I was thinking I wanted something a bit different when it came to bags. I was surfing eBay and found a set of old 70s/early 80s FL bags complete with brackets (no keys). They looked pretty rough, but I emailed the seller and he said it was just the paint, oveall they were in good condition so I bid on them, did not get a lot of competition as they looked rough so I scored the set for 100 bucks plus shipping. Here are some details on what I did, in case somebody is intersted.

First thing was to get a new lockset, thank you eBay. 20 bucks or so and they were in my hand, drilling out the old set took about 5 minutes.

Overall they were a bit rougher than I was expecting, but I have done some fiberglass work before, so I started working on them. I decided the original brackets had to go, I wanted a quick detach system. I filled all the holes, did some sanding and repair, took a few nights after work and I was done.

The turn signals had to go. Thanks again eBay, around 50 bucks scored me an LED brake light with built in turn signals. They were easy to install, cheap, and they actually work. FYI - There is one issue with them, in direct sun light its difficult to see.

Dennis Kirk had the best price on brackets, I think I wound up with easybrackets. I honestly cant remember, they were compelty adjustable and easy to install. Had to drill holes into the bags to get them mounted but it was pretty easy.

Once I had everything together I was pretty happy, but had no idea what to do for color. I needed something that would cover my less than perfect fiberglass work and not add anything new color wise to the bike. I decided wrinkle black to match the motor was what I wanted. I could not find it, but at the local autozone I ran across bed liner for trucks in a can. What the hell, I tried it. It worked great. On the inside of the bags I sprayed rubber tool coat in a can. It worked, but not as great as I was thinking it would.


Total outlay
Bags 130 (sold the OEM brackets to recover some costs)
Brackets 130
Keyset 20
Paint/finish 25




Overall the total cost was 305 and some time. I really like them, and they look good on the bike.

Thanks for the ideas from the group while i was working on them..




Next in line is replacing the reflectors with LED turn signals or brake lights, any ideas???

 

The finish actually looks quite good. Do they sag at all when loaded and do they shake excessively? Also a side picture with the bike vertical would be nice to see as it would show the lines of the bike in it's running form.

 

Here are a few additional pics, I will snap one when i get a chance from a distance. There is a little bit of vibration but I believe that is due to the sissy bar more than the bags. The mount is really pretty solid. I have loaded them down for a camping trip, no sags. The bracket is pretty large and it is actually angled.

 

VirtualNorm - couple of questions. (1)Where in KCMO are you? If you go to any local bike meet and greets I'd love to see the bags in person. I've been looking at getting these types of bags for MONTHS, but want to see a set mounted in person beforehand.

(2) Mounting - did you do any interior support work so the bags hold the weight more evenly or do the two mounting hinges hold it all?

(3) Size - you say you load them down, can you give an idea of what exactly you can and can't get in them? Can a half lid helmet fit? Large laptop? Gym stuff (sneakers, shorts, tee shirt)?

(4) Two up - You look to have the highway two up seat, how does the 2nd rider mind the bags? Does it interfere with the 2nd rider's leg room?

(5) Performance - Do the bags effect the performance of the bob, ie wind pushing the bag around, leaning and riding, etc?

Sorry to ask so much but I want to do this so bad with these bags.

 

Not to many questions, if i was not wanting them I would not have posted. Depending on the answers it could save you somebody a lot of time/effort/problems.. Thats what the forum is all about

1) I am about 30 miles south of Kansas City Missouri, but I do a bit of "putting around". Ping me off line if your close and we can figure something out.

2) The back side of the bracket is huge, and angled, google "ghost brackets" or "easy bracksts" and see the pics. I went with the cheapest. There are holes in the bracket itself, I bolted the bag directly to the bracket, 5 or 6 bolts. On the inside the nut sticks out but I cut off the bolt making it as flush as I could.

3) I went camping 2 weeks ago for the weekend. The bags and the tbag on the back were all I needed. Contects were backpacking stove, camping pot, tent, full sized sleeping bag, mat, food and booze. Yes, my 2 man tent fit IN one bag, along with a few other things. I even had some room to spare. Unsure if a 1/2 helmet will fit in there, but I think it will. I do not have one to try.

The bags themself are Harley Davidson products, somebody makes clones but I scored suc a deal on the OEM ones I went with them. Also added some cool factor, I can say I actually restored something now.

4) The seat is a sundowner, and there is room for the passenger. My wife did say that she does not have as much heel room as she had with the older bags, these are longer but narrower. I am going to take a look this weekend. I believe I can move it back an inch.

5) I did around 600 miles on the above mentioned camping trip, i noticed zero difference performance or wind wise.


I like the bags, I like the way the look, something kind of unique. A couple of things to note.

+ The lids come completly off, wich makes it easy to pack but is "different" than a hinged lid.

+ They are longer but narrow. I would like for them to be a bit wider, not enough to do anything about it though.

+ The detach brackets are awesome, no other way to go IMO, makes it easy to take them into the house to pack or whatever.

Hope this helps..

 

I really like those bubble bags. If I could have found them at a price i could have afforded, I would have gone with those. Slick looking bike for sure..

 

Bubble Bags were until 1963, then your bags came on-line. A lot of folks back in the day lost the lids going down the road, so I imagine you have already caught yourself double checking! I have actually been able to use my Electra-Glide saddlebag liners, stuffed pretty much full, and got them in those Bubble Bags.

It looks like the brackets throw the bags out just far enough to clear the left side axle nut. Once again, those bags look really good and am waiting to see a good side picture!

 

I worried about those flying off as well, but the have done all right. No issues. here are a few pics, excuse the thumb...

 

here is another one..

 

It would not let me post 2 in the same reply, pic was to big..