T-Bags prides itself on high-quality luggage

Since T-Bags’ inception more than two decades ago, the brand has become a staple in the powersports industry. But as Nick Lazarescu has discovered, being one of the best can have a few pitfalls.

“We’ve gotten copied a lot, which they say being copied is the ultimate compliment, but sometimes we could do without the compliments,” Lazarescu told Powersports Business.

Though companies can sometimes mimic the shape and style of T-Bags’ motorcycle luggage, it’s hard to mirror T-Bags’ quality. Most of the luggage in the company’s collection is made of ballistic 1680-denier nylon with UV inhibitors for sun protection, and the YKK zippers are self-mending.

“We’ve always got the top materials and zippers. The nylon we use, it doesn’t fade. The zippers are top quality,” said Lazarescu, who handles sales and marketing for the brand.

The company has so much confidence in its materials and its construction that it offers a lifetime warranty on every bag. From that, there have been minimal returns.

The lifetime warranty joins the high quality as one of many factors that draw people in. Not only does it give customers reassurance that they’re buying a long-lasting product, but it also gives dealers peace of mind in knowing their customers will be happy with their purchase.

“[The dealer] knows that if a customer comes back with a defect, we’re going to take care of it, fix the bag or replace it immediately, no questions asked. The only thing we want to know is that they purchased legally from a dealer. That way we protect ourselves and protect the dealer also,” Lazarescu said.

Though T-Bags is satisfied with its quality, the company is not content on maintaining status quo. Brand representatives attend a number of shows annually to learn what riders are looking for and how the T-Bags lineup can be improved. Every new and updated feature has to offer function, Lazarescu said.

“If you ride, you know that there’s never enough spaces. A motorcycle is not a car, obviously. In a car, you can get away with a lot of stuff, and with a bike every cubic inch is important,” he added.

The company has found dressers to be more popular over the last few years, so many of its bags have been centered on that market. However, T-Bags’ luggage fits a variety of bikes from a range of manufacturers, with mounting focused on standard motorcycle features.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of motorcycle it is, as long as it has a backrest and a luggage rack — or at least a backrest — you can fit a T-Bag on. Our mounting system adjusts from 7-to-14-inch-wide backrests, so obviously they hit a large range of backrests,” Lazarescu explained.

Though Harley-Davidson riders and dealers make up a majority of T-Bags’ market, the company would like to expand more into the metric arena.

“We always try to increase, actually, the metric footprint for T-Bags,” Lazarescu said. “It’s a little more difficult because the metric guys, they’re not approaching riding your bike the same way as Harley. Harley, the riders, they always look for quality; they do more touring and stuff like that.”

T-Bags’ products cater to a variety of uses as the lineup includes everything from small tool bags to pet carriers and roll luggage to large convertible bags.