Dowco Fastrax Xtreme Tank Bag Review

Dowco Fastrax Xtreme Tank Bag Review

Dowco Fastrax Xtreme Tank Bag Test

Targeted toward the sports, enduro, and adventure motorcyclists, Dowco’s Fastrax Xtreme tank bag is the newest member of the Wisconsin company’s impressive Fastrax Elite Series line.

The bag’s design incorporates an industrial-grade vinyl top that overlaps the high quality heavy-duty zipper. This overlap, along with the tight zipper seam, provides a high degree of resistance to water penetration.

Although the bag is not waterproof rated, I did notice my meager belongings were dry after a 30-minute commuter ride in heavy to moderate rain.

However, the lid’s overlapping section does not easily lay flat over the zippers, resulting in the edges staying slightly up, and gives the bag a slightly cheap looking appearance.

Dowco Fastrax Xtreme Tank Bag Innner View

The bag’s interior is lined with a soft felt that allows items such as sunglasses to stay scratch-free. Additionally, there are high visibility dividers with Velcro that attach to the interior lining, enabling the rider to easily customize the storage space layout.

The Fastrax Xtreme tank bag’s maximum rated carrying weight is five pounds. Due to the tank bag’s available volume and shape, a measured centerline of 9″ x 9″ x 5″, the weight limit is not easily exceeded. I have found the size to be perfectly adequate for stashing a small hand towel, spare earplugs, sunglasses, and gloves.

Mounting the Xtreme on my Kawasaki KLR650 was a bit challenging, partly due to the single-sheet instruction’s dark, grainy photos that lacked sufficient detail to be helpful. However, after a few minutes of patience, and thoroughly reading the instructions, the tank bag was securely mounted; including trimming the straps and securing loose ends, it took less than 10 minutes.

I find myself using the Xtreme tank bag far more than I expected. The bag is large enough to easily store most items commonly used on a ride, without resorting to cramming the contents in and mashing down the lid.

I also expected the tank bag to alter my riding position or impede the KLR’s bars, but the bag’s size ended up not interfering at all.

Additionally, removing the bag for filling the motorcycle’s gas tank requires releasing the two quick-release buckles on each side. Granted, this procedure is not as easy as removing a tank bag with a magnetic base, though it is not a major hassle. A nice touch is rubber pads on the tank bag that protect the gas tank paint from being rubbed off by the buckles.

The Dowco Fastrax Xtreme tank bag does what it is supposed to do — carry some cargo and stay out of the way. As a bonus, the universal mounting system allows the bag to be easily switched between the different motorcycles parked in your well-organized garage.

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