My Saddlebag Solution - $100

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1211928856/gallery_14326_3884_12290.jpg
Saddlebag Mount Side

I didn't want to spend a fortune on saddlebags but I still wanted a securely attached setup with lots of capacity. My solution is the Nelson Rigg CL-850 bags from Newenough.com for $95 shipped free. They measure 17��(L) x 9��(W) x 14�(H). To keep the bags secure and away from the exhaust, I made multiple bends in a 1" steel bar ($5 at HomeDepot) on my benchtop bender to line up with the saddlebag mounts above the rear foot pegs and at the two bolts that secure the light above the license plate. Tested at 100mph the bags remain secure on the bike and (when at a stand still) are easily installed and removed.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1211928856/gallery_14326_3884_37962.jpg
Saddlebag Mount Rear

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Saddlebags

Nice Job. I need to do something like that for my soft bags. I may have to make a trip to the Home Depot soon. :fing02:

By the Way. Welcome to the Forum!

Well done, I always like a clean thrifty mod.

Holy Cohiba!!!

That is a neat solution! :fing02:

Nicely done cigarbuf. I need to get me a bender. I just use a bench top vice and hammer that results in some pretty crude and crappy results but gets the job done.

[image: View Post]FotoMoto, on May 31 2008, 06:36 PM, said:

Nicely done cigarbuf. I need to get me a bender. I just use a bench top vice and hammer that results in some pretty crude and crappy results but gets the job done.

Everyone needs a Bender!

http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/7/o/2/bender.jpg

Think you could post the dimensions so lazy bastages like me don't have to figure out the numbers?

Simple solution to a problem I have been designing complex solutions for. I salute you!

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 11:13 AM, said:

I didn't want to spend a fortune on saddlebags but I still wanted a securely attached setup with lots of capacity.

SUhhhhhWheeeet

I too want you to post up a simple diagram.

The rather large corporation I work for frowns on me wheeling the bike in next to the bender and drill press.

Does the paint (on the bike) show any rubbing from the straps?

[image: View Post]Lee 2002, on May 31 2008, 06:11 PM, said:

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 11:13 AM, said:

I didn't want to spend a fortune on saddlebags but I still wanted a securely attached setup with lots of capacity.

SUhhhhhWheeeet

I too want you to post up a simple diagram.

The rather large corporation I work for frowns on me wheeling the bike in next to the bender and drill press.

Does the paint (on the bike) show any rubbing from the straps?

Same here, I got "yelled at" for bringing a frame in & tigging a portion of it back on...

I happen to be behind a desk now, programming CNC brake presses & waterjets, so I need to work on my "relationships with the operators". ;)
:biggrin:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.


Got a link to which bender you bought? They are having a big sidewalk sale on June 6th and 7th here locally.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting up a helpful and cost effective solution for us.

The pipe bender used is Harbor Freight sku 44094-2VGA which lists for $79.99 but occasionally goes on sale for half price. The bender comes with numerous dies, I used the 1" die for the shortest radius bends. As far as the bags touching the fairing, they do at the peak of the fairings below the passenger seat where I currently use black pvc tape but plan to use 3m clear paint protection film.

Instructions: Start by bending the bar 2.5" across the center section of the bar, making two bends at 35 degrees. Measure the width of the bolts at the rear fender and drill. This will make it easy to fit the bar to the bike periodically to check dimensions. At 4.5" from the first bends, make another set of bends in the opposite direction again at 35 degrees. At 4.5 inches from those, make 90 degree bends toward the front of the bike, creating an overall width of approximately 19". At 10" inches from those bends, bend the bar inward at 90 degrees. The final bend was made using a vise since there isn't much bar stock left to work with on the bender. When I finished there was about 1" of excess on each end of the bar that needed trimming. Additionally, to get the bar to fit flush with the vertical angle of the rear fender, I placed the end piece (2.5" across) in a vice and bent each leg of the brace to about a 20 degree angle.

