Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

Approved!

This is going to be nice.

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

Suggest to also read up the reviews of this bag on riderzone. This is not recommended as per that review.

Post launch of Velox. It has been the best one for Duke & This Aug Viaterra is launching a tail bag which would integrate with velox and have that pattern as well. Capacity 32 L. Expandable to 40 L...

Sent from my GT-N7100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

Thanks for the approval Divya! Vinay, I suggest you read the complete review first!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Part 1: Product Overview, Features, Accessories, Price

Features:Price Tag


Shoulder Straps



Side Pockets




Compartment to neatly bundle the mounting straps




Simple but sturdily stitched mounting straps


Handy little pocket at the back




Specifications:

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!


Must say, this bag is a lot VFM and all thanks to [MENTION=41586]Divya Sharan[/MENTION] for guiding me to buy it! It is quite rugged but i have to say, for carrying a camera, this bag needed a bit more cushioning specially at the bottom, as that is why this bag is meant for.
Also the part i've quoted regarding the "handy packet at the bottom", is meant for a rain cover for the bag. Did you receive it? Cause when i was buying the bag, the guy had forgotten to put in the cover which he had removed out for some reason. Had to go back to get it all the way! Very thoughtful of you in starting a thread regarding this topic!

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

Vinay..thanks for that link. But dude, that is for the Fly. And here I am reviewing the Fly GT. Both are quite different bags and target different users. Kindly hold your horses bro! More is to come. Biased or not, it is for the readers to decide - the actual usage review is yet to come.

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

Ok done horses held 😊

Sent from my GT-N7100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Part 2: Mounting/Dismounting the bag

Part 2: Mounting/Dismounting the bag

The bag has a 3 strap retention system that works nicely. 2 straps go on either side of the tank, wrapping around the gaps in the footrest holders (L&R). The other strap is to be wrapped around the frame part between the tank and the handlebar stem. Take care not to pull the strap over the clutch, accelerator cable(s) and the electrical wire(s) composite. It puts undue stress on the cables, resulting in decreased life of those. Snuggle in the strap from below/beneath the cables instead. It also will give you a firmer clasp of the retention strap. Pulling and tightening this single strap prevents lateral movement of the bag on the tank. There is no question of any horizontal movement if the straps have been well fastened using the fantastic simple yet effective "D-Rings".

With all the safety equipment you'd be wearing especially gloves - it becomes a bit hassle when one has to untie the upper strap to get access to the petrol cap. I think that is one compromise that one has to make with every tank bag. But a few hundred kilometres into the ride and I had already adjusted to this. Gradually I learnt that I could gain access to the filler cap just by lightly loosening the strap around the handlebar support stem, slide the bag downwards towards a little left/right and voila! You have access to the petrol cap. Not to mention that it prevents a whole lot of super fine dust and water entering the tank! That surely is a relief for long distance riders.


Challenges faced while mounting on Hero Hunk



One big 'problem' that surfaced when I was trial mounting the bag(s) - Fly GT and Claw was the construction of the footrest holders of the Hunk. The gaps are smooth and rounded from the exterior but behind, the edges are sharp as a knife! That alarmed me and the way it would put cutting stress on the straps would surely mean disaster for my Viaterra GT and Claw. Long rides accelerate product damage by leaps and bounds. I used small strips of paper tape/finishing tape of 'cover' those edges and make them more rounder. Also, I cut sections from a discarded but good motorcycle tube and passed the straps through them. You can check the pictures for reference. These tube sections now acted as a barrier against the constant rubbing of the strap on the sharp edges and also eliminated any chance of snapping of the straps due to the friction! Nice DIY there! Post ride, I patted myself for that ingenuine idea there! :P The final result of this? The straps are as good as new post completion of the ride. The Velcro on the straps ends are a simple but extremely effective design feature that prevents loose strap ends from hanging around causing a potential disaster of any sort. 4 thumbs up to Viaterra for that!


Tube sections cut and the straps were put through









Even though underneath the bag, there is soft material, I used a soft clean cotton cloth on which I mounted the bag on. Long distance riding accelerates damage/scratches by leaps and bounds - therefore this step. Inspite of taking such extreme care of the tank, a small plastic chain end was silently moving on a small portion of the left scoop (on which the words HUNK gleam boldly); I had not seen that and it left a slight 'ring' like scratch mark on the scoop's paint. This is the same zipper which is used to close the strap(s) holding compartment on the backside of the bag. So you need to take care of that.


