[Added_flavor]

A quick update this time. 5000 km! And this was achieved during a wonderful ride I was on recently. Linking it here since I want all my rides to be a part of the life of the motorcycle and the ownership thread.

Link

Prologue and a teaser pic!

Prologue:

I continued and was doing decent speeds as fog was playing peek-a-boo with me! Some stretches were totally foggy with bad visibility where as some were fine. Crossed the next toll booth and proceeded towards Chennarayapatna where I was supposed to turn towards Arsikere. Meanwhile, I was constantly noticing a white Indica Taxi in my mirror. I'm generally aware of who's tailing me as I am always paranoid about being rear-ended! I lost him near the toll booth and later I stopped to adjust my ear plugs as one of them were not sitting properly. I adjust it, wear my helmet and I'm about to leave when the Indica stops next to me!

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Prologue and a teaser pic!

Nice pic - at Maravanthe?
Where did you buy the Claw and how did it perform? A friend got the DirtSack saddle bags and they rubbed the rear tyre and gave away on a long ride. Need a reliable option and would be interested in your Claw review.

[AMG_ang]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Nice pic - at Maravanthe?
Where did you buy the Claw and how did it perform? A friend got the DirtSack saddle bags and they rubbed the rear tyre and gave away on a long ride. Need a reliable option and would be interested in your Claw review.

I used cramster colt on my trip along rhe entire 3.2k kms ride I did along the south India coastal ride, and the saddle bags never let me down any time. They fit perfectly for D390 and mounting and unmounting is a 2 minute job. Once tied it never moved an millimeter from its place. Used it on bad roads, good roads and high speeds upto 160kmph. They are stable like a rock.!

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Nice pic - at Maravanthe?
Where did you buy the Claw and how did it perform? A friend got the DirtSack saddle bags and they rubbed the rear tyre and gave away on a long ride. Need a reliable option and would be interested in your Claw review.

Thank you buddy, not at Maravanthe, but yes very close to it.

I bought the claw at Lets Gear Up in HSR. It's the best tail bag you can have and it's worth the price it comes at.

Advantages:

• Very good build quality and the feel of the bag is top notch.
• Easy to mount and sits extremely tight and secure.
• No fear of touching the wheel at all as it doesn't extend below the panels, which means no mods needed on the bike.
• Surprisingly spacious. I did not expect it to be so big. If I remember right, the capacity is 55 litres! I'm quite confident I can do a significantly big road trip with only this bag.
• Nice pouches on both sides to carry fuel and water.
• Provides great support to the back on long rides. I could easily lean back on straight highways with my legs on the crash guard.
• Comes with a rain cover which is also of good quality.
• Overall design and attention to detail is great. For eg, Velcro provided on all three mount points ensures the straps don't flail about.
• Comes with a 15 day return policy, one year warranty and life time repairs.

Disadvantages:
Only the obvious one, Pillion ruled out.


Also, there is a nice little video explaining how to mount it on the duke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrpRokYwn6c

And if you haven't seen yet, there's a wonderful review and comparo given by aargee here.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

I bought the claw at Lets Gear Up in HSR. It's the best tail bag you can have and it's worth the price it comes at.
Very good build quality and the feel of the bag is top notch.

Added_flavor, I too use a Viaterra Claw on my rides (Got it in Goa for some 2800/- if I remember properly) and after my last ride I saw that the fastening strap on the left side, threads are coming apart and some cuts are formed on it.
I tried calling the local dealer from whom I purchased it but since last one month, I am unable to contact him.
I feel the damage / shredding of the threads on the fastening strap could be due to the sharp edges on the rear foot peg mount (around which the strap is looped and tightened). I guess I pulled / tightened it way too much and the sharp edges sort of cut through the strap.

Now I am thinking of putting some protective cover or soft cloth packing on the rear foot peg mounts to minimise any further damage to the strap.

