Saddle bags?

[scouser]

I am about ready to get some saddle bags for weekend trips. I have been using a backpack but have come to realize this kind of item when heavy turns your man berries into some kind of sick fulcrum. What are you all using do you have pics? I know anything I get is going to look like crap but I am trying to minimize the damage.
Thanks

 

[dm_gsxr]

I am about ready to get some saddle bags for weekend trips. I have been using a backpack but have come to realize this kind of item when heavy turns your man berries into some kind of sick fulcrum. What are you all using do you have pics? I know anything I get is going to look like crap but I am trying to minimize the damage.
Thanks

I'm using the Tourmaster Cortech Sport saddlebags. The have two straps for extra stability. A trucker commented that the bags were rock solid when I passed him

(we chatted at a rest stop).

Here's my prep page with pics.

You might also consider a tailbag or tank bag instead. Easier to take inside when you stop, especially the tank bag. Depends on how much gear you're taking along.

Also, I use contact paper (translucent sticky shelf paper) to protect the paint under the bags.

Carl

 

[MeltDownZ]

I've got some Tour Master items.  There very nice but the storage is not great.  If I were going to be taking weekend trips, I'd look into those Ventura packs that seem to hold a lot more.









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[bronc3]

I have the same tailbag, but have never tried the clever way you have it bungeed to your seat. No problems, I take it?

 

[wilecoyote]

I'm using the Nelson-Rigg large Silver Streak soft bags. Although it may have been fine, I was not at all happy with the thought of soft bags riding against the bodywork of my 'busa for any distance due to the potential to marr the paint, even though it did have neoprene protectors.So...........I decided to weld up my own custom rack. I used some 3/8" steel rod, some 1/2" square tube steel and 1/2 wide steel strips. It is now a one piece unit, I lift the seat, remove the grab rail and this bolts down in place, the seat clicks down over it and the braces project out from under the seat as a stock item would. There are round rails that are formed into a rectanlge which rides on the sdies to hold the bags out to the side.I further had braces extend down to the bolts on the back side of the passenger pegs. After priming and using semi-flat black paint, then end result is a rack which does not allow any part of the soft bag to touch the bodywork, looks like an accessory component, could hold probably over 50 lbs. and can be removed in less than ten minutes. It is nice enough that I could make and sell these but it was too labor intensive...whew......... Also, this HAS been tested on a 500 mile ride over various types of roads with approximately 50 lbs. The only real drawback (or is it a drawback?) is that if you bust into it too quickly it will have a tendency to wheelie much easier.

 

[motorkar]

Fieldsheer

 

[OB_buzzlatka]

I have tried the tourmaster, RKA and the Ventura Rack. The setup I use now is the RKA tankbag and the Ventura rack.
Just did a week with the wife using this setup. Works great.

Webshots.com Links Do Not Work

 

[MeltDownZ]

I have the same tailbag, but have never tried the clever way you have it bungeed to your seat. No problems, I take it?

No problems in 1 1/2 years of doing it.  I'm actually using the bungiees that came and are attached to the bag. Sometimes you've got to be careful not to have the bungees interfere with the closing mechanisms. If you do, you'll have a hard time locking down the seat. Once you figure out about where the bungees should lay it's a piece of cake. My picture shows the right way to do it. I had that thing totally stuffed with no issues.



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[MeltDownZ]

I have tried the tourmaster, RKA and the Ventura Rack.  The setup I use now is the RKA tankbag and the Ventura rack.
Just did a week with the wife using this setup.  Works great.

Webshots.com Links Do Not Work

Which bag did you go with? the Areo Spada (44 liters) or the Rally Pack (55 liters)  The Areo Spada looks cooler by far but I'm worried I might need the extra space to do a weekend trip riding 2 up with my girl friend.



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[inthexring]

I have the Nelson Rigg I bought off of Dennis Kirk, they are good sized so I can get plenty of stuff in there, also have a tank bag. One more peice would be the tail bag which would put enough stuff in them all to make a great trip. There is a lot to choice from out there.

 

[FJRider]

ARgh! Saddlebags on a Busa, eh? Just something not quite right about that, although I saw a Busa with side-car the other day - so the sky-is-the-limit I guess. I have to admit, if you must have them, the pictures of the small side bags above look ok.

I'd bought a FJR for longer hauls, which was a tad more expensive than saddlebags.

 

[dm_gsxr]

ARgh! Saddlebags on a Busa, eh? Just something not quite right about that, although I saw a Busa with side-car the other day - so the sky-is-the-limit I guess. I have to admit, if you must have them, the pictures of the small side bags above look ok.

I'd bought a FJR for longer hauls, which was a tad more expensive than saddlebags.

I went with the soft bags because I wanted to be able to remove them when I got where I was going and enjoy the twisites at Deal's Gap (for example). I can also ride it around home and to work and back without the extra hardware hard mounted bags have. The only reason I'd consider hard bags would be for locking purposes. So I keep important stuff out of the saddlebags and tailbag, lock them down by their handles and by running straps under the rear seat and take the top half of the tank bag with me when necessary (it has the iPod, camera, and other items that would be more difficult to replace).

I'm seriously considering the sidecar for winter riding, mainly for the snow and ice situations

Carl

 

[IG.]

I got OXFORD SADDLEBAGS a while ago. Very nice, and functional. You can zip them to half the size, or open up to be real huge. I also like how they are mounted - mostly with two velcro strips, and small tiedowns to passenger footpegs. I was a bit sceptical at first. But, tested up to 150 - no problems.

Here is a linky I found, but you can search for the best deal.
__                                      
Igor
<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:darkred'>HumpMod.com</span> <span style='color:darkred'>- The easy way</span></span>

 

[MeltDownZ]

I'd bought a FJR for longer hauls, which was a tad more expensive than saddlebags.    

Nice