Notice the upper red arrow: Shows the long cut section of the tube used to secure the claw underneath the mudguard to prevent any cutting stress on the straps!
The lower arrow shows the tube sections in the gap of the footrest holder assembly and the mounting straps through.



You can mount the Fly GT as a tail bag also. Since I was already carrying the very versatile Claw, I did not require the Fly GT to be mounted on the tail section of the motorcycle.

Capacity

Part 3: Capacity

Viaterra Fly GT Loaded:


Things I had packed inside the Fly GT:
(* Sizes are approximate, for your guidance only)


1. A diary (215mm x 160 mm x 25 mm) and few pens, pencils, 1 ruler (small)
2. A 25 tissue, wet tissue pack.
3. My Raincoat set (this was taken out from the Claw and accommodated in the Fly GT for the sake of convenience in taking it out)
4. Sunscreen Lotion - 1 bottle 190mm
5. Moisturizer Lotion - 1 bottle 198 mm
6. Lip balm -1
7. Comb
8. Motorcycle documents + ID proof photocopies
9. Tissues - random number
10. Electral packs - at least 5 at any given point of time.
10. My kit bag - 240mm x 130mm x 90mm (fully blown)
11. Sun-glass Cover - 160mm x 65mm x 30mm (Hard)
12. Deo Bottle - 142mm x 50mm(dia.)
13. Few happy dent chewing gums, 100g hard candies
14. Sony Cybershot Digital Camera
15. A packet with chargers - Mobile charger, camera battery charger, spare keys, Camera data cable, spare memory cards, etc.*
16. My helmet cover/soft bag inside the little chain at the bottom of the bag! That's what's called efficient space management!
17. The rain-cover of the Fly GT itself.

*the charger packet was replaced with the raincoat in places where I expected rain.


One thing that has to be kept in mind is that it isn't a DSLR bag. Therefore, I could pack in most essential and handy items inside the FLY GT without having to worry about DSLR. Anyway, I wasn't carrying a DSLR (my biggest regret ) And it served me perfectly well for nearly a month. Again, this is not a very big tank bag. Comparing Fly GT to the Rynox (I haven't used it) at least from the reviews isn't fair. Though both are tank bags, this is more suitable for a moderate packing WITHOUT a DSLR whereas people have loaded a hell lot more into a Rynox. But this surely is a VFM considering its price point, utility and the ability to fit a metal as well as a non-metal tank.

A key to packing right and packing well it to NOT just throw in stuff that you need but arrange them and keep them in places/gaps from where it can be easily accessible. e.g. the digicam was kept close to the chain and not underneath the pile of stuff because for obvious reasons of convenience. I pack very judiciously and manage gaps inside a luggage system quite well. That helps maintain a consistent looking bag rather than a ill-fitted bag with things trying to poke out/break free from within. Damages your bag as well! Take your pick.

Re: Viaterra Fly GT Review: The 7000km Sun, Sand, Snow and Rain review!

One query, if you try to fit cloths (t-shirts, jeans etc) how many can you fit in this ?
I know this isn't a big one, but still it would be nice if we could stuff 3-4 pieces of clothing in it.

Stability test & All weather testing

Part 4: Stability test

This ride saw the stability being tested for 7000 kms in any weather condition that you're likely to get anywhere else in this incredible country. However, owing to sheer cubic capacity+power limitations of otherwise fantastic 150cc mill (Hero Hunk) it could not be tested over speeds of 117kmph. Though I doubt anyone (other than the saddlesore target-ers) manages to maintain "AVERAGE" speeds of above 80kmph (on ANY bike) in such a long trip. (I am not talking of top speeds here; experienced riders will understand the concept of "AVERAGE" speeds). Anyway, coming back to the stability part - this was fairly stable throughout the 20 days that the ride was for. I experienced the cross-winds of the strongest kinds (on NH1 in Punjab) on my return journey when I was doing over 95kmph and the sudden cross-winds pushed me and before I realized what was happening, I had already "jumped" 2 lanes onto the right most lane!!! That freaked me out and I immediately lowered my speeds to <70kmph!


The Fly GT did move along but was slightly out of alignment; it had slightly moved to the right side of the tank. A slight push to the centre of the tank and it was all normal again. However, I did have to pull the straps and tightly secure the bag again.

