If you have ever used your bike for more than commuting, chances are that you have used bungee cord nets to tie down bags or other stuff. The quintessential bungee cords have been around as far as most motorcyclists can remember and bungee cord nets are an extension of the same. With fancier motorcycling gear coming into the market, the bungee seems to have gone out of fashion and you see people carrying massive saddle bags on rides that absolutely do not need them.

There are plenty of advantages of having a bungee cord snugly packing overnight bags on a seat over saddle bags that jut out the sides of the motorcycle, especially if you like riding quick. Saddlebags add up a lot of aerodynamic drag and cause some instability while riding in that manner. Bungee cords can help overcome this problem by keeping all the bags out of the airflow.

Another advantage of the bungee cords is that you can take your normal haversacks that you can carry along comfortably when not on the motorcycle. Unless you are on a trip which would keep you away from a base point for more than a couple of days, you do not need bags that are made specifically for motorcycles and which make you suffer while you try lugging it around.

Bungee cords and nets are also especially useful in situations where you need to tie down something which is not of a conventional shape or size. This makes people use these nets in addition to saddle bags and tank bags to make them additionally secure while on the motorcycle or to tie down stuff over them.

I'd say new creations and inventions may come (and go), the bungee cord and nets are here to stay!