Happy Trails To You

It may not look like much, but then again, most bags don’t. The bag below has been through nearly every motorcycle adventure that I’ve ever been on. This bag was known as the “High Roller” when it was available. Saddlemen discontinued the bag several years ago due to low sales on the product but man oh man did the motorcycling world not know what they missed out on. This is the do-it-all bag. Big enough for me to put 5 days worth of clothing in plus my lap top, yet small enough to fit in an overhead bin on most airplanes. Wheels and a handle when you were navigating the wondrous expanses of an international airport, back pack straps and sissy bar attachment when you were on the bike. How was this bag over looked?

This bag came before the days of the on-line review. The crew who changed motorcycling online reviews forever, RevZilla.com, probably never had a shot at letting Anthony fast talk his way through all of it’s features. The riding public was too concerned with bike nights, bike builder reality shows and fat tired rigids at the time to think about needing to take things with them on a riding trip. Sport bikes were still selling faster than you could say “$99 a month” or “Of course you’re approved!” and this bag doesn’t attach to a fuel tank. It was a different time and this fantastic product went unknown, and more sadly, unloved.

If it sounds like I’m a bit sentimental about a bag, oh trust me, I am. Saddlemen rep Gary Smith had this bag sent to my house in 2009 after meeting me at my first ever motorcycle industry event during my first week of work for Memphis Shades. It was my first “perk” of working “in the industry”. Every time I packed this bag, I was reminded of where I started. It’s been a lot of places; most every state in the U.S., It’s been to Canada, Italy and Germany. This bag dashed across Heathrow Airport in record time to listen to me scream “Don’t close the door!” as I neared the gate. It’s been in the pits of the World’s Fastest Mile in Springfield Illinois, the limestone spray of Lima Ohio and my last ever Pro National in Pomona California.

I’ll never know how Saddlemen sourced zippers that could withstand the punishment I put this bag through. I had had it bursting at the seams to get that last pair of socks in that I knew I probably wouldn’t need, or that one extra camera for some footage that you guys probably wouldn’t think was earth shattering. Mounted on the Sissy Bar of a borrowed Harley Davidson, this bag carried the essentials I needed to go on my very first “true” motorcycle trip up the California coast. It was strapped to my back nearly every time I made the three-and-a-half hour ride on my sport bike to Memphis Shades headquarters to pick up their RV before a long road trip. All in all, it’s carried me through my entire career in the motorcycle industry and now that I can see that it’s end is near, it means a lot more than just hauling my things around.

I have to thank Saddlemen for this bag of course, and for the great working relationship that we have had over the years. Any seat project I needed, they made it happen…they even built me a surprise dalmatian and pink fringed seat cover for one of my race bikes, but that’s a whole different story all together! Sure, Saddlemen has updated it’s line and still offers a couple of bags similar to my High Roller. Check out their SDP2600 bag for something very similar and still available at www.saddlemen.com. Trust me, don’t let this bag get discontinued before you have one for yourself!

The Saddlemen SDP2600 Is The Closest Thing To The High Roller

While packing this much feeling behind a bag seems silly, every one of us who rides has that special something that means far more to us than it’s worth, something that we take with us every ride. Maybe it’s something hanging up in your garage. What is it? We have comments below, post below what reminds you of your history in the motorcycle world.