Modern Vespa

When my wife asks me to stop off at the grocer on my way home from work, we both know that without the car, I may be limited as to what I can bring home on the scoot.

Don't get me wrong, between the curry hook, SX soft top case and the bungee net to strap stuff to the pillion seat, I've been able to bring home some pretty amazing loads.

But it takes some fussing and rearranging... and Murphy's law dictates that I remember I need to refuel only after I've bungee netted a bunch of shopping bags to the seat.

This week while I was at my mechanic for my fluid, belt and brake checks, I spotted a really well made set of roll up saddle bags. They are black cordura with a Velcro closure and a reflective strip. They have enough structure / stiffness to hold their shape when empty, but roll up teeny tiny when not in use so you can keep them under your seat or in your top case. They even have a center carry handle so you can use them while you are in the store instead of a shopping cart.

Best of all, they are cheap; the equivalent of $20 bucks here, so I imagine in the US or UK they might be less.

I don't have a web link for them (yet), but if your shop can't find them for you, I'd be happy to send them to any MV members who would like to add them to their kit.

Pics to be added in a moment.

[be patient if I don't respond over the next couple of days. Rosh Hashana will have my attention]

Last edited by Treppenwitz on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:20:11 +0000; edited 1 time

Enough structure to stand alone.



Here they are on the scoot


And rolled up in their included stuff sack so you can see how small they get for storage when not in use.




Last edited by Treppenwitz on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:22:40 +0000; edited 1 time

I'd be interested! Anything that gives me an excuse to use the scooter over the car.

I want !

I know some folks who simply use the slightly insulated reusable shopping bags most stores carry and either bungie or use a couple of velcro ties to connect them together for use as saddlebags as needed. Folded up they fit under the seat quite well or in the bottom of a topcase and act as padding for anything else inside the case/pet carrier. Bonus they provide some heat insulation as well. If you go that route make sure you get the ones that are all cloth and stitched handles not the vinyl with "heat welded" handles that will rip on you.

I'd rather do ten journeys

Cool product. 8)

I already have saddlebags so, on a similar note:
For a bit more carrying capacity, I bought one of these:

LL.Bean Stowaway Day Pack
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/69232?pi=1171184&bv=product-_-1138-_-RLP-_-IG112165-_-productname_link&qs=3000086

There are no hard panels, so it scrunches up into a fairly small space.
I'll often take it on trips, scrunched up in my saddlebags or pet carrier. If I end up bringing up more than I can squeeze in the saddlebags (that dozen ears of sweet corn from a roadside farmer's stand f'r instance), I back-pack it home in one of these. And unlike regular backpacks, I don't have to wear it until I need it.

I need those.

Along the lines of Menhir's pack is the REI flash pack:

http://www.rei.com/product/827110/rei-flash-18-pack

It has the bonus of a water reservoir pocket.

Any link on these yet ?

They would sure come in handy when the grocery trip gets out of hand. Do you have a link for them or a name?

Those are very handy. I have some that are similar but they don't roll up like that.


Happy New Year BTW.

I'd buy a set of those.

Trepp, doesn't the paint on the cowl get rubbed/damaged by the contact with the cordura (I guess it is something similar). Or is it that you only do a short run to the shops with the saddle bags on?

I haven't had a rubbing problem with saddlebags but mine have a neoprene back on them. You can also get a paint protector film-clear if you use saddlebags frequently - it also protects againt minor scratches and dings.

Wow Trepp - I really like those. They seem to be big enough to be very useful but pack down nicely.

I like that they also have a reflective stripe on them, although not sure how reflective that material really is.

Any word on the manufacturer link or quality issues you've encountered?

Hello Trepp!

Yes, please let us know about these bags. I have to say, sir, that you are one of the most helpful MV members. What a great guy, Mr. Red Vespa!

Mr. F

First of all, it is important to keep the scoot clean. If you use something like this on a dirty scoot, you are gonna get dulling of the clear coat (at first) and then scratches in the paint.

But if the scoot is relatively clean and you only use them for the odd trip to the grocery store, I don't see a problem. Do I owe you money?

Seriously... thank you for the compliment. I can't offer much in the way of technical advice, so I share what I can in terms of neat finds from the shop.


To all others... I'm still trying to get a lead on a source. If I haven't found one in the next day or so, I'll get a sense of who really wants one, get a quote for shipping and simply send them out myself.

that would be awesome man, i would love these

Okay, it looks like the supplier has no idea where this item can be had online. So here's what I suggest:

Anyone interested in one (or more) of these please send me a PM.

The cost will be $20 US each (or whatever the equivalent is in your local currency).

Once I get your PM I'll check shipping cost to your destination and PM you the total price. If you still want it, you can paypal me the money and I'll ship out your saddle bags.

I'm happy to do this for MVers, but am not trying to open a business here (or make a profit).

So please ask your questions here on the thread where everyone can see them, and leave the PMs for those who really think they might want to buy.

Can you post a better picture?

Okay, here's the deal...

The saddlebags are $20. Shipping via registered mail to the US, UK or Western Europe is $10.

I want to purchase the bags and send them out by next Friday, so please PM me with the go ahead if you want one (or more).

If you want more than one, just multiply $30 by however many you want.

Payment can be sent to my PayPal account which is my MV screen name @ gmail.com.

I'll be posting more pictures shortly.

Oh, kinda interesting, but my daughter who always complains about the bar from the stock rack digging into her lower back, put the saddlebags in the stuff bag behind her today and pronounced the problem solved.

So, when not in use for their designed purpose, these make a very good @ss pad for your pillion passenger.

You can say ass, Trepp. Arse too!

I know I can... I just got in the habit of not using explicit words to describe anatomy since it tends to attract bots and the wrong kind of traffic from the search engines. Trust me, after four years in the US Navy, I'm no prude.

I didn't think you were. Actually, I've always thought of you as pretty hard-core. Heh

Anyway, yeah those bags are cool, especially with the reflective tape.

Sent from my iPad

The bags are entirely double wall construction. Even the flaps.





Last edited by Treppenwitz on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:26:44 +0000; edited 1 time

Sent from my iPad

The is the back side of the bags (the side the contacts the cowls)

Very helpful Trepp!!
Just ordered mine.

Ya gotta love this forum. Where else are you going to meet someone here and they'll purchase and ship you something like this for the community.

I ordered mine and it was a pleasure.

Thank you,
Tom

Hey trepp

Do you just want us do do a US dollar conversion and then send that in our own currency ? Or can we select US dollars as the payment on PayPal ?

Prefer us dollars but do whatever works best for you. Just so enough money lands in my account to cover the purchase and shipping.

I started a new thread to handle questions and orders:

New Thread for ordering roll up Saddle Bags

Thanks for doing this for MV members Trep. Is the bit that connects the bags and goes under the seat adjustable? Not sure if it would be wide enough for an MP3. We have rather fat asses.

Can we have ome more pictures of the bags on a scoot please...

I just posted a pic on the other thread with my saddle bags on my scoot and about a metric buttload of saddle bags in and around them.