Kriega US-40 Rackpack review

Kriega’s US line-up of motorcycle luggage is a staple for those looking for a high-end, modular waterproof solution, especially for sportbikes that don’t have a lot of mounting options.

Among their key features is their ability to be attached directly to the bike’s subframe under the pillion seat. Being modular, the smaller bags can be anchored onto the bigger ones to increase the capacity as required.

So far, the US range has been available in 5, 10, 20 and 30-litre options, and as the name suggests, the new US-40 offers a maximum of 40 litres. With a lighter load, the ends can be further rolled-up to reduce capacity to 28 litres.

The US-40 can be opened up at both ends.

However, this bag deviates from the current line-up in some ways. First, it’s the only one that has a roll-top opening up at both ends, which is a great convenience given how wide it gets when full. And for the second point – it’s rather wide, measuring just over two feet across. That’s probably why Kriega calls it the Rack Pack and the marketing material shows it on large ADV bikes with luggage racks.

Nevertheless, I planned to use the US-40 on my 790 Duke, along with my old US-20 mounted on top, for a 3,000km round trip to the racetrack. The US-40 would hold my one-piece leather suit, a pair of track gloves, a tool/chain kit and a rain suit. That left the US-20 to handle a week’s worth of clothing and essentials. Since the

US-20 made the set-up quite top-heavy, I reinforced the mounting to the bike with a pair of Rok Straps – see right.

The US-40 is constructed in an extremely tough-feeling 420D Cordura Light material, while the interior gets a removable, white-coloured waterproof liner. The level of quality is exquisite, and as with Kriega’s other products, the company is confident enough to provide a 10-year warranty – and charge the prices they do.

Unlike the smaller US bags, there is no external pocket anywhere. This was the one downside I found because there is nowhere to safely stow the straps when you remove the bag from the bike. These straps are bespoke to the bag and you really don’t want to lose one mid-trip.

Smaller US bags can be mounted on top of it.

There are numerous mounting options, based on what your motorcycle can support. You essentially get eight mounting straps – four with an eyelet sewn in and four with an aluminium hook that connects with the eyelet and interfaces with the bag at the other end via snap-fit buckles. There’s also a detachable shoulder strap and the bag itself has a huge number of different anchor points – it can even accommodate a tent pole.

These anchor points can be helpful in all sorts of scenarios. For example, they helped me to securely tie a folded-up car mat to the bottom of the bag. This helped raise it off the pillion seat by a couple of inches – enough to keep it safely away from the blast of hot gasses from the 790 Duke’s high-mounted exhaust

At Rs 17,499, the US-40 is undoubtedly very expensive, but like all things Kriega, you’re paying for the exceptional design, impeccable quality and peace of mind over years of usage.

Where: www.lazyassbikers.com

Price: Rs 17,499