Just a note on the Beetle Bags, since a few have asked. The bags are easy to remove, 3-15mm nuts on each side of the bike. The total removal time takes less than 3-4 minutes. Putting them back on takes about 7 minutes, because one of the mounting points can move around if the bags aren't attached.
Installing the thing took me about a day or 2.5 hours (real time). The reason is that Corbin's hardware isn't very well made. One of the mounting brackets, the largest one, had to be bent on one side to make it line up properly. It was about 1/4 inch off center. I broke 2 bolt heads off without really tightening very hard and had to go to home depot to get replacements. I had to make holes in the inner fabric lining of one of the bags because it was never done at the factory, but the other side was. The paint isn't an exact match to the stock bike color, but it is about 98% close.
Regarding expectations of the bags... they don't hold a lot. The inner space isn't a single open, unobstructed area. There are several ledges and pockets of space that the stylish outer look of the bike forces on the inside space. The locks are fairly ineffective. I locked one of my keys in the bag and it was VERY easy to move the lid of the bag over to the right a little and pull up, opening the locked lid. If you leave the lock turned to the locked position while the bag is in the open position, and try to close the bag, it will not prevent the lid from closing. This isn't a bad thing, unless you are like me and forget that it was locked.
On a positive note, cops seem to not take a second glance at the bike when the bags are on, but will follow me around town waiting for a mistake when they aren't on. I think they feel less inclined to think I am a "biker boy" if I am looking like a sport tourer. Passengers like the bags, as it provides some reassurance and extra support, even though they aren't really putting any weight on the bags.
I paid the $999 + $60 something for shipping. I looked and looked for a better deal but couldn't find one. It took about 3 weeks to get them to my door after the order. The customer service people were very nice and helpful. I am going to post a thread about this soon including photos of the bike without the bags on, showing the mounting points.
Installing the thing took me about a day or 2.5 hours (real time). The reason is that Corbin's hardware isn't very well made. One of the mounting brackets, the largest one, had to be bent on one side to make it line up properly. It was about 1/4 inch off center. I broke 2 bolt heads off without really tightening very hard and had to go to home depot to get replacements. I had to make holes in the inner fabric lining of one of the bags because it was never done at the factory, but the other side was. The paint isn't an exact match to the stock bike color, but it is about 98% close.
Regarding expectations of the bags... they don't hold a lot. The inner space isn't a single open, unobstructed area. There are several ledges and pockets of space that the stylish outer look of the bike forces on the inside space. The locks are fairly ineffective. I locked one of my keys in the bag and it was VERY easy to move the lid of the bag over to the right a little and pull up, opening the locked lid. If you leave the lock turned to the locked position while the bag is in the open position, and try to close the bag, it will not prevent the lid from closing. This isn't a bad thing, unless you are like me and forget that it was locked.
On a positive note, cops seem to not take a second glance at the bike when the bags are on, but will follow me around town waiting for a mistake when they aren't on. I think they feel less inclined to think I am a "biker boy" if I am looking like a sport tourer. Passengers like the bags, as it provides some reassurance and extra support, even though they aren't really putting any weight on the bags.
I paid the $999 + $60 something for shipping. I looked and looked for a better deal but couldn't find one. It took about 3 weeks to get them to my door after the order. The customer service people were very nice and helpful. I am going to post a thread about this soon including photos of the bike without the bags on, showing the mounting points.
