Modern Vespa

For my wife, the holy grail of accessories seems to be 'the perfect little black purse'. Judging by the ample collection in her closet, she's come close... but the search goes on.

For me, the holy grail of scooter accessories has been the prefect bag, pouch, case, whateveryouwannacallit, for holding reading glasses, cellphone, wallet, gum, etc. while I ride.

The glove box is where my registration, mileage book, service manual/record, extra fuses, Leatherman, etc. live. And under the seat you'll find my big chain and lock, grip-lock, extra gloves, flat-fix foam, space blanket, first aid kit , bungee net and spare helmet.

But neither of those places is (IMHO) right for the the stuff I might need access to right away at, say, a stop light.

So shortly after I got the scooter last year I started looking for a solution. After a few misses, here is what I'm currently quite happy with. I don't even have to keep it buckled since the thick leather flap keeps its shape... even in high wind.

(found it here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Distressed-Leather-Motorcycle-Tool-Bag-Made-USA-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem19c438b373QQitemZ110666232691QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories):

Cool pouch.
Just curious, what do you need to access at a stop light?

Looks good Trep. Designed for motorcycles so the fixing straps are longer then the Gyes bicycle tool rolls some of us have. And a good price too. Nice solution.

The Gyes bag (Korean):

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gyes-SB-05-Bicycle-Leather-Seat-tool-bag-brown-/390222538658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5adb1367a2

PS I spend more time on this stuff than my wife does with handbags. Strange but true

I can hear in my helmet headset when I get an SMS, but obviously I'm not about to pull out the phone and look while I'm riding. even if I could, I couldn't read the message without my reading glasses. At a long light or if I pull over in a bus stop, I can do a quick check.

There are also occasions where if I'm stuck in a construction /accident related back-up or a security roadblock, I can pull out my glasses and phone quickly and initiate a quick call (voice dialing is so unreliable with the wind and traffic noise that I've stopped using it on the road.

Afterthought: I also keep really sour candies in there. On long rides I find tossing a couple into my mouth... even while I'm riding... keeps my mind from wandering.

I don't know how the quality is on the bag you linked. But this is really good quality leather... nice and thick. And yes, the straps are nice and long.

I waited until it had gotten rained on a few times before putting any leather treatment on. That way it took nicely to the contours of the scoot.

SPF 500 sunscreen for the occasional Moltov Cocktail.

[SSR] So much for Molotov Cocktails (Post 1097436)

The Gyes bag is nice, thick, high-quality leather as well, but it is designed to attach to the back of a bicycle saddle and therefore doesn't have long straps. It attaches nicely to the naked handlebars of my LXVie, though, with a couple of plastic wire ties. I keep my GripLock and sunglasses in mine, where they are very conveniently accessible.

Thanks Trep. That looks really useful. I have a smaller travel pouch with a Velcro belt loop that I sling onto the grab bar like a saddlebag. It keeps things like a digital camera and sunglasses more easily accessible, but definitely not handy. Your example of checking on SMS at a red light is a really good one. If I had had that bag last summer I definitely could have snapped a photo of the family on two wheels (father on a vintage MC with son in a sidecar, Mom on a black GTS with a toddler on the back seat strapped into a harness attached to Mom, with his own little handlebar things).

I'm seriously interested.

In the photo, are the buckles done up? If not, what does it look like with the buckles loose? Presumably they don't flap around in the wind and beat up the leg shield.

I use a simple 'fanny pack'...(not in the British sense).

Run the straps thru the windscreen frame, the bag hangs right where you want it.

Only use this for long rides, for snacks, camera etc.

R

8)

I don't have a shot of it unbuckled right now, but the buckle and strap do not blow around at all. I'll see if I can take a photo in the morning. And yes, the camera is another thing I like having instant access to.

That's a great looking bag! I'm quite fond of the idea of keeping snacks in it as the pockets on the bike are decent, though I don't trust keeping anything of value in them (cell, wallet, etc), and the under-seat storage can be pretty limited to just a helmet.

Thanks for sharing! I'm a big fan and might get one for my S150.

To be sure this solution is not for anything of value. Strictly for things you want access to during the ride.

Heck, if I were leaving he scoot in public for more than a few minutes I'd take the whole bag off and either put it under the seat or take it with me.

I love the purse. Where did you get it? On-line?

Right above the picture is a link to the eBay item.