Givi EASY06 motorcycle tank bag

The important part first: magnets grip steel. They do not grip plastic and they do not grip aluminium. A great many bikes sold in Vietnam have a plastic cover over the tank, or a tank made entirely of plastic. On those machines the magnetic mount is not usable.

How the maker handles it: a backup mounting strap comes in the box. On a plastic-covered tank you skip the magnets and run the strap round the tank or through the frame. The bag still sits where it should; you only lose the one-second lift-off convenience.

A thirty-second test: hold a fridge magnet against your tank surface. A firm grip means the magnets will work. No grip or a weak grip means planning for the strap from the start. Message us your model and we will tell you.

Stated plainly so you do not order wrong: the product photo shows a clear phone holder fitted on the top of the bag. That holder is the GIVI EASYSH accessory, sold separately, and it is not in the EASY06 box.

What is in the box is the mounting base: the top carries MOLLE loops, the military-standard rows of webbing. The EASYSH weaves through them and locks down, so the screen angles toward the rider and does not shake out of position over potholes.

What goes with it is already there: the front end of the bag has a port for a charging cable. That is what actually solves the problem with a phone on the tank, because running navigation with the screen lit drains the battery in a couple of hours. The power bank sits in the main compartment, the cable runs out through the front port, and the phone navigates while it charges.

Why the maker sells the holder apart: not everyone needs it. If your dash already does navigation, the holder is surplus. If you ride unfamiliar routes or deliver for a living, it is close to essential. If you want one, add it to the same order rather than waiting for the next shipment.

Benefit: this is the largest tank bag here. Twelve litres takes a rain shell, a bottle, a compact camera, a power bank, documents and a thin jacket layer, which is the whole group of things you reach for en route.

What to weigh up: a bigger bag stands taller. Loaded to twelve litres, the raised part can block a corner of the dash, and folding into a tight bend can bring your knee or your midsection against it.

What to do: pack flat and heavy at the bottom, light and bulky on top, and do not stuff the upper part tight. Before you ride, sit on the bike in your real posture, turn the bars fully both ways and fold forward once to check for anything catching. If it catches, carry less, or this is not the model for your riding position.

Benefit: these three are usually extras on other models, and each answers a situation riders actually meet.

The rain cover: the 600D ripstop fabric is water-resistant and handles light rain and mist. In a real downpour you put the cover on. That the maker includes one is the honest answer that the body is not fully waterproof, unlike the welded tarpaulin bags.

The shoulder strap: at a stop or a cafe, lift the bag off, clip the strap on and carry it. No leaving it on the bike while you watch it from inside.

The backup mounting strap: the answer for plastic-covered tanks, covered above.

Pick the EASY06 if you want the largest possible compartment in the tank position, and your bike has a steel tank or you accept using the strap.

If six litres is enough and you would rather save, the GIVI EA138B costs 864,000d, barely half, also comes with a rain cover and offers three mounting options. If what you mainly want is somewhere for your phone, the three-litre GIVI GRT729 includes an IP65-rated phone pouch in the box, with no accessory to buy. And for a change of clothes and kit stowed for the whole trip you need the seat-bag group, the forty-litre GIVI EA115BK or the GIVI GRT712C.