I know a few guys have followed suit with the old style hard saddlebags like I've got, so thought I'd post a planned upgrade I'll probably be working on this weekend ....

I have been unhappy with the so-called 'hinge' on the bags ... tab A in slot B ...

Well, I bought a set of the Premium Tour Pak Hinges 79211-08A ... picked them up for under $45 including tax ....

Well, mocked them up this evening ... think they'll work ... possible I'll need to shim the bottom of the lower hinge, and trim a little of the lid to get the upper part of the hinge to fit ... but, looks very promising for now ....

More to follow, including some pics when I get them on ....

R/
'Chop

 

Such a tease.... Can't wait to see how it all turns out.

 

HELL YA! please please please take some pics as you work though this... i FN hate having to set down the lids everytime i am in there... plus i am getting ready to paint mine to match the trunk and fairing and want to do it right once ya know

 

If this works I may have to put the hard bags back on the Shovel. I'm thinkin' it'll look good in white.

 

I don't mind the tab so much. I suppose if I had taken the time to paint mine it may be a different story.


That or you could just drop the shovel off at my place.

 

No Joy ...! Does not work ... I dicked up the lid on one side to get the upper part of the hinge on, but the gap between the bag itself and the hinge was too great ... (wedge shaped gap, of course, but am estimating 3/8" at the top and 3/4" at the lower edge of the hinge) ....

Since I don't have my rivet kit with me in VA, I temporarily re-attached the hardware using the smallest size 'zip ties' ... will work for now, but I think I'm going to need to find some replacement lids ....

If anyone finds replacement hinges and latches, please let me know ... I know there is a 'suitcase' latch that can be used to replace the stock type key latch ... and I am thinking there is a hinge ... but, have never seen one up close (nor have I been able to find anything on any internet searches) ....

R/
'Chop

 

No joy in Mudville today.

And the Shovel stays on the homeplace. I may go with white paint, the black leather bags shown in my sig, and put the fairing back on. I will need fairing mounts. The only set I have are on the Dyna. No hurry. Still working on the Dyna.

 

I'm right behind you Bad asses. I just picked up a set of old shovel head bags on ebay. They need a lot of work and I'm very greatfull for the posts and ideas. I don't want to trade my bike in for a streetglide and take a huge hit. You guys have something here. No offense to the new bags from harley, but those old hard bags are the ticket for me. Next will be mini apes. Traverer's bike is soo bad. I just want to get close. lol

 

I had posted recently about a project on my hard bags I am undertaking ...

I've got the Police (also Tour Pak) type hinges that I am mounting on the outboard of my saddlebags ... oriented just like the Police saddlebags ...

However, instead of the 'hockey puck' like the Police saddlebags, I am using the billet latches like on the Tour Pak ... got them in gloss black ...

I am mounting them on the inboard side of the bags, opposite the hinges ... so, the bag lids will latch on the inside and open up and out ...

Okay, I also got color to match my tins and the fairing, lower fairings and bags will be painted to match my tins ... however, the painter had a family emergency and won't be able to get to the job for another two or three weeks ...

So, this will give me an opportunity to do a little more fine tuning on the concept and prep before going to paint ... actually works to my advantage as this should give me a chance to get a much more finished, professional appearance ...

The main issue is the way the latches and hinges mate up to the surfaces ... the photos demonstrate the issues ...

- the contour of the hinge doesn't match the saddlebag lids ... I'll have to add some material to the lip (particularly the rear hinge) ...

- the bag tapers in away from the hinge at a greater angle than the Tour Pak and (current generation) Police bags ... well, actually, they have a little platform molded in that stands out from the surface ... so, I'll have to add some material to step up the surface beneath the lower half of the hinge where it mates to the saddlebag body ...

- same issue affects the latches ... will have to add some material under the latches to get good, solid, water-tight closure ...











For those unfamiliar with the background on my bags, my original 'how - to' post was here ... https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...-new-bags.html ... since then, I changed the stock mounts by removing the 'bolt up' adapters and having them welded in place ... then powder coated them black ...



So, all of the hardware will be black ... I am going to refinish the hinges and paint all of the rivet heads black ...

 

Marked the bags where the hinges and latches will go and sanded the surface down with 80 grit sandpaper to prep for adding fiberglass ...

I had filled the holes on the front of the bags where the 'tab and slot' hardware / hinge attached ...



Latch stand off ... will need to build up the base beneath this ...



Sanded down and ready for fiberglass ...



Hinge side ...



3M Bondo fiberglass repair kit I am using to build up the saddlebags ...