Light is right, less is more… however you say it, it’s the mantra of many a minimalist-packing adventure rider. Even if you’re not a minimalist, at some point during your adventures you’ve probably looked over at a riding buddy’s lightly-packed machine while struggling through a challenging trail and wondered, “How did they get all their stuff in there?”. The idea behind Mosko Moto’s Reckless 40L, now in its third iteration, is to make minimalist packing a little easier. It’s the ‘Tiny Home’ of luggage where everything has a place and use of limited space is maximized.

The Reckless 40L is a rugged, rackless, waterproof luggage system that fits a range of different motorcycles, designed for longer day rides and short-term trips. It starts with an adjustable base harness to accommodate either enduro or ADV seat widths. Two side pockets hold removable dry bags (14 liters each) that strap securely in place and feature a clear window panel so you can see what’s packed inside. While on top, beaver-tail flaps snuggly hold the included Stinger 8L dry bag along with any other items you can stuff in there (e.g. waterproof or base layers). The Stinger 8L is also a standalone tail bag, with its own straps, that can be mounted to a rear rack or it can double as a backpack for off-the-bike excursions.

Each side bag pocket on the harness also features a sewn-on back pocket (2 liters each) with a roll-top enclosure. These are designed for stuffing tools, tubes, fuel bottles, a first aid kit or other items you need quick access to that don’t need to be fully waterproof protected. The beaver-tail has a clear inner pocket as well, which is great for storing your travel documents or keeping a map handy on the trail.

Need a little more capacity? The Reckless 40L offers Molle panels on the front of the harness legs that allow you to strap on various Molle accessories. Molle webbing has been added to the exterior of the Beaver-tail as well to further increase the range of expansion options. You can also replace the Stinger 8L with a Stinger 22L using the expansion panel on the beaver-tail to accommodate the extra girth. With this configuration, capacity is increased to a total of 54 liters. To further improve versatility, you can also change the orientation of the top bag to run either inline or perpendicular to the bike.

The luggage system is built to withstand the range of abuse encountered during off-road riding as well, utilizing a 1600D Ballistic Nylon shell featuring Bomber Hypalon armor panels protecting the sides in a fall. Front and rear attachment straps, along with most of the major straps or buckles, can also be replaced in the event they are damaged in a fall. Plus, the bag comes with an exhaust heat shield to prevent the material from melting on a hot muffler.

Getting It Installed

Before you can mount the Reckless 40L, there is some assembly required and some decisions to be made. First you’ll want to select either the Narrow or Wide setting for the base mount. Narrow is for dirt bikes and enduros like a Suzuki DR-Z 400 or KTM 690 Enduro. Most adventure bikes, even smaller ones like the Royal Enfield Himalayan or KTM 390 Adventure, will use the Wide setting.

Once the width has been selected, you can mount the legs to the base using the provided hardware. Getting the allen key bolts to thread into the T-nut backing plates can be a little challenging at first. It takes some patience and strong fingers to press the backing plates into the material far enough to get the bolt to start threading. 

Next you can choose between either standard or transverse beaver-tail orientation depending on your personal preference. The standard orientation will allow you to access the top bag opening from the side, while the transverse mounting will give you access from the rear. Hooking the beaver-tail in place takes just seconds with the provided clips, so you can switch the orientation easily at any time.

Once the base harness has been configured, you drape it over the bike to get your desired positioning, then loosely strap it in place with the four cam buckle mounting straps. The leg straps attach to the frame or passenger peg mounts, while the rear straps can be secured to bodywork around the tail light or a top rack if you have one. Next, load your dry bags with all your gear and slip them into their respective pockets, strapping them in securely. Then add various items to the roll-top rear pockets, give the mounting straps a final tug, secure the extra lashing material with the included Velcro holders, and you’re done.

How It Performed

So how does the R40 work in the real world? Can we even get all our stuff in there? We’ve been testing the Reckless 40L for two seasons now on a wide range of different machines, covering thousands of miles and multiple trips, big, medium and small. Here’s what we’ve found…

Standard Configuration (with Stinger 8L): 

This is the kind of setup you’d use for primarily off-road ADV trips where you want to pack as light as possible so you can ride harder. Like any minimalist set up, you’ll need to make tough decisions about what you bring and don’t bring. If you are staying in hotels, you’ll have room to spare. Although, if you plan on camping, It takes time to pack strategically and some things you carry may need to be reconfigured when you are working with 40 liters. For instance, I had to break up my bulky tool bag into smaller packages to get everything to fit into the rear roll-top pockets.

Once you get this setup dialed in, it will pay dividends on the trail. As for performance, the R40 fits snug on a small enduro or adventure bike with very little wiggling around. The dry bags have compression straps along the sides, around the middle and over the top, so that nothing moves. They also stay tight against the bike and don’t flap around. There’s a good amount of extra room in the beaver-tail as well for storing a waterproof jacket or ad hoc items from the store if you need to.