Note: Check your work frequently for fit and size. You may need to make adjustments here and there to get proper fit and to the particular dimensions you like. Good Luck.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1212277455/gallery_14326_3884_17385.jpg
Dimensions

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on Jun 1 2008, 08:28 AM, said:

Instructions: Start by bending the bar 2.5" across the center section ....[snip]..... Good Luck.


Great job.

Thank You.

Fabrication at home is a wonderful thing with all of our tools we have available in this great time frame we live in.

I love creative stuff like this....good job :fing02:

Cigarbuf was that bike at Blalock cycles? I like your bag idea, very cool.

The bike was at Blalock. They advertised it for $5,900 but I ended up paying $4,800 in the end. I'll be painting the top of the tank soon where the previous owner did his magic cover-up for a dent on the top left side. Do you know any history on the bike?

Not really, I called Blalock a long time ago when they had it on Cycle trader and the guy on the phone said he thought the guy had stored it outside and it had a dent on the gas tank but wasn't sure if it had any internal(tank damage). Sounds like you got a great deal.

I got my new motopak soft bags this weekend and mounted them up just to see how the straps go. I have micron cans so I know that I need supports, but then I started to think (dangerous, I know) ...what exactly is the melting point of neoprene? :491:

Well what ever it is I found it. Damage was minor. Just bubbled a few square inches and darkened the rest of the area that was contacting the cans.
The ride was about twenty minutes in town. So water temps were above 220, but I doubt the cans got nearly as hot as they would railing through some twisties.

I'd love to post the picture, but I can't upload pics to my gallery right now....

If anyone is planning to make up a set of these I might make it worth your while to do it double while you're at it.

Received my Harbor Freight flyer in the mail today. The bench bender is on sale at local stores for $51.75. Make sure you call ahead to see if it is in stock. Their 7 function digital multi-tester for $2.99 is another bargain.

[image: View Post]achfly, on Jun 2 2008, 07:05 PM, said:

I got my new motopak soft bags this weekend and mounted them up just to see how the straps go. I have micron cans so I know that I need supports, but then I started to think (dangerous, I know) ...what exactly is the melting point of neoprene? :491:

Well what ever it is I found it. Damage was minor. Just bubbled a few square inches and darkened the rest of the area that was contacting the cans.
The ride was about twenty minutes in town. So water temps were above 220, but I doubt the cans got nearly as hot as they would railing through some twisties.

I'd love to post the picture, but I can't upload pics to my gallery right now....

If anyone is planning to make up a set of these I might make it worth your while to do it double while you're at it.


YUP. I fried a set of MotoPaks last year on my Staintunes. They have no heat proofing anywhere.
Too bad I didn't think of your simple solution then.

Nicely done! That is a sharp solution - I've been trying to figure out a low cost way to do that on my 5th gen with a high mount Staintune pipe. Still working on ideas.

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on Jun 3 2008, 03:24 PM, said:

Received my Harbor Freight flyer in the mail today. The bench bender is on sale at local stores for $51.75. Make sure you call ahead to see if it is in stock. Their 7 function digital multi-tester for $2.99 is another bargain.


:+1: here...I buy them every time I go, and send them to people who don't have a HF close by. Worth the $5 or less for the insurance.

Nice work there, Cigarbuf. Have a nice cigar! :biggrin:

Gotta love Harbor Freight. :fing02:

To prevent scorching your saddlebags get some small welding blankets and make pads to go under them. The stock heat shields actually prevent damage I've ridden multiple days with my Motopaks and had no damage. I did add fire proof spark plug boots to the bungees so I could route them between the pipes in the rear.

I did something similar, although I have Two Bros pipes so one of them is REALLY hot and the other, well it's fake.

http://www.vfrdiscus...p...c=36473&hl=

I used straight right angle aluminum and used the same locations to bolt them on. I really have no where to attach them in the rear due to my fender delete. The bags worked great and didn't burn on a 1200 mile trip last fall.

