HelmetHarbor.com Reviews?

[Guest]

Anybody purchased anything from HelmetHarbor.com?
Looking into buying three piece Tourmaster/Cortech Saddle/Tail Bags, and their prices are the lowest I've seen after an extensive Google search and after checking "the regulars" we all use. Any help would be appreciated.

[Planecrazy]

Haven't purchased from them, but I have puchased from Helmetcity.com, and they were/are excellent! Competitive prices and VERY accomodating. I ordered two helmets from them, and when my wife disliked the fit of hers they exchanged it "no questions asked" for one she liked ... if I remember correctly they didn't charge us for extra shipping, either.

Don't know if they carry saddlebags, but if they do I'd highly recommend them.

Regards,

[Jethro]

My wife got my Tour Master Flex jacket from them in August for my birthday. I had never heard of them, so I was a little worried. I just told her the jacket I wanted and she ran with it. Anyway, she ordered it on the website, but they didn't have it in stock- the web site should say if it's in stock or not, but many other websellers are the same. So that is one strike against them. However, they did say they could get it by a certain date, and they paid for it to be express shipped, and drop shipped from the distributor. Lots of places refuse to drop ship, so that was one point in thier favor. The price was very good, and the service was excellent. And you can get them via phone. I would certainly order from them again.

[Jethro]

Oh, by the way Rocketman, I have all that same luggage. You will love it, it is awesome, awesome stuff.

[Rocketman]

Appreciate the advice Jethro, only thing is I have an '82GS850L, and would have to put the tail bag on the chrome rear fender behind the tail light, if I'm riding 2-up, as I don't have an extended sissy bar and would lose passenger room if I put it on top of the rear of my stepped up seat. I have the sliding K-G low backrest. So I'm hoping I can attach the saddle bags to the tail bag like you did on your bike, and in the Cortech photo above, I'm also not sure if the velcro strap attaching the saddle bags to each other can go under the seat, or has to sit on top. My seat has the pivoting points pretty much in the front, lock in the rear, and opens front to back, rather than sideways. Are the bungees long enough to reach if the saddle bags hang on the sides, and the tail bag has to go behind the back rest on the rear fender, rather than on top of the saddlebags themselves? P.S. The reason I want these is really becasue they look so good on your ride. Pricewise: Helmet Harbor has the tail bag for $ 74.95 and saddle bags for $ 129.95 (New Enough was $ 81 and $ 144), and Helmet Harbor has free shipping-just as an example.

[Jethro]

Well, I'll be suprised if the straps fit under the seat, they are pretty hardcore straps, thick stuff. They are really the only thing holding all the weight of the gear in the bags. On my bike they would be too low, and I would have to change out or relocate the turn signals if I mounted them any lower, but the L's signals are further back. Emjay has bags on his L model mounted lower, the signals aren't a problem for him.

The top bag has two ways of mounting to the bike, either with 4 built in bungees with big plastic hooks, or the nylon straps and buckles when you attach to the saddlebags like above. The bungees are long, certianly stretch to 3 or 4 feet (they are actually two bungees that cross under the bag). The nylon straps that buckle to the saddlebags are only about 10" long at the most, but if you have an EMS or Cabela's nearby, I am sure you can get some buckles and nylon webbing to extend the straps as long as you need.

I paid $79 for the tailbag and $159 for the saddlebags at the store in town, so Helmet Harbor has good prices on them.

I logged another 950 miles on mine this weekend at the Moosehead Lake ride. This is about what I had packed in the saddlebags and topbag:

tent
air mattress
sleeping bag
campstove
1.5 quart pot with lid
bowl, silverware
small gas lantern
3 cans of butane
tarp
headlamp, flashlight
batteries (about 20 AA)
full rain suit
jeans
2 t-shirts
sweater
3 pairs of underwear
3 pairs of socks
camp shoes
riding jacket liner
all my tools
dark sheild for my full face helmet
can of chain wax
map
small kit with toiletries
raincovers for all the bags
a pair of massive winter riding gloves
sunglasses
cell phone
and a bunch of other small crap

All this fit inside both bags. The only item I had to carry outside the bags were my tent poles, which fit nicely under the topbag. So that gives you an idea of how much you can carry in these things. Here is a hint if you haven't heard of them- get yourself a few compression stuff-sacks. Go to EMS or Cabela's and ask to have someone demonstrate one if you have never seen them. I used three of them for this trip, one for my tent, one for my sleeping bag, and one for the clothes. My sleeping bag which keeps me warm to about the freezing point can compress to roughly the size of a large pineapple.

[Rocketman]

Very cool, and thanks again. Hope your trip was great. Maybe we'll meet up next Summer in WVA so long as my bike keeps running as well as it does now. After many, many, many months of work, its finally running like new again.

Also, I've been researching the Tourmaster Flex Jacket you got, and it sure looks good. Only problem is I can't find a local store which has enough stock to actually try the thing on before ordering it. At 6'2" and 170 lbs I need a large for shoulders, etc, but I also need long sleeves that don't ride up on me. I'm hoping if I internet order, exchanging won't be an issue if the sleeves are too short. There is a Tourmaster Intake jacket which looks and sounds just like your Flex for only $139.95, and it comes in Longs, but can't figure out why its $40 less than the Flex.

Just tried on a Suzuki mesh & leather trimmed coat made by AGV Sport for $199 at a local dealer. Fit perfect, sleeve length perfect. Zip out waterproof liner, built in armor and great adjustable velcros everywhere. Just never heard of these guys. Any input?

[Jethro]

Newenough.com has the Intake for $125.99 right now, the Flex is $179.99. The difference between the Intake and the Flex is that the Intake is primarily a warm weather jacket, as it is a loose weave material on the outside, really a mesh jacket that you can put the liner in for cooler days. The Flex is a tight textile weave that is suitable for much cooler weather, and the textile portion zippers off and reveals a true mesh jacket for when it gets warm. So far I have ridden with the Flex in 50 degree weather and it's very comfortable with just a t-shirt on underneath. Both jackets have two liners, one for rain, and one for warmth, but to really stop the wind from chilling you, you need either a full textile jacket or leather. The mesh with a wind liner won't cut it if you arer planning on riding when it's cold out, but the Flex turns into a full textile jacket.

My only complaint with the Flex is that you may need a degree in engineering to put the textile panel back on once you remove it. It's one panel that zips down the front of both sleeves, down the sides of the front, and all on the back. The first time put the panel back on, I swear it must have taken me 20 minutes. There are about 8 zippers and a bunch of velcro to figure out. But, it's the best all season, all weather, multi-purpose riding jacket I have ever had- and that's been quite a few. If I were riding cross country, that's the jacket I would have with me.

New Enough is good about taking stuff back for exchange. I had trouble with pants, and sent a few pairs back until I settled on the (could you guess?) TourMaster Caliber pants. I swear I have more money in TourMaster/Cortech gear than my freaking bike. Anyway, they are great in taking things back, you just need to pay freight, which I don't mind, it's the price you pay for shopping online.

[Rocketman]

Alright Jethro, the deed is done.
Just ordered the Tourmaster Flex Jacket and Tourmaster Cortech saddle bags & tail bag from NewEnough.com. They were very cool, and even matched a lower price on the bags advertised by another company. Everything's shipping from either Texas or Tennessee and should be in New York in a few days. I'll let you know how all works out then. And thanks again for the advice.

[Jethro]

As long as everything fits (jacket, saddlebags), I imagine you won't be disappointed. Newenough rocks. Let me know how it all works out!