Just had an email telling me SW Motech have launched a new range of Pro tank bags, with upgrades such as molle webbing etc
I have the older generation with the same system but it''s not magnetic and I can't speak highly enough. Only reason I won't be getting the new ones is it'll mean changing the tank ring and also will make my current bag obsolete. But if these are anything like the slightly older ones they'll be fantastic.
Have had one of the micros for several months now. The magnets are a good addition, you can almost throw the tankbag on and it self locates and locks in. I added a molle phone holder to the top panel for when we're on alpine roads stopping taking photos every 1/2 mile and I can't be arsed using the quadlock.
Is this system better than the Givi tank ring system ?
Yes and no. The Givi are unlocked by a rotating triangular latch / lever kinda thing on the tank ring area of the bag, or at least my last one was. The bigger bags might be different. The Sw-Motech (in my case the new Pro version with Micro bag) has a pull strap located at the front of the tank bag. For me with an Africa twin, which has a curiously short gap between headstock and tank filler, this means inserting your hand into that gap and doing a kind of Masonic handshake with the damn thing. So, in a nutshell, the Givi is easier to remove in my experience. That said, my tank bag lives on the bike and is rarely removed, and on other bikes than the Africa twin it will likely not be such a faff. It also means if the bike is parked up and someone tries to casually make off with my tank bag, I will likely have returned and beaten them to a bloody pulp before they remove the Sw-Motech. So that’s a plus.
Givi seems to be a bit cheaper too. I did wince a bit when I added the SW-Motech to my basket and hit Continue. When it landed and I started using it, I forgot all about the expense so the quality does shine through.
The sw-motech is better built, both the tank ring which is solid, and the bag which is really well made. Not that the Givi aren’t well made but this does seem better still. It’s been superb and I would definitely buy another. It’s just a shame that the Africa twin is so limited for space ruling out most of the range otherwise I would buy another larger one for touring.