If there is anything I’ve learned about motorcycle luggage over the years it’s that most of it doesn’t live up to its promises. Its claims of being waterproof result in soggy clothes after the first rain storm. Its claims of being durable result in broken zippers or straps. Its claims of pretty much anything just fall short. Because of this I was determined to find a system for my recent around the world ride that actually lived up to its claims. A system that was truly waterproof, durable and provided something resembling organization. I found all of that in Mosko Moto, a motorcycle luggage company based out of White Salmon, Washington.
This isn’t a company I knew about previously, being a Harley guy and Mosko being more of an adventure bike oriented product our paths had no real reason to cross. It wasn’t until I did a deep dive on the internet that I stumbled across them and I’m sure glad I did. Mosko offers plenty of options when it comes to luggage but after hours of scouring there website, weighing the pros and cons of each item, I landed on the Reckless 80 as the most viable option. The Reckless is essentially a throw over type bag, which is actually 3 bags, that I could mount to the bike without the need for a rack that is typically used in a pannier style system. My motorcycle would definitely break a mounting rack like that so I knew it just wasn’t a good option. The Reckless 80 comes with 3 roll top waterproof bags. 2 of those slide into what is essentially a holster on the sides and the third fits snuggly under the beaver tail system on top. Each bag is designed to clip securely into its intended location. The only change I made was to replace the 22L top bag with there 30L duffle bag, I just found it to be a bit more functional as I wanted that top bag location for my clothes and laptop. I also opted for the aux pockets underneath to carry four 1L MSR bottles for spare fuel and oil along with 2 extra aux pockets on top for tire changing tools and a handy place to stow a camelback bladder. It took a little time to dial it in as a system like this was completely different from anything I’ve used in the past which was essentially nothing more then one giant bag with everything crammed into it. This new ability to organize my things into multiple smaller bags was quickly proving to be very convenient. In addition to the ability to organize things I also appreciated the fact that I was able to safely secure the system to the bike without any additional strapping or bungee cords. The straps provided, which are all integrated into the system, are more then effective. This resulted in a clean, safe and secure luggage setup once fully installed. So far so good on all fronts and the only thing left to do was to test it on the road.
One of the first things I noticed was that the bike actually handled better with the weight of my gear more evenly distributed. Getting some of that weight off the top of the fender and lower onto the sides made a surprising difference. Secondly, the ability to grab what I needed out of the bags without unpacking the entire bike or digging around in one giant bag saved a lot of headache along with just being faster and easier. The most glaring difference however was that when it rained everything actually stayed dry and after literally daily use over the course of almost a year on the road I only one had issue that ultimately was my fault. The holsters and the beaver tail all come with Molle panels so that you can attach extra pockets and accessories. I decided it was a good idea to strap a 6 gallon fuel tank to those Molle panels as well as to one of the loops on the top duffle while bouncing my hardtail 1300 miles down the Road of Bones. Its no surprise that I ended up tearing the loop off the bag and breaking one of the Molle straps. I honestly don’t think this would have happened on a normal bike with suspension so I don’t think its fair to blame the product. My overall assessment of the Mosko Moto Reckless 80 is that it is by far the best luggage system I have ever used. It is durable (easily handled the multiple falls I took), waterproof, organized and well secured to the motorcycle.
I know I need to write something negative about this product so it doesn’t sound like I was paid to write this, which I wasn’t, but it’s honestly hard to find a downside to this system. After nearly 40,000 miles of living on the back of my motorcycle under some pretty harsh conditions the bags are essentially like knew. Sure, they are filthy and beginning to fade a little but none of the functionality has been lost other then the molle straps I broke and one mounting buckle that also broke along the Road of Bones. I reiterate however that my motorcycle abuses the Hell out of everything and that I don’t think either of these things would have broken on a typical suspended bike. So, if you are in the market for gear such as this check out MoskoMoto.com, I’m sure you’ll find something that works for you.
