i had a tank bag on an '07 ultra - have to find what the brand was, dont' remember. now have an 09 so the intercom socket is in the middle and not sure how that would work.

anyway - here's my thoughts / experience

- had a bunch of stuff on the bike that i did not want to leave when the bike was parked and i couldn't see it. these included, ipass (tollway thing), ipod, phone, gps. so i would take these off and stow them in the tank bag.
- wanted some place to keep my wallet to make getting gas easier.
- kept some snacks in there
- kept a shammy rag for rain
- maps
- couple misc other things

so it had to be big enough to handle all that stuff but small enough to not get in the way.

i found one that was about 8" wide x 12" long x 5" high. held down with 4 magnets with like felt on the bottom. when carried, the magnets would fold to the back and stick to each other keeping them out of the way

it had one big compartment inside. that was good and bad, as things moved around. this compartment closed with a zipper that wrapped around.

then you had like a map compartment. and then another cover over that with a zipper that wrapped around.

on the outside top, you had a couple of smaller pockets.

the good / bad things
- liked the small pockets on top. good for like a credit card. one or two paper towels or such. a snack.
- came with a carrying strap, but you had to remove it when on the bike. would have been nice if it had someplace where you could like tuck it in when on the bike.
- it was waterproof. that was the reason for the double cover thing.
- didn't like the way the double cover thing had the zippers set up. the first one had the zippers around the top, right side and then the bottom. it then flipped out to the left. the inside one went on both side and the bottom and so flipped up. since they both had double zippers, i kept getting them confused and would like not open it.
- it was very solidly on, even at speed.

now for my thoughts on the actual use of the bag.

i had a rider backrest and so had to squeeze between the two, if you will. wasn't really cramped or anything, but kinda felt that way.

this is kinda dumb, but i just felt like it covered too much of the tank and that took away from the estetics. i also felt that i probably looked like i was packing on a BMW preparing for that long sahara trip or something.

i did like the convenience of having some way to carry those items and other things with me.

would have liked it better if those zippers worked differently

i haven't used it on the 09, cause of the headphone socket thing.

also haven't used it cause, quite frankly, i just take those off - 4 items - and put those in various pockets or lock them in a saddle bag. if i want a credit card handier, then i put it in a windshield bag (i have the one that has three across).

so what i am saying is - if you really want one, and i would think about that again and really think about what you are getting it for, then the one i got is pretty good.

but when all is said and done, prefer to ride without it.

other options:
- windshield bag. yeh you can't take it off and with you, but you can put stuff you want handy in them. this is where i put my ipass (tollway thing) and it does register from here
- lower covers with bags on them. you can pick these up and they are nice, again for those things you want handy. this is where i put my cell and my ipod.
- covers that mount on the front of the saddlebag guards. this is where i put the windshield cleaner and towels, an xtra water bottle, maps, jiffy stand base thing, baseball cap.
- i also picked up some bags that attach to the back of the saddlebags. this is where i keep less needed stuff that won't get hurt by the elements. currently i have monkey butt, sunscreen, and had cleanser.

hope this helps

 

Tank bags are very handy for phones, snacks, wallets, maps, camera's, snacks and whatever AND when you walk away from your bike, just pull it off and carry it with you. I bought a Saddlemen tank bag and really like it for the longer trips with my wife. It's expandable, waterproof, has a map view pocket, fits well as it straddles the center console and is very well made. It comes with straps but you don't need them--the magnets are excellent. Here it is:
http://www.saddlemen.com/store/index...oducts_id=4392

As for the scratching issue--I thought about that before buying because scratching is a nogo item for just about everybody. So, after the wheels turned in my head for a while, I came up with a KISS answer: "packing tape." Carry a roll of that with your gear. On the days that you are actually using your tank bag, tape the tank where the bag's gonna sit. When you're done for the day, pull it off and chuck it. Simple. Hardly noticeable when the bag is on; gone when the bag isn't. BUT: NO SCRATCHES EVER ! !