But otherwise I agree to all the points mentioned by you. Will avail the one year warranty service as soon as I locate my dealer. ( he is a mod guru and travels a lot and is not reachable most of the times)

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

Added_flavor, I too use a Viaterra Claw on my rides (Got it in Goa for some 2800/- if I remember properly) and after my last ride I saw that the fastening strap on the left side, threads are coming apart and some cuts are formed on it.
I tried calling the local dealer from whom I purchased it but since last one month, I am unable to contact him.
I feel the damage / shredding of the threads on the fastening strap could be due to the sharp edges on the rear foot peg mount (around which the strap is looped and tightened). I guess I pulled / tightened it way too much and the sharp edges sort of cut through the strap.

Now I am thinking of putting some protective cover or soft cloth packing on the rear foot peg mounts to minimise any further damage to the strap.

But otherwise I agree to all the points mentioned by you. Will avail the one year warranty service as soon as I locate my dealer. ( he is a mod guru and travels a lot and is not reachable most of the times)

What I have noticed is, if the bag moves even a little bit to one side (reason being loose mounting and/or movement of the bag when bike is on the move) then all the weight is on one strap and the other side is loose. This along with what you have mentioned about the sharp edges might have damaged the straps.

So every time I mount it, I move a little away behind the bike to see if the bag is properly aligned. The viaterra logo should be in the centre.

I haven't seen any damage on my bag yet. Checked the underside too. But yes I agree, perhaps the straps could have been a little thicker.

EDIT: My dealer told me I need to get in touch with viaterra directly regarding warranty and damages. Also, I have read they have a responsive customer facing team. So are you sure you want to wait for your dealer?

[createrkid]

Hey Added_flavor, how much did those guys in HSR charge you for the viaterra claw? And is it also transformable into a backpack when you're not using it?

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by createrkid

Hey Added_flavor, how much did those guys in HSR charge you for the viaterra claw? And is it also transformable into a backpack when you're not using it?

This is Ashok replying to your query.
The Viaterra claw costs Rs. 2900/- ( I got a discount of Rs. 100/-)

You can order it online at:
http://www.viaterra.in/Products/VIAT...d-3556749.aspx

You can find more M/Cycle touring aids here:
http://www.viaterra.in/categories/VI...U00030693.aspx

and the design is such that you cannot convert it into a back pack when you are not mounting it on a M/Cycle. It has a shoulder strap though, but no hand grips. and the bag is way too huge to be used as a back pack. The 55 Liters storage space is humongous.

If you are looking at a Bag cum back pack then you can look at VIATERRA FLY GT - TANKBAG/ TAILBAG / BACK PACK. It costs Rs. 1,700 and it is of manageable size, a 16 Litres storage space. i.e. 3.5 times lesser than the Claw. So you get the picture of the size of Claw. Check out the Viaterra Fly GT here.
http://www.viaterra.in/Products/VIAT...d-4104321.aspx

First you need to identify clearly for what purpose you need your bag. If it is exclusively touring ( and that too solo riding) then you can look into Claw ( there are many other brands like cramster). If you are looking at a lighter bag ( lesser volume) doubling as a back pack then Viaterra Fly GT it is. Again there are many brands in this space too if you care to look around . Now I hear they have a Viaterra MINI claw of 30 litre capacity which fits and looks identical (may be slightly smaller)to the standard Claw. Check it out too.

and finally if you want to personally go and look at it, you can visit Lets Gear up at HSR layout at: Sector 1, 810, 27th Main Rd, HSR Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka 560102 Mob: +91 9901550880. Email: info@letsgearup.in.
Contact Persons: Mr Sukesh Ashok Kumar & Mrs. Sapna Sukesh
They deal in: - Helmets :- SOL // Riding Gear :- Spartan Progear, PlanetDSG, Knox Armor, Alpinestars, Dirtsack.in // Other accessories:- Paddock stand, Air filters, Lethal Threat Tank pads, Frame sliders, Titax Levers, Driven Grips, SENA Bluetooth riding headsets.
Directions: If you are coming from Silk Board or Koramangala (jakkasandra) side on the ORR, at Agara junction, ride underneath the flyover and at the signal underneath, take a right turn. you will be on 27th Main. Another 500 meters on the road you should find the shop.