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 11:13 AM, said:

I didn't want to spend a fortune on saddlebags but I still wanted a securely attached setup with lots of capacity.


I did not want to spend a fortune on saddlebags either ... so when I saw "cigarbuf"s post I was very interested. I will rarely use saddlebags. But I did want the option available for some overnight trips.

When cigarbuf posted his diagram, I could see that he had it all sorted and thought out. I ordered my bags that evening from NewEnough.com. The next day I started scrounging for material.

I decided to fabricate my bracket from some aluminum that I had access to. The material is 1" X 1/4". It happened to have 6mm holes drilled on 50mm centers. (already thinking about camera mounting options) I welded the bracket up using "cigarbuf"s dimensions and angles.

I replaced the license mounting bolts with 20mm longer bolts. This allows me to remove the bracket without loosening the license from the mudflap frame member. I can mount or dismount the bracket in about 5 minutes with tools already laid out. I intend on only mounting the bracket when I plan on using the bags.

The bags seem to be of good quality and come with all the straps you would need to mount them securely. I can guarantee you that I will never remove the "removeable" rigid expanders after the fiasco involved in installing them. There was one minor stitching error in a seam on the bag that was remedied quickly with needle and thread. The bags are not waterproof, but do come with thick, snug fitting rain covers that I have no doubt would do an outstanding job.

The photos show my excellent results using cigarbuf's plan.

Unfortunately, my bag set-up came in just a little more expensive than cigarbuf's..... I have about $110 invested after nuts and bolts purchases.

Thanks for the great solution, cigarbuf.

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2568367453_eea372a6c1.jpg

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Here you can see clearance around the exhaust. I believe you could sit idling on a 100 degree day and not have any problems. At highway speeds there would definitly be no issues.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2569185156_a9426128a7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2568360219_12480a8c0e.jpg

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2569184898_c87b88018b.jpg


The bags can be removed from the bike in 30 seconds by simply unbuckling 3 quick-release nylon buckles. The wife reported that the straps across the seat did not compromise passenger comfort. The photos show the bags mounted far forward. With a pillion, I would slide the bags back about 3 inches for more foot room on the passenger peg.

Nothing like a clean simple solution.
Not very noticeable with the bags off either. :fing02:

Nice......JOB.............

[image: View Post]Synaptic Misfire, on Jun 5 2008, 03:33 PM, said:

To prevent scorching your saddlebags get some small welding blankets and make pads to go under them. The stock heat shields actually prevent damage I've ridden multiple days with my Motopaks and had no damage. I did add fire proof spark plug boots to the bungees so I could route them between the pipes in the rear.


Welding blankets!!? :idea3:

yep. I have micron cans so I need to do something. I just sent a link for this thread to my dad. He is going to make a set and ship them to me. We'll see how good his manufacturing skills are. I'd try it myself if I had necessary tools/shop, but who am I kidding... my dad is always going to be better than me at building stuff. :fing02:

Nice solution. Does anyone have any opinion about soft bags vs hard bags?

Michel

[image: View Post]micheln, on Jun 15 2008, 09:50 PM, said:

Nice solution. Does anyone have any opinion about soft bags vs hard bags?

Michel

Hard bags have two primary advantages compared to soft bags which are weather proofing and lockable security. The disadvantages are the cost and capacity. You'll also want a set of bag liners for hard bags to make loading and unloading easier.

[image: View Post]Lee 2002, on Jun 10 2008, 07:19 PM, said:

The bags can be removed from the bike in 30 seconds by simply unbuckling 3 quick-release nylon buckles. The wife reported that the straps across the seat did not compromise passenger comfort. The photos show the bags mounted far forward. With a pillion, I would slide the bags back about 3 inches for more foot room on the passenger peg.

