BMW Motorrad Sport 2 Bags - Comparison

May 24, 2013Ricardo Perez

Large BMW Motorrad Bag

My brother and I just happen to have the two BMW Motorrad Sport 2 luggage bags so here's a side-by-side comparison of the two. The obvious difference is the size, but there's more to it than that.

Size: The bigger tail bag is 55 liter capacity while the smaller one has a capacity of 30 liters and can expand an additional 6 liters for a total of 36 liters. For us non-metric guys that about 14.5 gallon capacity in the larger one and 9.5 in the smaller one. The larger one will easily fit a helmet and more stuff. I was able to fit my Schuberth C3 in XL size in the small bag. It's a snug fit but it fits even without expanding the bag.

Pockets: The larger one has two sealed zipper pockets on the sides. I use one side pocket for my wires, phone, connectors, sunglasses case, etc. and the other side pocket for my tums, sun screen, vitamins, BMW MOA directory, etc. There is a neat smaller rear pocket where I keep my important papers such as title, registration, and insurance as well as gas receipts. Then there are two other pockets on front and back which hold the carrying handles, but they are zippered so they can hold my Plexiglas cleaner and towel and other stuff that you don't need on every stop. On top is a clear pocket for a map. It can hold two unfolded sections of a typical highway map (ie - Texas map) so that's neat. It's also neat to see a map other than my Garmin Zumo screen, kind of a kickback to the old days when paper maps were the only thing and it's nice to glance at the map to see what's in the area that you might want to visit. This is my favorite pocket. I also stick my State and National Park permits in there so they're in plain site for the rangers. Last, but not least is the biggest pocket which is the main storage. You access it by the double zippers that open the flap where the map pocket it at, but it's not part of the map pocket so that stays undisturbed. Inside is enough space to easily hold a sleeping bag, shaving kit, rain gear, cold riding gear such as a heated vest, with plenty of room left over for a few days worth of clothing. It's also has a neat bag type strap that you can pull shut, like a laundry bag, which is an added protection against rain water. I took it out on a short trip across west Texas and we had a slight rain, but nothing to really test the water resistance of the main compartment or the side pockets. I would venture that they are fairly good. During this three day trip I had everything in this bag and left the side saddle bags for my tool kit, air pump, and for storing my helmet during restaurant stops.

The smaller bag has five pockets. Each side has thin pockets that can hold smaller items. On one side I carry extra straps and at times a small 4 oz flask (for emergency use only) and the other side I normally carry my phone and an extra handkerchief. There is additional room in each of these pockets. The back of the bag - the side facing to the rear - has a small pocket that holds a phone or multitool. The remaining small pocket is on the lid of the bag, i.e., the top of the main compartment. It's the largest of the smaller pockets. I carry papers and other small items in this pocket. It gets used at nearly every stop. Then there is the main compartment. Like the larger bag this compartment also has the waterproof draw bag inside. Each side of the inside has a cord loop so that you can tie the waterproof bag out of the way thus keeping the top open for easy access. I have yet to use the draw string. All the pockets are water resistant. The small bag holds much more than I thought it would. In the main compartment I carry a micro cloth, Corbin seat cover, rain pants, rain jacket, BMW mid weight waterproof gloves, windbreaker, baseball cap, water bottle, and an extra item or two with still some room to spare. My logic is that if I hit rain while on the road I only need to access this bag and do not have to deal with the saddle bags.

Zippers: The zippers are rubber lined self sealing so as to resist water penetration. As stated above, all pockets are water resistant with the main compartment having a waterproof liner inside which is attached to the bag. It stays in place but can be tied wide open to allow fast, easy access to the main pocket.

Reflective Material: Reflective material exists on both sides of the bags and on the rear facing side also.

Straps & Mounting: The Sport Bag 2 comes with three sets of straps. There are 2 long, 2 medium, and 2 short straps included with the bag. You can probably make either of the longer straps work but I use the two small straps and two medium straps regardless if I mount the small bag on the passenger seat or the luggage rack. They are the perfect size for mounting on my RT. If you mount the bag on the seat the bag has a backrest built in that works rather nicely but it looks much better mounted on the rear rack. In addition, because of the straps on the bottom that hook on the back rack, it is in my opinion that it's a much more secure mounting.

Workmanship & Materials: The bags look first rate. I have over 3,000 miles on the small bag and it looks new and once mounted I have not had to adjust any straps. The bags carry a 2 year BMW warranty.

Conclusion: The larger bag is great for long trip simply because of the additional capacity and I would definitely want this bag on those week-long trips. The smaller bag has the advantage of being mounted on the passenger pillion and serves as a nice back rest whereas the larger one cannot be mounted there because it will rub on the saddle bags. The larger bag also obscures a small part of your rear view vision. The smaller bag just looks neat and sleek and the bigger one looks like what it is, 'a big bag'. So depending on your riding style you have two good options. I (tsp) replaced my Touratech Flat tank bag with the small Sport 2 Bag and really like it. Where the tank bag had everything mixed together in one compartment I can now separate those items into 5 different pockets thus all my common use stuff is much better organized.

tsp rating: ********** 9.5/10 (Down pour testing pending)