Cardboard boxes...

...are great things.  They occasionally magically appear on the doorstep and contain farkles...

Maybe it's bikkies?

To kill the suspense that must be bugging you by now - it's a new tank bag.  Before the TT2000 I attempted to buy the one I wanted in NZ but the supplier could not get the tank mount for me in time so I left it until now.  In the end FC-Moto had a wee sale on at Easter and I managed to get it shipped to NZ for slightly less than it would have cost me in NZ so that was a wee bonus.

Now for the install.  New bag from a different manufacturer meant a new tank fitting.

Off with the old

The item on the right is what I couldn't get in time for the TT...

Fitted up

Not so goolie grabbing as the old SW-Motec item...

The Givi system is slightly tidier than the SW-Motec one and I hope it is a little more reliable than the SW-Motec one - I have had the locking pin pull out of the mount twice leaving the bag stuck to the bike...Luckily I've been able to fix it each time while on the forecourt of a petrol station...

Underside of bag showing attachment system

The next job on the cards was to get power to the bag for charging my phone, cameras and intercom.  This time around I just decided to install a dual USB socket and haven't bothered with the 12v socket that I have in my other tank-bag.  There is a pass through in the bag so it was easy to get the wires into the bag.  I gave myself plenty of extra wire too so I could perhaps pull the wire through into the map pocket of the bag - time will tell if I need that.

Ergs delivery system - it even works!

Now for some more about the bag.  I did a little research on the Tenere forum to see what other guys were using and in the end opted for the Givi XS308.  Here's some of the specs copied from Revzilla:

• Water-resistant zips
• Made from 1200D nylon with PU inserts
• Expandable
• Reflective inserts
• Rain cover in fluorescent material
• Weatherproof internal compartment to store the rain cover
• Additional protection against dampness
• Removable tablet-holder
• Cable port
• Handle and shoulder-strap for easier transportation
• Removable side and front pockets that can be converted into a waist-bag
• 20L capacity
• 13.7"L x 11"W x 7.8" to 9"H

Map?  Tablet?

The warning sticker in the above picture is already gone and the waterproof cover has been moved to one of the little side-pockets.  I've also shortened some of the straps so that I don't have excess flapping around and getting in the way.

And this is why I got it:

2019 TT can't come soon enough...

My idea is that the bigger bag will easily take my camera and TT T-shirt and maybe make those photo stops just that little bit quicker...I'm sure the 0.01seconds saved will add up...

Oh, and Happy Birthday Tenere - two years and about 26k lugging me around the countryside.