As far as the size, the bag stays out of the way during typical adventure riding, especially on a larger machine. With the Stinger 8L on back, the height of the bag is fairly low so you can move your weight back over it when you need to. As for aggressive off-road riding, I noticed an occasional tap from the bag when hammering through whoops or jumps on a small bike but that is to be expected when carrying camping gear. I also noticed, the legs of the bags sometimes rub against my calves when getting back on the bike, although I didn’t mind it too much because I could actually use it to push off with my legs to get my weight back forward in some situations.

Packing light makes it all worth it when you squeeze through trees on technical single track and rip hill rocky climbs on your way to  some spectacular place to camp for the night. For an ADV Lite setup, 40 liters seems just about right.

Stripped Down: Sometimes you are just out for a day trip or you’ve dropped your gear at camp and just need the basics for your ride (tools, spare tube, snacks, extra layers, water, etc.). With the Reckless 40L, you can remove the beaver-tail assembly and ride with just the side bags. This gives you more mobility on the trail when hanging your weight off the back of the bike or going through big hits. It also keeps the weight you are carrying down lower on the bike for an improved CG. For a day ride, there is plenty of room to spare when running just the side bags.

Alternatively, you can take the harness off completely and just use the Stinger 8L as a tool bag mounted on a rear rack. The bag has its own compression straps that allow you to easily mount in a variety of locations. There’s plenty of room for tools, spare tube, extra layers, and more. You can use the compression straps and roll top enclosure to take up any extra room as well. It’s quite a versatile luggage piece that can be used as an auxiliary bag strapped to panniers or you can even convert it into a backpack.

Expedition Mode:  For longer camping trips riding to remote places, you are likely carrying a lot more items like extra water for the heat or thick layers for the cold. For these types of rides, Mosko Moto updated the R40 in 2021 to allow you to swap out the Stinger 8L top bag for the Stinger 22L. This expansion gets you 54 liters of total capacity, which is much more doable for bigger adventures.

A cold weather sleeping bag will fit in the Stinger 22, along with some additional clothing items. Once you start stuffing the side legs with all your gear, it definitely gets tight, especially if you need to bring extra water when rough camping in remote areas. Once you’ve got the larger top bag installed, you do notice it getting in the way more on a smaller machine. On a larger adventure bike, you are able to shift it back further beyond the passenger seat where it’s out of the way. It’s also a tight fit in the beaver-tail if you want to stuff additional layers in there like a chair or a tent pole bag. It’s doable, it just takes careful packing to ensure things don’t slip out.

Overall, if you do a lot of light ADV trips or short day trips, plus the occasional long-range trip, you could adapt this bag with various Molle expansion options to be your ‘only’ luggage option. For instance, add an auxiliary bag to store your goggles or first aid kit, giving you some additional room in the main compartments. If you need more capacity, Mosko offers an 80L Reckless system for longer expeditions. 

Quality/Durability: The overall quality of the product is very high. Everything from the heavy-duty compression straps that don’t slip to the thick foam padding of the base harness that helps protect plastics, are well thought out design elements and you can see the attention to every detail. The abrasion resistance from light falls has been excellent so far. The harness takes all the abuse so that dry bags continue to maintain their 100% waterproofing. No buckles have broken and no straps have frayed yet after thousands of miles of hard riding.

Convenience: The R40 comes with many convenience features that make living with the bag on a multi-day trip much easier. For one, you can easily un-snap the buckles on the compression straps holding the two side bags and top bag, then pull out all the dry bags in a matter of seconds and carry them into your tent or hotel with the roll-top closures doubling as handles. This allows you to keep the harness on the bike and avoid messing with the mounting straps. You can also get all your bags packed and fully compressed with more leverage off the bike, then just slide them into their slots and strap them into the harness.

That beaver-tail is mighty nice for strapping down extra cargo too when you are in a rush and don’t want to open up your bags. Plus that map pocket comes in handy for a quick look at a paper map or grabbing your documents. The sewn-on rear pockets are also ideal for storing a tool roll and spare tube. You always know where the tools are and you can get to them quickly for any trailside adjustments.

Who’s It for?

Whether you ride a big bike or small, Mosko Moto’s compact 40-liter luggage system is ideal for day rides and shorter trips, especially for riders who are staying in hotels. Minimalist packers with compact backpacking gear, who are willing to take just the basics, will find it useful for moto camping adventures in the standard configuration. If you need more space, the system has good expansion capabilities, although it’s still going to be a tight fit for longer motocamping journeys where day-to-day creature comforts become a bigger concern. 

Our Verdict

The R40 is a versatile, compact off-road luggage system for shorter rides or overnighters where you don’t need to carry a lot of gear, with the expansion capability to work for the occasional big ride as well. Smartly-designed features make packing efficient and staying organized convenient, while maintaining a streamlined profile for aggressive off-road rides. Plus, its premium and robust build with replaceable components ensures this luggage system will last a long time.

What We Liked

• A well-thought-out soft bag that makes accessing items quick and convenient.
• Stays strapped on tight and keeps a low profile during aggressive off-road riding.
• Easily adaptable for a range of different storage capacities.
• Efficient use of limited space.

What Could Be Improved

• On the pricey side.

Shopping Options

Photos Rob Dabney, Stephen Gregory, Spencer Hill

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.