In 1996 I needed something better than throwover panniers to use on my trusty ZX7-R. A bit of digging around on bulletin boards (yes, it really was that long ago) led me to Ventura luggage, then ordered direct from the manufacturer in New Zealand. The system was novel - a frame that was made to fit different bike models and a generic rack that connected to it. Then a large black bag that dropped over the hoop on the rack and stayed put. You could have a big bag or a very big bag and you could zip them together to make a ginormous bag. It was very effective, though not especially pretty.

That luggage set lasted me for the life of that ZX7-R... followed by 3 out of 5 GSX-R 750s and 3 BMW S1000RRs. I've still got it and it's still fit for purpose. That's well over half a million miles and 29 years of use. Which shouldn't be sneezed at. You can see the original here.

So here we are, 29 years later. The original bags are, as I said, still usable but I've got an achingly beautiful Triumph. I can't afford the luxury of having a fun bike and an everyday bike, so I need to make my fun bike practical. Just strapping a bag on the back works...kind of. But it's not really a very reliable solution. Or especially safe as, inevitably, at some point that strapped on bag decides to go walkabout, or at least give the impression that it's about to. Which is uncofortable. Plus the straps have a better than even chance of trashing the paint.

So I took revisited Ventura. They've got a proper UK distributor now, and the website is clear and, hold on. What's this? Ventura Evo? Well that warrants a look...

And so I ended up with this. The Ventura Evo pack works on the same principal as the original, but manages to be less intrusive, especially when you don't have the bag on the bike, just the rack. Instead of the bag dropping over a large vertical hoop, it slides onto the rack and is secured at the back by two adjustable clips. Take the bag off and either fit a GoPro to the rack or replace the rack with a grabrail for your brave, bendy and possibly slightly insane pillion.

Bags come in a variety of different sizes - pictured here is the mid-size Evo 22, which holds 22 litres in a snazzy red interior. Why red? So it's easy to find stuff rolling around loose of course! The interiro has a waterproof lining as a separate sort of popper-in bag inside. That's actually really useful because you can keep your manky stuff away from your clothes, for instance. Or already wet kit away from still dry kit. The bag is big enough to easily take a normal office laptop, shoes, jacket for when you're not in bike gear, lunch... Basically it's big enough for most people's everyday ride. If you need more you can go to a huge 60 litres, while if you only ever carry, say, a laptop and a pair of shoes then you could get away with the 10 litre version.

There's also a 25 litre dry-pac if you happen to ride in monsoons. Underwater.

There are many may warnings about the maximum speed you should ride at with a loaded bag on the back. All I can say here is that riding solo with the bag over the pillion seat I genuinely never noticed the bag was there. It made no difference whatsoever to handling or stability, regardless of pace. And of course because it's narrow and secure you don't worry about filtering through traffic or losing it when you hit a bump.

Sorting the right kit for your bike is easy. Go the the Ventura website and decide which luggage you want. Assuming you haven't done this before, say Yes when it asks if you need L-brackets, then pick your bike and work your way through the process, It's intuitive and pretty much impossible to get wrong. There are also real people you can talk to on the phone if you're that way inclined.

The kit isn't cheap. It's not crazy expensive either, especially when compared to some other less flexible options out there and even more so when you remember this can move bikes with you fior just the cost of a L-brackets and you can reasonably expect it to last 30 odd years.

I paid for this with my own money. When a journalist says that...there's very little stronger recommendation.

SB