I've got the same bag set and they did just fine for me on a 3500mi trip last fall, but I do wish I would have had something like this bracket. Another member here did something similar with metal tubing and a pipe-bender attaching to one of the exhaust bolts rather than the plate.

I can easily see your wife getting irritated by the straps on an extended ride, fortunately with some creative folding of the excess straps you can run at least the forward pair under the seat and then lock them down. It also adds a minor bit of anti theft since there's no way to get the bags off the bike without cutting.

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on Jun 16 2008, 10:43 PM, said:

[image: View Post]micheln, on Jun 15 2008, 09:50 PM, said:

Nice solution. Does anyone have any opinion about soft bags vs hard bags?

Michel

Hard bags have two primary advantages compared to soft bags which are weather proofing and lockable security. The disadvantages are the cost and capacity. You'll also want a set of bag liners for hard bags to make loading and unloading easier.

Also add "frame sliders" and "leg protectors" to the list for hard bags... they will take the initial impact and not completely crush.

Very nice fix. I have those bags as well. I will have to fab a bracket like that too. Thank you, very cool.

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on Jun 17 2008, 03:43 AM, said:

[image: View Post]micheln, on Jun 15 2008, 09:50 PM, said:

Nice solution. Does anyone have any opinion about soft bags vs hard bags?

Michel

Hard bags have two primary advantages compared to soft bags which are weather proofing and lockable security. The disadvantages are the cost and capacity. You'll also want a set of bag liners for hard bags to make loading and unloading easier.

Besides weight soft bags have one more thing going for them. When you dump your bike in the parking lot there is a soft landing.

[image: View Post]Hobie1dog, on May 31 2008, 07:22 PM, said:

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.


Got a link to which bender you bought? They are having a big sidewalk sale on June 6th and 7th here locally.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting up a helpful and cost effective solution for us.

Hey... Hobie don't you live near me? :goofy: Make me one too while you're at it!! :idea3:

[image: View Post]Nicole, on Jun 17 2008, 12:09 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Hobie1dog, on May 31 2008, 07:22 PM, said:

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.


Got a link to which bender you bought? They are having a big sidewalk sale on June 6th and 7th here locally.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting up a helpful and cost effective solution for us.

Hey... Hobie don't you live near me? :goofy: Make me one too while you're at it!! :idea3:

OK Nicole...don't start preying on one of Marty's weaknesses to get a "freebie".................. :biggrin:

[image: View Post]skuuter trash, on Jun 17 2008, 01:56 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Nicole, on Jun 17 2008, 12:09 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Hobie1dog, on May 31 2008, 07:22 PM, said:

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.


Got a link to which bender you bought? They are having a big sidewalk sale on June 6th and 7th here locally.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting up a helpful and cost effective solution for us.

Hey... Hobie don't you live near me? :goofy: Make me one too while you're at it!! :idea3:

OK Nicole...don't start preying on one of Marty's weaknesses to get a "freebie".................. :biggrin:

You mind your own business!!!! :laugh:

[image: View Post]Nicole, on Jun 17 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

[image: View Post]skuuter trash, on Jun 17 2008, 01:56 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Nicole, on Jun 17 2008, 12:09 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Hobie1dog, on May 31 2008, 07:22 PM, said:

[image: View Post]cigarbuf, on May 31 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I'll add the dimensions and bend angles tomorrow. The bar length is just a couple inches short of 4 feet. The bender was something I picked up at Harbor Freight last year on sale for $40.


Got a link to which bender you bought? They are having a big sidewalk sale on June 6th and 7th here locally.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting up a helpful and cost effective solution for us.

Hey... Hobie don't you live near me? :goofy: Make me one too while you're at it!! :idea3:

OK Nicole...don't start preying on one of Marty's weaknesses to get a "freebie".................. :biggrin:

You mind your own business!!!! :laugh:

Yes Ma'am................ :491:

Bender? I've been on a bender for years. :blush: Nice expansion of cigarbuf's solution, Lee.