There is little 'sliding' movement of the bag as such. Proper fastening is therefore very important. However, over a constant ride of few hundred kilometers, the single strap was becoming a bit 'loose' and could be just pulled and tightened on the run. That was nothing alarming or stopping the bike for. Neither was it 'hanging' to one side as such. It is just my knack for keeping things arranged properly that I used to check the mounting everytime I stopped somewhere. Be it the centre stand or side stand - the bag was as stable as it was on the run. Even on broken roads, loose gravel, sand, snow and heavy jerking the bag had little horizontal movement. Sometimes it was annoying though. Nevertheless it was never a problem to stop riding or lose sleep over for.




Part 5: All weather testing

A: Sun

Right from when I started from my hometown, till I entered Udhampur (J&K), the Fly GT was subject to extreme heat and intense sunlight. The 52 degrees heat on concrete at Etawa had me hunting for some shade; nevertheless the heat wave was still there. It was enough to damage any ordinary bag by gradually 'melting' the cheap plastic, rubber parts/layers, etc. But nothing of that sort happened with the Fly GT. Surely the contents inside the main compartment were considerably 'hot' but again, this is not a ice box!? It did it's job as a medium sized tank-bag more than perfectly.


B: Sand/Dust


It goes without saying that Ladakh, Manali, some in Jharkhand, U.P. routes are the dustiest that you'll ever find elsewhere. The all pervasive dust in these regions get into about everything. Good luck with 'breathing' if you happen to tail a 4 wheeler, esp a truck on such broken routes - It is like riding blind in endless clouds of super fine dust, spraying sand and hurtling chips and pebbles. Of course, by the time I called off my ride for the day, the Viaterra Fly GT would resemble a bag dipped in ancient dust from the Egyptian pyramids! On one such leg, I had forgotten to zip close the right side pocket of the GT after using my sunscreen and sure enough the pocket had some gravel and dust inside. But not so much as to cause a panic. A mere shake and wiping with a cloth was good enough to make it as good as a new piece. The maximum dust density was seen on seams, joints, buckle areas and the zippers. Operating zippers with dust can damage them. No matter how good quality the zippers are.


One way to avoid such a situation is to have the luggage covered with the provided rain cover always. But as I mentioned earlier, the dust gets into about everything - BUT the bag. Even though there was so much of dust on the bag, the inside was perfectly sealed off and that gave me the biggest relief w.r.t. luggage management. What viaterra could have done is to incorporate zipper covers into the design of the bags. Having said that, that would be no guarantee to dust proof the zippers and may spoil the clean looks of the system as such. One method that I use to keep my zippers free of dust is to dip a soft toothbrush in clean water and brush the zippers with it. I hold the zippers with a cloth inside so that the toothbrush does not wet the space inside. It is effective and has served me well for quite some years now.


One thing that I always used to ensure when stopping after a hard day's ride was to wipe/dust the luggage with clean, damp cloth. I like my things clean and shiny and that care was extended to the Viaterra Fly GT and the Claw as well. This ritual was followed for every single day throughout the 20 day ride. I sincerely believe that with proper maintenance anything that you own will surely serve you for a prolonged period. The Fly GT and the Claw were happy to reciprocate their appreciation by offering me with the best that I could ask for while riding and securely keeping my stuff.


C: Rain


On my return journey, I had planned to start from Manali as early as possible to avoid the tourist-y rush on the winding hill roads. But as my bad luck would have it, the 3:30 a.m. alarm saw me witnessing heavy rains. I waited in vain for the rains to subside but it showed no signs to wither down. Staying cooped up in the room at Manali for the day wasn't an option and I had to start at 7:00a.m. irrespective weather rains had stopped or not. Nowhere but here was the Fly GT to be tested for heavy rains on its rain-proofing abilities. I took out the rain cover of the GT (and the CLAW), wrapped my luggage securely and set out towards Delhi. And believe me, it was one of the nastiest rains I had ever ridden in. With very less visibility, fog and icy rains I continued. It stopped completely only near Bilaspur. And that it when I stopped for a brunch break and some stretching. Surprise! Surprise! barring the straps, nothing else had got wet by even a drop of rain. The Fly GT was as dry as when I started from Manali. The rain cover of the GT is IMO is a tad thicker in construction as compared to the Claw's rain-cover and did not allow even a single drop of rain to seep through.

