The time before last that I was in hospital, I noticed something interesting: lots of medical people ride motorcycles. One of the ambulance crew, two of the nurses, the wardsman and one of the doctors all rode, and the woman who signed out a pair of crutches for me was saving up for a scooter. Mind you, the other doctor hated motorcyclists with a passion, so that evens things out a little. I guess.
Even if motorcyclists I know are not medics of one description or another, they are often married to doctors or, like our Esteemed Editor, married to nurses. Somehow, the alleged “carnage” that rolls into emergency departments does not put them off. And in this case, it has even inspired someone here in Australia to get into the motorcycle accessory business.
Andy “Strapz” White was an emergency nurse with almost ten years of motorcycling under his belt when he became fed up with the lack of products that suited his needs.
“I set out to design them myself, applying experience from my time on the road,” he says. By now he’s been doing that for more than 35 years, “making and sourcing quality products to make a motorcyclist’s traveling life easier.” Those years also inform the design of new products, like his latest: Adapta Strapz.
The new Adapta Strapz, holding a bag both securely and safely. Bungee straps can hurt instead of hold! Photo: Andy Strapz
Straps or, in Andy’s proprietary language, strapz were his first product and their green webbing is still inextricably linked to his name for Australian motorcyclists. “We haven’t released a new strap for more than a decade,” he admits. “So… A new strap system coming out of Strapz HQ is a big deal for us.
“The idea was to develop a system that would have the width and stretch of our previous Strapz but increase the adaptability and rapidity of use. A ‘saddle’ of our 50 mm, green stretch web is backed up by Ladder Loc attachments and basic adjustment at each end of the Adapta Strapz. Any 25 mm by 3 mm gap on the bike can be used as an anchor point. A rapid-release clip in the middle allows quick release of tension, instant gear access and re-tensioning.”
Andy has sent me a pair of Adapta Strapz and I’ve tried them out on both of my testbeds, the Triumph Street Twin and the BMW F750 GS. They are definitely easier to use than the standard strapz, which are already very convenient. They cost A$63 a pair, and will probably replace all the bungee cords you have hanging up in your garage, as well as making it far less likely that you will lose an eye.
Safari Pods have been designed to suit just about every adventure bike on – or off – the road. Photo: Andy Strapz
And that, as they say, is not all. No steak knives, but Andy has also just introduced a tank bag he calls a “Safari Pod” (What, no “z”?). This is of particular interest to me because I am heading out to the Julian Alps and Lake Bled in Slovenia in June. I will be riding one of Edelweiss Bike Tours’ Yamaha Ténéré 700s, and a Safari Pod looks perfect as a little home for my new Sony camera. Tune in here for a full test, but you can get one from Andy in the meantime.
The pod does not sit over the fuel filler, so you don’t need to remove it to fuel up. Photo: Andy Strapz
“The Aussie Made Safari Pod is a unique Aussie take on Adventure bike tank bags,” says Andy modestly. “Two harness fitting options allow it to be used on either large bikes (Large Hole) with ‘aircraft style’ filler caps or plastic long range (Small Hole) tanks with screw caps like Safari or Acerbis. A rain cover tucks up under the bag. The harness system holds the bag in place during the most rigorous riding and the bags stays put when refilling the tank. Extra harnesses are available so the bag can be moved from bike to bike.” The bag costs A$295; I didn’t say it was cheap, I said it looks perfect. “As usual they are handmade (with a sewing machine of course) in our Seaford (Vic) factory,” says Andy.
A BMW F900 GS fitted with Andy’s rack and Avduro panniers. Photo: Andy Strapz
He has also had early access to the “impressive” (his term) new F900 GS and designed a super-light luggage frame for it, weighing in at only 1 kilo per side. It is designed to support the soft Avduro bags. Made in Victoria, lavishly powder-coated and complete with all spacers and fittings.
“The system is so narrow the bags can hardly be seen from the front of the bike,” says Andy, “making narrow roads and tight spaces a breeze. The whole package of bags and frames weighs just a whisker over 4 kg! That makes it the lightest, narrowest and simplest panniers system around.” He notes that while the frames are likely to support other soft ‘throw-over’ style panniers, “they are best suited to Andy Strapz creations.”
A frame set costs A$415, bags and frame packs start at A$940. As with all of Andy’s products, freight is extra. In Australia, see www.andystrapz.com or call 03 9786 3445. If you are in North America, check his American distributor’s website https://andy-strapz-usa.myshopify.com (he’s an Inmate here) or call Andy on +61 3 9786 3445.
By the way, if you’re wondering about that “time before last” that I was in hospital comment – the most recent time was with a heart attack, and I was in no shape to worry about who was a motorcyclist. Oh, and if you’re interested in the weirder side of motorcycling in Australia, consider subscribing to Andy’s oddly amusing newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/andystrapz/emagazine-sign-up .
