Review: ViaTerra Claw mini & Fly GT (tankbag), after a 2600km tour
Context
We ride twice a year, after every semester… this time, we decided to ride to Pondicherry, which is 1270km from where we would start -- Pune. Although we’ve done rides exceeding the 1,000km mark one-way, this was the longest ride we’ve ever planned, with a cumulative odo reading of almost 2600km. I had considered purchasing the ViaTerra Claw during our last ride to Udaipur, but for some reason decided against it. This time though, I was pretty sure of getting myself one, which is when I stumbled upon the sponsorship page on the
Me, on my Pulsar 200NS and my friend Suraj on his Ninja 300, set out for Pondicherry on the 7th of December at 5:20am. Our luggage is usually small bag(s) tied to the bike using bungee cords, but this time round we had a ViaTerra Claw on Suraj’s Ninja, and a Claw mini/Fly GT tank bag on my NS. I’ve never used a tank bag in my life before, so I was a little sceptical at first. But as it turned out, a tank bag can really be a handy addition. We had planned to stay overnight at Tumkur, 810km from Pune, on day 1 after which we could continue the ride to Pondy the following day. Which meant I could afford to not bother to open the Claw mini which had everything that I would need at Pondy, and simply use the Fly GT for storage of a pair of shorts, toothbrush, etc.
Pricing
I’m no material expert, so can’t really speak on how well/poorly the bags are constructed… what I can tell though is that the bags justify the price to the last rupee when you think of the thought that’s gone into making them, and the sheer (INSANE) utility. For me, 99% of the worth comes from the utility which these guys bring - for a motorbike tourer, it’s literally priceless. Pricing wise, I think the Claw mini is simply a no-brainer at 2.5k INR, there’s virtually nothing in competition for this one. The Fly GT too is a VFM giant, coming in at only 2,200 INR. I had earlier mistaken the price to be 2,900 INR, which is when I also thought that it could do with a 300 INR price cut -- so the 2,200 INR price tag is justified.
Claw mini
All the things that I packed into the Claw mini. There was space for more
Like I said earlier, this one’s a must have for any motorbike tourer. From my experience, the Calw mini can hold stuff for up to 8-9 days depending on your bathing frequency. Our ride was planned for a total of 8 days, and Claw mini turned out to be the perfect companion. Although I totally dread riding in the rain usually, I was hoping for a bit of a drizzle this time round, just so I could test just how well the Claw mini holds up in the rain… and I got what I asked for. On day 2 of the ride (B’lore - Pondy), it rained for about 30 minutes while we were somewhere near Thiruvanamalai.
Fly GT
I had quite a lot of stuff in the Fly GT. This included a novel, three liners, chain lube, spectacles, slippers, and a hell lot more. The Fly GT is spacious enough to hold one person’s stuff for a 3-4 day ride! What’s more, it can also be used as a tail bag, in case you don’t have a pillion with you and don’t require the services of the more spacious Claw mini.
However, the mount system sucks a little. There are a total of three straps to secure the Fly GT on your bike -- a double-sided buckle (all cool with this one), and two nylon straps that are secured using D-rings on the bag. Now, unlike the Claw mini, these straps (including the double-sided buckle strap) aren’t a part of the bag itself, and are vulnerable to misplacement. I learnt this the hard way, when I forgot where I had kept the straps right before starting off front Pondy, and spent 45 minutes looking for them only to find them in my jacket pocket. Now, not everyone is as careless as me, but I’m sure there could be a better way to implement the mounting system.
Riding with the Fly GT/Claw mini
Once you’re done moutning the bags (which doesn’t take more than 5-7 min after a couple times), the bags are as stable as boulders. You don’t have to think about it no more, unless you’re stopping for fuel. Even then, it is quite an easy job -- simply remove the front strap from the buckles of the Fly GT, top your bike up and vrooooom. Pro tip: inter-lock the buckles of the strap between themselves to avoid the strap from falling off. Also, don’t forget to put it back on before starting again! :P
You won’t feel any different with both bags on your ride, although it might take a few kms to get used to the tank bag in your periphery. I did have to tighten the straps of the Claw mini a couple times, but I think it was more of an OCD thing than a need.
In the rain
We were quick to get off the bike and start covering up the gear as well as ourselves with waterproof liners. The Fly GT came in handy once again; I had kept all three liners -- my jacket’s, Claw mini’s and Fly GT’s -- in the tank bag in the side pockets. Within 5 minutes, I was done and ready to go again. The design of the rain liners requires you to cover the bags from all four sides, with velcro tape to secure. However, this means you got to take off the luggage from the bike which honestly, is something you would dread in the middle of a ride. And therefore we simply covered the luggage from the top, with the elastic around the liners making sure it held on to the bags.
Also thanks to the tyre hugger on my NS, the Claw mini was virtually spotless at the end of the first leg of the journey -- at Pondy. The Ninja 300, however, lacks a tyre hugger and therefore, Suraj’s stuff which was present at the bottom of his Claw got sort of wet. If you’re planning on not using the bags AT ALL during a particular ride day, it is recommended you secure the Claw before starting off, even when there’s no rain.
The Fly GT too, naturally, was spotless for me.
Verdict
Both, the Fly GT and Claw mini are outcomes of some serious thought. It makes me proud to see an Indian homegrown company make products like these, which are not only well-accepted in India, but also popular outside of the country. Like I’ve said before, the Claw mini is quite an insane VFM product, with an MRP of 2,500 INR. Considering that the Fly GT doubles up as a backpack when needed, the utility factor yet again takes a massive jump. And it sells for just 2,200 INR which is a really good price to pay for that. In fact, if you don’t really go on long rides, you could well give the Claw a miss and go for the Fly GT instead.
ViaTerra have local re-sellers, but the Claw mini and the Fly GT, besides other products, can be bought from their online store as well.
I’d like to thank ViaTerra for choosing me as the sponsored rider for December 2014! More information about their sponsorship program can be found here.