REVIEWED! RYNOX HAWK TAILBAG
I was looking for a big capacity tail bag that could literally be strapped onto my KTM Duke 390’s rear seat and could stay there forever. Apart from touring, I use the motorcycle for city commute sometimes, hence I’m asked to bring home fruit jam, milk, clothes from the dry clean, etc. when returning home from the office but I hate carrying a backpack. I basically needed a tail bag that was able to carry Diwali sweet boxes or my touring luggage, but most importantly, I preferred a tail bag that wasn’t designed keeping in mind a beautiful lady else it would be prone to being stolen! Thanks to Rynox Gears, I received their tail bag called ‘Rynox Hawk’ and decided to put it to use immediately!
First impression:
When I first saw the Rynox Hawk tail bag in pictures, it looked like a small black ugly doll stuck to the rear seat of some motorcycle. But, it actually appealed to me when I received it . The bag is like one of those hot hatches that isn’t photogenic on posters but looks nice when you see it for real. I felt that the guys at Rynox have kept a low profile in terms of appearance, but have focused well on 3 P’s- purpose, practicality and price.
One thing I was worried about was the tail bag’s mounting mechanism after watching their mounting video which involved the use of its straps and two bungee cords that are provided separately. Thankfully, I soon figured an easier way of strapping it.
The tail bag can be expanded too and comes with two expandable compartments on either sides along with one non-expandable compartment in the front. What I liked even more was the inside of the tail bag. Let me put it this way, if I was a baby, I would’ve liked sleeping inside it! The tail bag is also water resistant but you still get a waterproof cover with the bag. Good stuff!
Overview:
Ok, so Rynox claims that the Hawk tail bag’s capacity is 38 litres but when the bag is expanded, they say it is able to create a volume of 53 litres. That is humongous capacity for a tail bag that costs 3 grand (INR)! Why did they name it after a bird and not humongousaur tailbag?!
I know a lot of riders including me who expect a minimum amount of ‘quality‘ in motorcycle luggage regardless of how much they pay and frankly speaking, why shouldn’t they? I feel the Rynox Hawk isn’t a bag that one would complain about if you speak of its quality. From the locks, smooth zip movements, strap thickness to the overall finish of the bag, it checks all the qualitative criteria. It definitely feels like it is made for adventure.
The tail bag’s strapping system demands too much work to be done in order to fasten it perfectly though. As a result, I figured an easier way out to strap and fasten the tail bag whilst making sure it doesn’t move about. I’m not sure if this method would work on all motorcycles because I utilized the pannier brackets on my KTM.
On a ride, the Hawk wouldn’t bother your back much unless it is bulging with luggage and unless you’re carrying a hydration pack filled with 2 litres of water. Creating space for yourself in such an eventuality could lead to the hydration bladder being compressed and water being sprayed on your face, inside the helmet! This could prove to be a safety feature though if you ever feel sleepy on a long ride. 🙂
What I liked most about the tail bag is that it doesn’t block the tail light or the the indicators in any way. You just need to make sure the bag is strapped on tightly. There’s some motorcycle luggage coming into the market these days that ignores these little points. Also, the waterproof cover is big enough to cover the bag completely unlike many other tail/saddle bags that I’ve seen which get covered from the top only.
Here are some popular answers to Rynox hawk FAQs! 🙂
1. Does it slide about on the seat?
If the bag was a human, it would be a fat little kid but that doesn’t mean it slides to and fro, it remains planted at all times.
2. Do I use it everyday?
Yes I do! I carry stuff like charger, wrist support band, tiffin etc to the office and sometimes take some more things back home. What I don’t like is when my friends say there’s a hawk up my duke’s tail.
3. Is it ugly?
In pictures, yes! In reality, no. In other words, it’s either not very photogenic or we’ve just become used to seeing bags that have bodily features.