Hope that helps

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by AMG_ang

Attachment 1188856

I used cramster colt ... They are stable like a rock.!

Thanks. The reviews online seem to suggest that the Claw has better quality and greater capacity than the Colt so will be going with that one.

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

I bought the claw at Lets Gear Up in HSR. It's the best tail bag you can have and it's worth the price it comes at.

Thanks for a great review! I will go ahead and pick this up sometime this week. I never use the pillion seat anyway and hence isn't a concern for me. Only wish is that the Claw had some more reflective material at the back - will probably paste some 3M reflective tape on it.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Thanks for a great review! I will go ahead and pick this up sometime this week. I never use the pillion seat anyway and hence isn't a concern for me. Only wish is that the Claw had some more reflective material at the back - will probably paste some 3M reflective tape on it.

I don't know if its only me and my lack of the desired flexibility (that or the same of my riding pants) but another thing to consider with bags like the Claw or the age old duffel bag bungeed to pillion seat) is that of getting on and getting off (you and the bike - not the bag and the bike). Not the most elegant for sure. On the Bullet its easier because once I have it on the main stand, stable as a rock, I climb on with the foot peg and then get it off the stand once safely in the saddle. On a bike like the KTM with only side stand, that can be somewhat of a challenge. Just saying!

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by ebonho

..another thing to consider with bags like the Claw or the age old duffel bag bungeed to pillion seat) is that of getting on and getting off (you and the bike - not the bag and the bike). On a bike like the KTM with only side stand, that can be somewhat of a challenge. Just saying!

I do a Van Damme like split and jump of the bike No, just kidding - that is a good point and I need to see if my leg-swing can comfortably go over the height of the Claw once it is mounted. Otherwise yes, it would be a rather awkward getting on/off.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

I do a Van Damme like split and jump of the bike No, just kidding - that is a good point and I need to see if my leg-swing can comfortably go over the height of the Claw once it is mounted. Otherwise yes, it would be a rather awkward getting on/off.

Niranjan, I am sure you will agree with me that all those who bought a Claw (including me) don't do a Van Damme split. Just kidding.
If you ride a 390, I take it that in all probabilities you are in a decent physical shape. Ok. what I do is while the bike is in side stand with the claw mounted ( bike slightly bent to its left, giving you that much lee way). stand close by the bike, bend your right ankle to the full ( almost a 160-170 deg if you say), Hold your right bent ankle with your right hand if necessary (pushing it against under thigh as much as possible) and just swing your right thigh with the 170 deg bent ankle over the seat. Same thing for dismounting. Just bend your right ankle to the max, hold it close to the thigh with your right hand if you feel like, just swing it over the seat and you are on terra firma on both feet .

I did this way on all my bikes as the saddle bag height would always be more than what my leg can swing over it. I think that's how you do it. else if you have a bullet, (in main / center stand you virtually climb over the bike resting your feet on the foot rest). But that is Bulleteer style and it is patented to only Bullet riders

I am 5'7" ( average or short by any standards), but I absolutely don't have any issues in mounting the duke with claw mounted.

Swalpa yochane maadi sir. idenu dodda vishaya alla

[Cyrus_the_virus]

6Ft and long legs here.. No issues swinging right over the claw even with full knee gaurds on!

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

I am 5'7" ( average or short by any standards), but I absolutely don't have any issues in mounting the duke with claw mounted.

Swalpa yochane maadi sir. idenu dodda vishaya alla

Dodda vishaya idru swalpa adjust madkotini sir
I don't think it'll be a problem for me given what you stated. Will be a small workaround even if it is. I remember doing the bullet style climb a long time ago but doing that on a Duke will break quite a few things I imagine

[ebonho]

Just reading all this Van Damme splitting is giving me a splitting ache in unmentionable areas man. Moral of the story - split before you buy.