Giant Loop is at it again, refining its already-great product range. The company has been designing lightweight and efficient soft luggage for motorcycles since 2008, and while the original emphasis was dual sport over-the-seat horseshoe-shaped saddlebag designs to withstand the rigours of off-road travel, Giant Loop has evolved into designing soft luggage applications for all types of bikes. If there’s a place to attach a bag to a motorcycle, Giant Loop likely has the solution.
Giant Loop recently updated its line of Fandango and Diablo tank bags to be even more adventure-ready and waterproof. Both the Fandango and the Diablo tank bags are available in black or grey, and are basically the same except for size: the Fandango has eight litres of storage size, while the Diablo has six litres.
Mounting the Fandango tank bag harness is simple: using its three-point strapping system, you loop the straps under each frame rail in front of the seat; the third mounting point is in front of the fuel tank, around the steering neck. The strapping system allows flexible positioning of the bag, depending on the bike, and keeps it out of the rider’s way when they’re seated or standing on the foot pegs. The remainder of the straps tuck nicely into elasticized strap holders on the harness, so there’s no need to cut off any excess. This also makes the harness flexible enough to move to another bike.
The tank bag itself zips onto the harness using a sturdy YKK zipper, so you can easily remove the bag from the bike to keep your valuables — like a wallet and phone — close at hand when leaving your bike parked. Unzipping the bag halfway from the harness allows you to flip the bag off to the side to gain access to the fuel filler cap without loosening the harness.
Access to the inside of the bag is also through a sturdy, water-resistant YKK zipper. Part of the Fandango redesign is the addition of a 25 mm lip at the top of the bag, which fits inside the lid to ensure water won’t get inside. All of the seams are stitched and radiofrequency welded to provide water and dust tightness, especially when the supplied inner dry bag is employed. The bag is made of heavy 22 oz vinyl-coated polyester, which ensures the sides are stiff enough to hold their shape but flexible enough not to cause any grief when undoing zippers.
A power cable passthrough at the front of the bag allows you to charge items stored inside. There is a mesh pocket on the outside for items that need to be easily accessible, and another zippered mesh pocket on the inside of the lid to hold small items like a cell phone. In addition, the bag features a map pocket with a decent-sized viewing area of 170 mm x 215 mm, also accessible from the inside of the lid, meaning your map pages won’t wick water from the outside (as is the case with some other tank bags).
The eight-litre Fandango tank bag itself measures 210 mm tall at the back by 120 mm tall at the front by 215 mm wide, and will hold a fair amount of personal items, including a full-sized DSLR with a professional-sized lens attached, with room to spare.
I’ve logged quite a few kilometres with the Fandango bag and, quite frankly, I’d be a little lost without it — not because I wouldn’t have a map pocket, but because I’ve become accustomed to having all of my regularly accessed items at hand, including my camera.
The Fandango tank bag retails for around $410 while the Diablo tank bag is priced around $390. Check your local motorcycle shop for availability.
