Reply to questions...
John,
Per your question..
"Would they be more aero swapped right for left, and would they still function that way round?"
Maybe a little more aero but the zipper functionallity would be upside down. As I have them, they close by zipping to the top.
Raine,
per your questions/comments..
"at the risk of sounding ignorant, there's no way the bag will rub on rear tire? Looks like you can get a lot of items in a bag that size for a long distance trip. I can also hear the pitter patter of fellow riding mates shoes as they make their way over to ask you to haul this or that for them! ha. Kidding aside if I ever get to where I'm riding far enough distances, ( correction, when I get to where I am riding far distances) I may have to steal all of this shared knowledge and do likewise. Raine"
First of all, congratulations on your Silvio purchase. You are really,really going to enjoy it. It takes a while to get use to it, but give it time and miles and you will. I purchased mine in July, 2013. Took a few months/lots of miles but now feel extremely comfortable/natural riding it. Have put in 3200 miles.
The Radical bag has a built-in hard liners on the inside wall, so doesn't appear that they should rub the tires. I did consider that potential issue as I was installing them. One could put some type of separator between them if that becomes a problem. I just installed them yesterday and heading out for a 9 day, 700 mile trip (Oklahoma Freewheel) so can give you better feedback in 10 days.
And, yes, it may be like owning a pickup...always being asked to haul something...just stuff you bags full of foam/packing material so it appears you have no room for anything else. Or a sign as you might see on pickups/trucks.."NOT FOR HIRE"