ViaTerra Downtown Tankbag Review

Top Notch Quality

The one compliment that I keep receiving about the ViaTerra Downtown tank bag is the way it looks. The choice of grey and blue adds a touch of class to the bag’s appearance, and the thick padding ensures that the bag doesn’t lose shape, even when it is not filled to capacity.

In all the time that I’ve tested this bag, and I mean serious journalist miles on various motorcycles, there is no wear and tear to speak of. The threads of the fabric are intact, while the stitching at the seams hasn’t come undone either. The zippers continue to operate smoothly, despite the bag being exposed to Mumbai’s dusty, grimy roads and the monsoons as well.

That said, those of you who are sticklers for cleanliness will need to put a little effort into keeping the fabric clean. While I’ve occasionally used a wet cloth soaked in a mild detergent to keep the fabric clean, I’ve to admit that my extra-busy schedule hasn’t allowed me to be regular with the tank bag cleaning regimen. Nevertheless, the quality of the Downtown tank bag is top-notch, as I’ve come to expect from a ViaTerra product.

Plenty of Space

With a storage capacity of about 3 litres, there’s plenty of space to carry all the essentials I’d require daily. On a typical ride to the office, I easily carry my wallet, power bank, phone charger (that sits in a small case), ID card, and my portable tyre inflator.

The mesh pocket on the flap is used to store papers of the bike, while the nifty keyhook located inside the mesh pocket holds my house keys. While the amount of space is good, one must be wary about stuffing the bag to the gills. I learnt this the hard way!

Sticks Like Glue

This bag has four magnetic panels housing 12 powerful circular magnets, located at the base of the bag. A high-quality leather at the bottom of the bag keeps these magnets from scratching the metal fuel tank of a motorcycle. These magnets are pretty powerful and securely stick to the bike.

I tested it on the fuel tanks of the Triumph Thruxton 400, Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX, Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450, and more. The bag stayed put, no matter the high speeds on the Kawasaki or while encountering Mumbai’s infamous potholes on the stiffly sprung Guerrilla. While the tank bag passed all these tests with flying colours, there was a time when the bag went…er….flying off the fuel tank of the Thruxton 400, mostly due to my fault.

I happened to cram the bag with a lot of extra stuff without realising that the base of the bag wasn’t flat anymore and was bulging. That meant the magnets were not in proper contact with the fuel tank. Eventually, the bag fell off the tank, but, luckily, I realised it had fallen and managed to retrieve it from the middle of a road. In the interim, a car and an autorickshaw drove over the bag, but thanks to its toughness, the contents of the bag were intact. While I did learn about the pitfalls of stuffing the bag to its gills, I also hope ViaTerra works on firming up the base of the bag to ensure the magnets are more in contact with the fuel tank, even if it is crammed with items.

Ease of Use

Other noteworthy bits about the bag are the ergonomically shaped handles, pull tabs on the zippers that make it easy to open/close the bag with a gloved hand, and, lastly, the super-effective rain cover.

There was a day when it was pouring relentlessly in Mumbai, and the cover did a fantastic job of keeping both the outside and inside of the bag dry.

Should You Buy it?

This compact tank bag works wonderfully as a means to carry your daily essentials. To me, its ability to look like a casual bag makes it versatile to be carried around, even when I’m not on a bike. And given how well it has withstood the rigours of motorcycle life in India, the ViaTerra Downtown tank bag is a good buy at Rs. 3,999.

Images by Kaustubh Gandhi