If you’re a trackday regular or you’re into trials, trail riding or MX then you know how useful it is to have all your kit in one place.
A motorcycle gear bag is a great item to have in the house or the garage too, keeping all your kit in one place, neatly packed away and easy to move around.
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Kit Bags: A quick intro
If you’re into foreign track days, you’ll be familiar with the pallet you’re given to load your bike, tyres and kit on to. The whole lot is then wrapped in cling film and forklifted onto a lorry which heads for sunny (you hope!) climes. When loading and unloading, it makes sense to have your kit in one place, good to go.
A good kit bag should be able to carry all of your gear, including your helmet and will feature a couple of compartments to separate your boots from your leathers and so on. It’ll be made from tough nylon material to deal with scrapes and the high-spec one will have an extendable carry handle and wheels, to make it easy to move around.
In this guide, we’ve picked our two favourites and also listed other great options for more budget-conscious bikers or real style-mongers. If you need a kit bag for your bike gear, we’ve got a good set of options for you.
The Best Biker Kit Bags
Best, in this context, is subjective. Because we don’t all want to carry the same amount of stuff. But for most bikers, with a full set of gear, you’ll need a large and sturdy bag. That’s why the two kit bags below get our vote.
Tough, spacious and practical
Alpinestars know a thing or two about luggage. With a 150L capacity, this Komodo kit bag is huge. It’ll carry a full set of leathers, under leathers, back protector, gloves and a lid in the main compartment with room to spare for a weekend’s clothing. There’s a separate boot compartment too. It also features a telescopic carry handle, wheels and multiple tough nylon carry handles.
Heavy-duty kitbag packed with features
OGIO specialise in luggage. This suitcase features a telescopic pull handle and sturdy wheels. The 123 Litre suitcase features a large main compartment with several dividers for simple and efficient storage. It’ll easily carry all your trackday kit. It comes complete with secure dual zip fastenings throughout and two strong, adjustable buckle straps to keep your valuables safe.
The cheapest motorcycle kit bag
There are hundreds of cheap large bags out there but not all of them will be up to the job.
If you want a no-frills bag to cart your motorcycle gear around then this Bike It Motocross Kit bag will do the job. At 90-litres it’s big enough to carry a road-riders trackday kit and it has three compartments – but you’ll struggle to get a lid in there too.
This Surfanic Maxim Roller Bag is a great choice, It’s 100-litres in size, features a telescopic handle, wheels, internal compartments and compression straps.
Anatomy of a good motorcycle travel bag
- Size: You'll need a big bag to carry all your bike gear. If you want to fit all your trackday kit, then you'll need a bag that's 85-litres minimum. If you want to comfortably carry your lid too, then you'll need 100-litres. The Dainese bag pictures is 120 litres.
- Wheels: These bags are big and quite heavy when full, so even though you could carry it by your side or lug it over your shoulder, you'll be grateful for a bag with wheels.
- Telescopic handle: Not all bags with wheels have a telescopic handle but if it does have one it'll be a lot easier to move around and save you having to stoop and drag it along.
- Solid base: A bag with a plastic or PU base will take a lot more abuse and will better protect your kit. If you're travelling through an airport with your kit bag, you want to protect against baggage handlers throwing it around.
- Compartments: Some of the higher-spec kitbags like the Alpinestars Komodo have a separate compartment for your boots and other bags have internal compartments, some of which are adjustable to stop your kit from sloshing around.
- External pockets: It's always handy to have an external pocket to allow you to quickly access your wallet, travel docs, etc.
- Quality zips: If the zips aren't quality, they'll be the first things on your bag to break, so make sure they're a good brand, like YKK.
- Supporting straps: Adjustable buckle straps are a useful way to keep the physical size of your bag down, keep the contents in place and also take pressure from the zips.
How big a bag do you need?
The size of the kit bag you need will depend on the type of riding you’re doing and whether or not you have another bag for your clothes.
These are my best guess estimates for a comfortable packing experience, rather than having to rope in your other half to kneel on your bag while you wrestle with the zip…
Trackday rider + Helmet + Casual clothing: 140-litres
Trackday rider + Helmet: 120-litres
Trackday rider: 85-litres
MX / Trials rider + Boots + Helmet: 100-litres
MX / Trials rider + Boots: 85-litres
Travel bag top tips
If you can afford it, you really want to budget for a wheeled motorcycle bag. All your trackday kit and the bag itself will weigh in at around 20kg. Do you really want to be lugging that around the airport?
If you're doing a foreign trackday with a few mates, think about your hire car size. Three riders with 3 motorcycke kit bags will not fit in a Fiat 500!
Quality brands like Ogio come with a warranty, covering you for wear and tear. Often this warranty is up to 3 years but check with your manufacturer before purchasing.
A quality bag will weight anywhere between 4 and 6kg, so factor that in when working out your travel baggage allowances.
The competition
Bike-It Motocross Bag – 90-litre bag, two end compartments and main compartment, carry handles and a shoulder strap.
Dainese D-Rig travel bag – 123-litre capacity, telescopic handle and trolley wheels, internal helmet compartment, adjustable dividers, secure compression strap system.
Helly Hansen Trolley Bag – 95-litre capacity, wheels and a telescopic handle, multiple internal compartments and quick access pockets.
IXS Racetown Trolley Bag – 128-litre capacity, telescopic handle, wheels, internal compartments and external pockets.
Spidi Rider Bag – 82-litre capacity, telescopic handle and wheels, PU base, large opening and supporting strap. A tight squeeze with a lid but if you prefer to carry your lid separately, this is a great choice.
