1464 cubic inches of space versus the Suzuki's meager 675ci per. That means the VTXT bags are the second-roomiest units here (which is hard to believe, based on what we could fit in them), compared with the Suzuki's stingiest-in-class measurement. Both companies offer the pieces in their respective Parts and Accessories catalogs as well ($589 for the Honda's and $649 for the Suzuki's bolt-ons). The Harley's thick leather bags have a more rectangular shape than the others with top-grade cowhide construction and reinforced rims and sides to help maintain form. They look like the most capacious saddlebags here, but the numbers don't bear that out-even though they are the easiest to pack stuff into because of their width. They're also the ones with the most attractive details-chrome studs and a chrome-plated brass medallion coined with the Harley-Davidson logo. Their tops are secured with leather straps that conceal quick-release hardware underneath. They are available as accessory options too-but they'll cost you a cool $799 for the studded Heritage style.
The Kingpin Tour features smallish, box-style, semirigid bags but makes up for their stingy capacity with a top-mounted trunk/backrest. All three pieces are faux leather (um, vinyl)-covered ABS plastic and are lockable. They can be removed via a few bolts, but you can't really call them "quick" detach. The trunk is spacious-it carries more than the saddlebags put together-which is a good thing as the bags have about the slimmest openings here.
The Stratoliner's sleekly styled leather-covered "sidebags" (the company's term) have always struck us as most impressive, because they're purposely designed for this bike and not some generic off-the-shelf design. As another bonus they offer a quick-release feature and are lockable as well. They also offer a good amount of carrying space, with a 2860ci total capacity, but they'll cost you a whopping $1175 if you buy them separately. -AC
| Model | Left Saddlebag | Right Saddlebag | Trunk | Total |
| (cubic inches) | (ci) | (ci) | (ci) |
| KINGPIN TOUR | 1039 | 1039 | 3009 | 5082 |
| HARLEY FLSTC | 1100 | 1100 | N/A | 2200 |
| HONDA VTX1800T | 1464 | 1464 | N/A | 2928 |
| STAR STRATOLINER | 1430 | 1430 | N/A | 2860 |
| SUZUKI C109RT | 675 | 674 | N/A | 1350 |