4. Do the zips on the tail bag sound like you’re opening a budget shaving kit?
No, these are really smooth zippers you could play around with all day in case you were jobless. And they still wont snap off.
5. Does it look like a hawk?
Nope, not in any way.
6. Does it look like a rhino?
Ermmm.. No.
7. What’s the biggest thing you can store in it?
Expand the bag and you can keep inside an 18 month old toddler! You’ll still have place for its nappies and milk bottle (Don’t try that at home or anywhere else!).
8. Can it be used for non- motorcycle travel?
Yes, it definitely can be used as a shoulder bag/sling bag since you get a sling with it. In my opinion though, it would do well as a backpack than a sling bag because the tail bag is too broad for an ideal sling bag.
9. How useful are the side pouches?
They are extremely useful to carry things like shaving kits, air compressor, puncture kit, tool kit etc.
10. Would I prefer a sleek tail bag or this?
Erm.. This!! In my case, this is like a small car’s big ugly boot, you don’t utilize all its capacity everyday but there are days when unplanned things happen and you load everything into the boot and then feel happy for buying a small car with a big ugly boot. If it was sleek, it wouldn’t have had so much space in it! 🙂
11. What if I just changed my motorcycle’s tyre and still wanted the old tyre back?
You can carry old tyre with the Hawk tail bag mounted at the back. In fact, it’s the perfect way to carry a tyre on a motorcycle!
12. Can I help transport a rescued snake using the tailbag?
Without any harm. I helped a snake wrangler friend of mine transport a Wolf Snake to a remote area so that it could be released into the wild. The snake was in a box that went into the Hawk tail bag and by looking at snake’s behavior after it was let out, I could say it wasn’t stressed. I bet you’ve never seen a snake being so safe inside a hawk. 🙂
13. How stable is the tail bag when you’re on a slushy, sandy, rocky trail?
Well, there’s hardly any difference if you’re riding off-road or on tarmac. The bag doesn’t move about or shake abruptly regardless of whether it’s full or empty, neither was it a hindrance to my bum when I stood up while trail riding.
14. Can the tailbag be improved further ?
Well firstly, a mechanism could be created where you could eliminate the straps and use only bungee cords to fasten the tailbag onto the rear seat. More bungee cords could be needed in the process but the tailbag could become a complete ‘convenience luggage’ for touring! I’m not a theoretical guy at all, but if you still wanted the definition of convenience luggage, then “it is kind of luggage that doesn’t require a rider to say things like “Oh shit! Where do I begin from?” when it comes to planting the luggage on the motorcycle, taking it off the motorcycle or extracting things from the luggage when it’s on the motorcycle!”
– A second improvement that could be implemented is that a liner can be inserted into the tail bag to make it more convenient so all that the rider has to do is remove the liner containing the luggage at the end of a ‘rideful’ day while the tail bag remains strapped onto the rear seat
— Thirdly (I think I’m just quibbling) the zip strap lock (not sure if its the correct terminology) could be replaced with another metal so that it doesn’t rust.
15. What if, all of a sudden, you meet a nice looking female friend of yours who wants a drop home but you’ve got the tail bag on the saddle?
I think this is the only instance when a rider would hate carrying motorcycle luggage on the rear seat. But in my case, I used my convincing skills and dropped her home with the Rynox Hawk on her lap. She didn’t have a good time but I’d blame the Duke’s acceleration for that. She agreed to having ice cream though when I met her without the tail bag on another day. 😉
So to end it all, I can say that the Hawk tail bag is most ideal for rides that could last a week to 10 days. For rides lasting more that that, this would still be ideal luggage provided it is partnered with saddle bags or panniers. If you’re a motorcycle tourer or an everyday rider looking for a lot of storage, practicality, convenience and are mainly wanting to get a lot of bang for the buck you pay, the Rynox Hawk could be a tail bag to consider! This checks a lot of boxes frankly.
Originally posted on DECEMBER 31, 2015 on www.GetRidingYouBum.in
