Motorcycles are a very cool and economical form of transportation, whether for fun or work. One thing missing from most bikes is storage. Unlike a car, there is no trunk or rear cargo space to stash your stuff whether heading off to work or on a road trip. When I first saw the Rune, that was something I noticed right off the bat. I researched it on one the of the best sources for Rune’s- Runeriders.com, and found indeed there was no real luggage made for the it. The one manufacturer who made a lot of custom stuff (Corbin) was supposedly not interested — not enough Runes on the street to make it worth their while. So I set out to design a set of hard bags that complimented the lines and shape of the bike. After going through several designs, getting feedback from Rune owners on the site, making changes here and there, I released a set of bags I called Runepaks about two years ago. Needless to say, everyone who saw them while in R&D and said they’d buy a set didn’t. I did end up making and selling about 12 sets, but not before Corbin beat me and came out with their own. Although the design was way different, and the bags looked physically larger, they only managed to sell about the same amount. It seemed people who liked my design hated their’s, and vice-versa. The beauty of my bags, should I ever be able to sell the design and production molds, is they work on other bikes. Here’s some examples:

The problem with almost all motorcycle bags is they’re not aerodynamic (an important factor I think), bulky, and always look like some box attached to the side of the bike as an afterthought- which, as we all know, they are.

One company I really admire though, even though they don’t make side bags (yet, but I’m working on them), is Haro Design/Axio of San Diego. Working in a really cool angular building near the ocean, sticking out like a beacon amongst some non-descript apartments and beach bungalows are a team of designers making some very cool storage solutions for motorcycles and their riders. Haro Design is run by Bob Haro, legendary BMX champion and designer of Haro BMX bikes. Axio, his accessories company, makes stuff from tank bags to tail bags to back packs (which will make you look like a Star Wars Biker Scout) to stuff for your laptop and iPod. That’s one company I would really want to work for, designing the next cool thing. You can check out there site here: http://www.axio-usa.com/, and Haro’s site here: http://www.harodesign.com/.

And some examples of what I think is great product design from their studio: Note that the tank bag also becomes a back pack, and the tail bag gives back support…

How many Biker Scouts have room to carry their copy of Roadracing World and their trusty MacBook? I would say none. Rider with Axio Swift 2.0 – 1, Biker Scout- 0. If only Axio made these in a shiny Imperial Biker Scout white…

• Product Design