Product Review | Andy Strapz Safari Tank Pod

Tank bags can get in the way when stand-up riding off-road. They can also be a pain when fuelling up if they cover the fuel cap. Any Strapz has a solution with the Safari Tank Pod. Here is our review...

And he has actually solved two problems for the price of one. The creation of the Safari Pod was partly inspired by the way tank bags can be really annoying when you stand up on the ‘pegs on adventure bikes – especially if you are a male rider. To not put too fine a point on it, they have the potential to interfere with what Australians call “wedding tackle”.

Why the Safari Pod?

Andy specifically wanted the bag for his Project DRZ, the Suzuki that is steadily mutating towards what he considers to be the perfect adventure bike with fitment of stuff like a giant long fuel range tank. So he was trying to track down a tank bag that would fit in the small gap available on the long range tank, not get in the way, be stable, easily accessed and keep his tackle clear of unwanted encounters when standing on the ‘pegs. Predictably enough he couldn’t find one – this is how most of the tales of his inventions begin – so he rolled out the old 2B Staedtler and created the Safari Tank Pod, as shown.

Andy Strapz Safari Tank Pod.

Andy Strapz Safari Tank Pod.

While he was admiring his work, it occurred to him that there was another problem he could solve with the design. Instead of clipping the bag to a harness over the tank’s filler cap, he could mount it behind the hole for the cap. It would not be necessary to fiddle with the bag in order to fill up. He added a rain cover attached to and tucked under the bag, and designed two versions of the harness – one for the knobby kind of filler cap and one for the aircraft style. You can buy harnesses separately, so you can use the bag on more than one bike. Harnesses are designed to fit pretty much any adventure bike, and most others.

Using the Safari Pod

And now to the timing of the review. I was just about to take off for the Alps, where I would be riding a Yamaha 7T. A bag that would hold my bulky Sony camera without letting it rattle around and without the constant need to move it when refuelling sounded like just the go, which was what it turned out to be. As usual with the quality of Andy’s stuff I expect the bag and harness will last until long after I am driving a Zimmer frame, so the price of A$295 plus shipping is very reasonable. More at www.andystrapz.com.