11-24-2021, 12:03 AM
(11-23-2021, 11:33 PM)VLJ_imp Wrote: BMW's side cases are large enough to hold a full-face helmet. With my two BMW Roadsters I never needed to spring for the top case. Those same bags fit on the R1200RT, R1200GS, and R1200RS.
It really isn't standard at all, lockable side bags that are too skinny to hold a helmet. It's not even standard for Honda. These NT1100 bags are an anomaly.
It seems to me that it is becoming standard when you look beyond BMW. The Goldwing sidecases no longer fit a helmet. While the FJR1300 still does (however long that bike has left), the newer Yamaha bikes come with the “city” sized side cases which don’t fit one either, if the bike comes with side cases at all. I think BMW might be the exception these days due primarily to their position at the top end as a “luxury” manufacturer, but I would wager that changes in the not so distant future. I think the one exception might be in the ADV segment where there are a ton of large aftermarket cases. Then again the ADV rider is looking to stow expedition levels of gear on the bike, whether they ever make it beyond a Starbucks or not.
It’s just my opinion, but the concept of “skimpflation” seems to be trickling into the automotive industry as well, albeit at a slower pace I suspect due to longer R&D/development cycles. It also seems like consumers just don’t want big heavy bikes anymore based on big cruiser’s sales figures bottoming out. But then again, that is just my impression of the way things seem to be going and I admit that I don’t scan every news source for the latest bits of motorcycling news.