ViaTerra Rapide review – Saddlebags for everyone!

Disclaimer: I work with ViaTerra, I am ViaTerra, so please take this review as an opinion you simply cannot trust. I’m writing this only because I can’t stop the itch to do so. 

I hadn’t used the ViaTerra Rapide saddlebags before my latest trip, ever. That’s pretty weird, considering the fact that I work there. While I was planning the Hyderabad – Mumbai – Pune – Bangalore – Hyderabad ride, I had made up my mind to ride with a set of bags that I had never ridden with before.

As much as I may hate Royal Enfields, I haven’t humped any of them much. I wanted to put my mouth where my mouth is, wanted to do this 2500 km ride on a Bullet 500. That would’ve allowed me to test out the ViaTerra Leh saddlebags, one of ViaTerra’s most popular product. My Duke 390 was in pretty bad shape, the battery was dying, the chain set was dead, and the fork seals were half past dead. But then just one word was enough for me to NOT do this ride on an RE. 

PUNCTURE.

Long distance touring is a lot about confidence in your machine. There’s plenty of shit to worry about, and the last thing you want is to be scared that something as small as a puncture that can fuck up your ride for good. I had the choice between a good as new Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm, or an old, limping, 40,000 kms old KTM Duke 390.

It’s rather obvious what I chose.

Now came the question of bags. I had already done more than 25,000 kms with the ViaTerra Velox. The sample piece that they sent me for review must’ve been cursing the day it was born. The Leh isn’t really meant for bikes with monoshocks, which left only one option to pick up, the ViaTerra Rapide.

Full on rain!

Full on Sun 🙁

The Rapide is a universal saddlebag system that’s meant to fit on any motorcycle. The design is such that it stays as far away from the rear tire as it can, and also leaves enough of the rear seat to tie something else that you may want to tug along. So I plundered the ViaTerra factory, picked up a black Rapide, along with a prototype tailbag that I wanted to test, and off I went laughing like a witch. Here’s my ViaTerra Rapide review which I repeat, you should totally not trust.

ViaTerra Rapide review – Capacity (8/10):

Quite impressive! The 38 liters are well distributed over various pockets to ensure that you don’t end up with a sack full of snakes at the end of a ride, something that happens with the Claw. You have your main compartment that opens from the top, which is nice since side-opening bags are really messy to handle. There’s a big zippered pocket outside on each bag, where I kept my bike papers, extra key, ear plugs, balaclava, tissue paper, and a whole bunch of other shit.

There are 2 mesh bottle pockets, one on each bag, with straps to keep the 1 liter bottle it can carry from flying away. The water did get unbearably hot though, but the stupid weather is to blame for that. I was carrying my GoPro bag, my camera bag, clothes, undies, contact lens shit, and some other stuff in the bag, and it was still comfortably empty. I think for the next version, we’ll try to add a few more smaller pockets. What happens is that tiny items like memory cards slide down the outer pocket, and it’s a pain to catch them again. A smaller zippered pocket should make things easier.

Ease of use (8/10):

Oh this bag is kick-ass for that! I am a monumentally lazy guy, and I don’t want to spend anymore than 30 seconds to mount or dismount my luggage. With the Rapide, all you have to do is get the initial settings right, and from there on forward it’s just simple slide in/slide out fun.

First step is to optimize the separation of the bags, by using the 2 wide straps that connect them. Make sure it’s not too tight, but just enough that the bags aren’t swinging from side to side. Next up comes the rear tail strap, which you must tighten properly around the rear light. And you are done!

Next time when you want to load the bag, just slide it in from behind like in a BDSM porno. Once done, tie the double-D ring straps on the pegs, like in a BDSM porno. All that’s left is to enjoy the hassle-free fun of riding, unlike a BDSM porno, where that can get pretty annoyingly disgusting.

Looks (6/10):

Not too good, especially on a Duke. The 390’s tail is too far away from the tire, which means that the Rapide hangs out like saggy old boobs. I don’t think there’s much we can do to improve that, because that’s the price you have to pay to make a bag a universal fit.

The good news is that if you are like me, you are pretty OK with giving up on aesthetics as long as it helps you in functionality. The other good news is that it doesn’t look that hideous on every bike. I’ve seen it on a CBR250R, and it looks quite kick-ass. If you are planning to get it, try it before you buy it.

Comfort (9/10):

Brilliant! I hate bags that keep sliding forward on our beautifully destroyed roads. I am a tourer, and I can’t be bothered with checking if the bags are still there every time I go over a goddamned speed breaker or pothole. Once you spend the 30 seconds to mount the bags properly, they ain’t going nowhere. You can jump off a cliff for all it cares, the bags will stay even if you die.

Although I like the Rynox Nomad V2 saddlebags, they are a bit too long for my liking. Add that to the especially tiny seat on a Duke 390, and what you end up with is the Nomad making a home inside your knees. The Rapide, although smaller in capacity, never troubles you while you are busy. Add to that the nifty carrying handles, and it’s a breeze to move it around off the bike, unlike the Nomad.

Me in the rare good mood.

The best part is that since they aren’t too hefty, there’s space for the pillion to sit on, as well as rest their feet on the pegs. Although I have to say that I never really enjoy riding with a pillion, and Duke’s rear seat is a certified torture device, it’s always good to have the option, if only for a few kilometers. Since it’s a saddlebag, you an always tie a tailbag on the rear seat, or use a tankbag as a tailbag, or just tie a dead body there with bungee cords.

No problem that enough bungees can’t solve.

Waterproofing:

Unfortunately, can’t tell you much about that. I’m so lazy, that for this trip I thought I won’t even carry rain covers. It was the middle of fricking summer man, what’s the point? I’ve seen a lot of people use the rain covers as dust covers, but as you may have deducted from my super dirty riding gear and luggage, I can’t be bothered with that.

As it turns out, my trip involved running away from rain at a number of occasions. Day 1 involved getting drenched in renegade rain just outside of Pune. Mumbai to Bangalore stretch was a complete game of hide and seek with showers. Bangalore city itself involved quite a few skirmishes. And the return ride from Bangalore to Hyderabad was simply a one-sided match of me against giant black clouds. Even though I wasn’t carrying rain covers, the bags still did a rather good job of keeping the important stuff dry. That does not mean that the bags are by default waterproof, but that they can handle mild showers with relative ease.

Build quality (10/10):

There are certain things you come to know about ViaTerra only when you are inside, and there’s no way I can’t tell you enough how irritatingly anal these people can be about quality. Millimeters matter, half a degree is too much angle, double stitching is not enough. I always admired the build quality of ViaTerra bags, even when I didn’t work with them, but now that I can see how insanely, almost obsessively particular they are about things, I sometimes feel out of place.

Rain? Why not park inside a bus stop?

The Rapide is no different. You got triple stitching on stress holding points, plastic reinforcement on corners, YKK hardware, denier fabric and the works. I can go on and on, but you gotta see it for yourself.

It feels nice to work with people who know their shit.

ViaTerra Rapide review – Verdict (8/10):

The Rapide is, in my opinion, the finest universal saddlebag system available. The size is optimum, it’s built like a tank, and at 2900 bucks, it’s rather underpriced.

There are of course things that can be improved, creators are never satisfied with their creations, which is why Rapide V2.0 is in the pipeline. But for now, if you don’t feel like worrying about the fit and finish of your motorcycle luggage, the Rapide is as close to perfection as you’ll get.

Disclaimer: I work with ViaTerra, I am ViaTerra, so please take this review as an opinion you simply cannot trust. I’m writing this only because I can’t stop the itch to do so.