I got heavy rains with strong cross-winds again near Karnal and yet again, the Fly GT passed with flying colours! Trust me there is nothing annoying and heartbreaking to see your luggage wet and soaking especially when on a solo motorcycle trip.


D: Snow
The Fly GT was lucky enough to have been tested in snowing conditions. It was very early in the morning and it was drizzling when I started out from Karu towards Manali. I experienced moderate snowfall with super dense fog and heavy winds near the top of the Tanglang La pass. The visibility was barely 10 meters and I had to stop to prevent a near frost bite situation. More on that on my blog!

The rain cover was on the Fly GT and neither the snow, drizzle or the high winds managed to ruffle trouble it it any way. The contents inside the bag were snug and dry. This gave me a lot of satisfaction and relief.

Part 6: Rain Cover review

Part 6: Rain Cover review




Nifty little strap holds the cover together and ensures that the cover does not flutter. Incidentally, the quality of the rain cover of the FLY GT feels better than the Claw!



The rain cover has a quality that gets your work done - no nonsense style. Even in the heavy rains, no water went past the first barrier of the cover. Still, I doubt whether it will be able to withstand heavy rains in when the bike is at a standstill position. However, do note that it does not encapsulate the complete bag - it is just a elastic bordered cover with a holding strap that goes beneath the bag. Therefore little water is bound to make the strap areas a little wet - that too in very heavy rains. Faired bikes having windscreens will see this effect at a minimum.

Part 7: Post ride pics

Part 7: Post ride pics


Dust!! Dust!!



Apart from the dust settled on the stitches and joints, no significant damage to the Viaterra Fly GT.





Condition of the Straps:






Even though the straps fixed were through the rubber tube sections, still abrasion over such a long ride did graze the straps, leaving behind some micro damages on the straps.






Behind the scenes

Surprisingly, there was not even a minor damage on the back of the Fly GT; I attribute it to the soft cloth that was in between the bag and the tank - SAVING both my tank and the bag!









The Velcro Loops and the Hooks

As is the case with repeated usage of the Velcro, the Velcro Loops (the softer material) was 'bruised'. This 'wear' and tear reduces the effectiveness of a velcro setup as compared to a new one. Quite understandably, the prolonged ride and extreme conditions it went through accelerated the damage.

Part 8: Conclusion

Part 8: Conclusion

You can market a product extensively and even manage to sell quite a batch of them; but if the design is flawed and is not much usable, it will show in the demand for the product. Viaterra Fly GT is miles away from even whiffing of such. They surely have a winner here with the Fly GT. For the price which you'll be paying, at INR 1700, the Viaterra Fly GT is a good choice small sized proper motorcycle tank bag that anyone can afford! This is the first tank/tail bag that I own. It is for you to compare with the other products out there. Way way better than the 'custom' made rexine tank bags out there, this is one product that all motorcyclists irrespective of what steeds they have can buy here. It is the best thing for short rides as well as long rides - IF you have saddle bags to compensate for. AT 16L capacity, this is not a 'big' bag as such and therefore expecting too much out of it would be like expecting apples from an orange tree! Every product has its limitations.

Having said that, I myself have completed this epic trip - that is a proof enough of the Fly GT's capabilities.

Re: Part 8: Conclusion

CONS :

1. Not a DSLR bag! The only thing your SHOULD be carrying on an epic trip such as Ladakh is a DSLR! Salute to them (incl. me) who have not carried one!
Jokes apart, you may manage to squeeze your DSLR (with the default 18-55mm lens) inside the bag - given the space inside but you shouldn't. Viaterra itself doesn't sell it as a DSLR bag! The Viaterra Fly is the DSLR bag to go for if you're considering one. In terms of practicality, a DSLR bag can double up as a regular bag also; so the Fly GT is for those who are on a tight budget and looking for the best product out there.


2. The dusty zippers ARE a cause of concern if you're like me - who likes to keep his things always functional, clean and nearly brand new! Can there be any design incorporated where the zippers are less prone to the dust? Viaterra R&D team needs to put their heads together on this one.


3. The 3 strap retention system on the tank is fine but the horizontal movement is THERE, at least on the hunk. Wish that it was completely eliminated.


4. Could the straps be made a little bit thicker? That would make it a near perfect product!