Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Triumph leather tank strap are they worth buying?

I am looking at getting the Triumph tank strap but at $100 Australian "ouch" that hurts.

So I am just wondering what other members think who have the tank strap fitted to there bike was it worth the cost.

The reason I am looking at one is that I find after a ride on my Speedy my jacket must rub on the base of the tank and leaves a rub mark but so far I have been able to polish it out but I do worry about damaging the paint work which seems to be very easy to mark or scratch so does the strap stop this damage happening to the tank cheers.

I think you mean the tank "bra", yep I've got one. I bought it used from another BA.com member. I like the look of it and I think it does help protect the tank from scratches from my jacket zipper. I like the velcro pouch as well, handy spot for money when I fill the tank.

I noticed, in the past, that some people feel dirt and dust will accumulate underneath the leather, but that's not been a problem with mine. It doesn't lay perfectly flat, but I'm ok with that. It's not intended to be a show bike.

This is a pic before I re-installed the Bubs, mounted the tank pads, Nology coils/wires, engine bar and un-lowered her.



I like it, but that's just me.

Have had one for seven years and still looks good. Good place to store the ear plugs and the garage door opener. Saves you ferreting arround in the pockets of your jeans and would not be without mine.

Mine came with one, and it's ok. The pouch is too small to be of a lot of use, but I like the look. Would I spend a 100 for it? Probably not, but then I'm a tight bugger!

The one I have scrathed black paint, although a good sneeze will scratch black paint. Stevesixmill introduced me to this stuff
http://www.clearmask.com/
It applies with soapy water and a squeegee, and lays down nice & flat. It's invisible from a few feet away.

So which of these products did you use? The site is not very user-friendly and there is only one motorcycle listed. I assume you used some flat sheet - if so, what cut shape worked? I get scuffing from my tank bag so this could be a solution.

I have a rubber pad on my tank, but Oregon rains so much that if you stand still moss will grow on you. It's really good at keeping the scratches to a minimum if the area you live is too wet.

There are a few places to get Clear Coat, and most of it is self adhereing...Use a heat gun to mold it around the area of the tank you want it on. I think thos leather Bras are very nice. If it weren't so wet around here, I would probably have one. It is a very good place for the MP3 player, or small things.

I think... now don't quote me on this, but I think Triumph sells a self-adhesive clear film (made by 3M I think). Where did I see that?

I thought Brent or Eddy had some, but I can't find them.

BC has a couple

http://www.british-customs.com/sportech-triumph-motorcycle-tank_pad.html

http://www.british-customs.com/pro-grip-triumph-motorcycle-duo-tank_pad.html

Tankslapper makes them pre-cut for Triumphs. The kit I bought had two side pieces and a center piece. It came with a little 3M squeegee and a blister pack of the correct type of liquid soap.

They apply with soapy water and a squeegee. Just when it seems they aren't going to lay down flat from 10 or 15 minutes of squeegee work, they do [lay down flat] even on a curved surface.

If you want to remove the film, I'm told it peels right off without paint damage. No adhesive is used, but they don't fall off or shift unless you want them to, regardless of wind or weather.

http://thetankslapper.biz/osc/index.php?cPath=30&osCsid=22271d9ef2da6a85952d1a0df5a8b3cc

They're pretty close to invisible when in place.

Their product line has changed quite a bit since I shopped there. It isn't readily apparent what fits which bike anymore. A call or email to them might prove useful prior to ordering.

There store kinda sucks. I would like to see shapes and such. I assume the tank slapper kit is for the "kneepads."

So back to your original question about the tank strap being worth it....
I have one that came with the bike I bought used. I've had it on the bike a couple of times and I don't care for it much. As others have said, the pocket is pretty small. Good for holding a garage door remote, ear plugs, credit card, small stuff like that. What I don't like about it is the way it's mounted. You have to take off the plastic dash thing because the strap sits under it..... then the other end of it ties under the seat. As you know the seat has to be unscrewed to lift off. I'm kind of a neat freak about my bike so I wash it all the time. Every time I wash it I have to take all of the above mentioned parts off to get the leather strap/pocket thing off so I can wash and wax it. Took me 2 times to figure out I didn't want to go through the trouble. My garage door opener goes in the front pocket of my jacket now. If you weren't in Australia I'd sell it to you. I'm sure price of shipping would be outrageous.
The other items people have mentioned would be better at stopping the scratches if that's what you're after.