I recalled that my buddy Keith, over in California, was looking for a tail bag for his BMW K1200RS. I checked with him and "Why yes," he'd love some free luggage. Go figure. Anyway, He selected the "Motorcycle Tunnel Seat Luggage" from the Viking site and in due course it arrived here in Arizona for my inspection. I looked it over carefully and once again was impressed with how much quality Viking puts into their products for a very modest price, in this case $109. After some photos back into the box the bag went and off to California for Keith's evaluation and use.
At right, Keith's K1200RS out at Vasquez Rocks in the California desert. If they look familiar, Vasquez Rocks has been a shooting location for many TV shows and movies including Star Trek. If you remember a scene in Star Trek where Captain Kirk rolls a boulder onto a lizard-like alien called a Gorn, this would be the general location.
Keith is a former aerospace test engineer and and I'm a retired automotive test engineer so between the two of us we can raise pickyness to a fine art but we didn't find much to be picky about with this bag. About the worst thing we could find wrong was that it has a strong "plastic" odor when you open it up but a day of sitting open in the sun took care of that.
The bag comes with a variety of tie-down options and tie-down points including a fabric base that can be secured to the bike so the bag can be quick detached and carried like luggage. Keith still struggled to attached it well to his BMW. The smooth, plastic design of the back of the Beemer didn't give a lot of tie point but with a bit of creativity he got it done. The bag also has a carry handle and strap and Keith commented Once the bag was off, it has a good, comfortable luggage style handle much like a suitcase handle."
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Mounting base, assorted straps, and a rain cover |
The bag looks good on the BMW, it blends in about as well as can be expected. No one ever accused Keith of being a style maven but he still didn't want something that looks like a big kludge lashed onto the back of an otherwise fine looking machine.
You can't see it in the photo but the bottom of the bag is tunnel shaped to allow it to slight fit over a normal seat. This helps the bag stay more secure and less likely to slip off to one side.
One of the things Keith told me he really appreciated was the low profile of the bag, it makes it a little easier to get one's leg up and over when getting on and off the bike and doesn't catch him in the back or but even if the bag is over-stuffed.
Space, the final frontier:


The Viking bag has eight or nine different storage compartments for your sundries. It's nice to be able to compartmentalize your travel junk rather than fish around in the bottom of one big cavernous bag.
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Some, not all, of the compartments |
I'll let Keith sum it up since he's been using the bag for a month or so now: "For the money the bag sells for, the size, and versatility, I think it’s an excellent bag" and "...The more I used it, the better I liked it."