Magnetic Purse Reality

I pity the fool with a plastic gas tank. Is there any greater motorcycle invention than the magnetic tank bag, I ask you? The gracious Brad Banister, formerly Brad Banister Press Duke of Yamaha, gave me this one as a token of corporate esteem at the launch of the original R6, circa 1998, at Phillip Island, Australia. I keep waiting for somebody else to give me a new one, but nobody ever does. No worries. This one's gray now, but it used to be black, and there used to be a map window on top; a weiner dog may have consumed it? Before this one, I had a smaller, more stylish Honda magnetic bag for quite a while that I also loved dearly. No idea what happened to it, but I suspect the Ex, who liked to make my favorite things randomly disappear. More than once I've seen homeless people in a favorite shirt or shoes of mine. I never tried it, but I bet a magnetic tank bag would be perfect to accessorize a shopping cart. By the way, anybody seen my giant beer stein, lifted from the actual Munich Hofbrauhaus? Not an easy thing to get, and too big to lose. Water under the bridge I guess....

Anyway, some of the zippers on this R6 bag are shot, but there's still enough Velcro to maintain structural integrity and contain most reasonable loads. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, why not a few bananas... and the top expands if you need more, all while maintaining your mass centralization. Going somewhere overnight? Throw in clean undies, a hoodie and a toothbrush and you've just converted a bike like my trusty 2000 R1 into a Sport Touring machine, with a perfect pillow to lean upon while grinding out the miles. Yank it right off when you get there, no straps or buckles to putz with, nothing to flap in the breeze or get stuck in your triple-trees. I also think magnetic bags are easier on paint, too; they don't move around at all.

I really couldn't live without this thing. Oh look, Yamaha still sells 'em, and only $63.52. Deflation at work: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/accessories/acscitemdetail/5/6/183/1186/all/1/494/0/detail.aspx

Honda may sell one, too, but I haven't got all morning to decipher their website. A little Google action is all you need to find a bunch of these handy bags, of course.

—John Burns