I recently acquired a Ballistic Bag from Dirt-Bike-Gear.com. Dan, the owner, and I decided the KDX size bag would be perfect for the area I had available on my CRF450r and for what I was planning to use it for. The bag shipped on Friday and I received it on Monday. Dan and I agreed what seemed very fast for our snail mail post office and that it should have been a few more days, but I won’t complain about getting it early.
I opened the package and was blown away by how well this bag was put together. The bag is made from 1050 ballistic nylon; every seam is double stitched and comes with a 2-year warrantee just in case. The KDX is the smallest of the 3 Ballistic Bags offered measuring 8x5x3, the other 2 bags being the Medium (10x4x3), and the Large (10x6x3). The package comes with 2 compression straps sewn onto the bag for anything extra you might need to bring along that won’t fit inside the bag. A couple of Fastex clips with 4 sliders to keep the ends of the straps from flapping around. Then, finally all the hardware you’ll need; 4 bolts, 4 large washers, 4 small washers, and nylon nuts so nothing loosens up on you.
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The bag has a tan key loop on the inside, very smart for holding onto those pesky yet highly important car keys while you ride. It also has a foam bottom, to not only protect your fender but to keep everything inside a bit more stable and quiet on your ride.
The package comes with a simple one sheet of installation instructions. It seemed a bit brief at first glance but as I learned, there is not much to installing this bag. First, you’ll need a ¼” drill bit, a wrench, and a screwdriver. Choose a good spot for the bag on your bike that’s out of the way but easily accessible. Either fender will work fine. Drill the holes into the bag. Yes, you need to make holes into the bag. This way, if you want to install the bag a funky way, you will only have your holes, and not addition factory holes. I chose to drill the holes, but taking a soldering gun and melting the holes is just as easy. If you choose to drill, CAREFULLY take a match or lighter and clean up the holes by melting them a bit. This helps the bag from never tearing in the future.
Next, line up the bag on the fender and mark your fender holes. Drill straight through the plastic. Helpful hint: Clean both sides of the fender, or end up with dirt and mud in your garage. I learned the hard way.
Finally, bolt the bag to the fender. Use the large washer inside the bag, and the smaller ones outside against the fender. That’s it. Installation took about 20 minutes for me. But that included cleaning my garage after my fender dropped some mud all over.
The bag fits everything I need. A few spare tools, duct tape, small rag, small zip bags, registration, my keys to the jeep, and the cell phone. I still have room for plenty more. Just remember that the bag is not waterproof. This is the only down side to the bag. But pack a few Ziploc bags and you’ll be fine.
I would like to thank Dan at Dirt-Bike-Gear for making a great product and Brian (Rookie_DDZ) for putting this review together for us.
