When riding in the forest
- or on any long ride - it is essential to carry along tools and extra items you
might need. You never know when you might need a trailside repair or a quick
snack. I have heard great things about these Ballistic Nylon fender bags from
Dirt-Bike-Gear.com and decided to install one on the KTM. Since we have already
tested the medium sized bag on the WR450F project bike I wanted to go with
something a little smaller. The KDX bag looked like the perfect size for
mounting on the back of the relatively narrow KTM fender.
The KDX bag measures
8" long, 5" wide, 3" high. It is sized to fit the KDXs, CR450Fs,
and WR450Fs, as well as other bikes like our KTM 525. Mounting hardware is
included and the $42 price includes shipping (US only).
Features
Black
1050 ballistic nylon, the strongest and best material you can buy.
Compression straps and
a dense foam padded bottom to keep your tools secure and rattle free - the
compression straps are long enough to strap on a jacket for those rainy
days, and a convenient key loop is sewn in as well
Bolts securely to your
bike - mounting hardware is included
Sewn in America by an
experienced professional, every seam is double-stitched
Genuine Fastex plastic
buckles and sliders
Backed by a two year
guarantee against failure
Installation
The bag mounts to the rear
fender using four bolts, washers, and locknuts, that come with the purchase. The
instructions recommend you use a soldering iron to melt the holes in the
position you want them. I didn't think it was a big deal so instead of digging
out my soldering iron I tried the backup method of drilling the holes. Well let
me tell you - these bags are tough! After several minutes of trying to get
one hole cleanly drilled I quickly searched out my soldering iron and burned the
4 holes in the bag. It just makes it so much easier than fighting that
material with a drill bit.
After you get the holes in
the bag, place the bag on the desired mounting location and mark the holes.
Drill the 4 holes in the fender and mount the bag using the supplied hardware.
Dan from Dirt-Bike-Gear.com recommends you mount the bag with the zipper opening
from front to back, this helps keep tools from flying out should you forget to
zip the bag all the way shut.
Last
Corner
Once I bolted the bag to
the fender I filled up the optional inner bag ($13) with my KTM tool kit, a few
other tools and an extra sparkplug. Everything fit in fine with a little room to
spare. The bag comes with two compression straps that are long enough to pack a
jacket or tube to the outside of the bag. Since I wasn't taking any extras
along I just secured the straps tight enough to provide support and keep things
in place.
On the trail the padded
bottom and the straps keep everything from bouncing around. Over a couple of big
whoop sections I could feel the bag back there but it never got in the way or
tried to buck me off. Back at camp I simply removed the inner bag with all my
tools and threw it in the truck overnight to prevent any late night snoopers.
Overall this is an excellent quality bag that is very functional and allows you
to carry a jacket for those unpredictable riding days.
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