Got my HogDeluxe bags today. I've been stoked waiting to get them, because I've really been wanting bags, and they looked like exactly what I wanted: A bag that matched the Deluxe seat, and fit close to the fender.

When I got home from work, there was a big box waiting for me. When I opened the box there were 2 seperate plastic bags. Removing the saddlebag from the first wrapper I was impressed, to say the least. You can tell these are high quality bags. Thick leather. Excellent stitching and tooling. The bags are sturdy, and no doubt will last a long, long time. They are beautiful. 2nd bag was no different, excellent quality.

I immediately went to get started on mounting them on my bike. The Easy Bracket hardware that goes on the struts was easy as pie to install. I'm talking just a couple minutes to get all 4 mounts on.

Here's where I have my only problem with the bags so far. When I ordered them, I asked Mike to mount the bag brackets higher on the bag, so they would sit lower on the bike. I have True Duals and wanted to take up some of the space, so they wouldn't look like tiny saddlebags. He wouldn't do it himself, but agreed to leave the brackets off so I could measure and install them where I wanted them. Before they were shipped Mike called me and told me he mounted the brackets in their standard spot and felt they would be better that way. They're not.

I have Springer Softail saddlebag guards, and the bags hit against them. If they were mounted lower an inch or two they would fit perfect. If I take off the guards (which I don't want to do) they still wouldn't look right with the dual exhaust. They sit far too high and look tiny that way, imo. This won't be a hard fix, as I just need to take the brackets off and drill more holes. It appears I can mount them 1-2" lower, but I'll measure twice before I cut. Then I'll have to figure out what to patch the original holes with.

All in all, I'm happy with the bags themselves. They're great quality and construction and I believe they'll look great as soon as I get time to mount them where they need to be. I'd highly recommend them to anyone interested in getting bags, but those of you who have duals need to insist on mounting the brackets yourself, unless you like the high bag look. No other complaints at all, other than the mounts being on. Mike is a great guy to work with. Customer service was top-notch, and it was really nice to be able to talk to an actual person when I called, even after the sale. That's a rarity these days.

Anyways, I'll end this long post with some pics of how they currently look:

 

Thanks a lot El Supremo I have been looking into these bags for a number of reasons. They match the Deuxe's look, locking lids and being locked to the bike is a nice touch. Glad you gave good feedback as I like your bike and have learned from your posts. I think i might go ahead and pull the trigger and get these bags. You are beyond a shadow of a doubt correct though, those bags are mounted way too high to look sleak with the true duals. need to be lowered.

 

I have to agree that they will look better a little lower. Great looking bags and a great looking bike though. One of the coolest retro looks I've seen.

 

Lower the bags! Hogdeluxe should make special brackets for people who have true duals. If I wanted that look, I would just buy the locking harley bags made for the deluxe...way too high for me...

 

Great look'n bike!

I believe I'd lower'em too....if not too much hassle.

 

Lower the bags for sure. They look like great bags, but are way too high. I would have them sitting right above the true duals so as to take up all that empty space. Drop those bags.

 

I had a similar problem when I first mounted aftermarket bags on teh wifes Deluxe. At that time, she had the shotgun exhaust so the bags had to be higher in order to clear.

She is now running a 2 into 1 system, so I removed the mounts, and reinstalled them to where they fit properly.

I used a good electrical tape over the holes on teh outside of the bag (tire side) and have had no problems whatsoever.

If you know the excact hole size, you can purchase hole plugs from almost any hardware store. these simply push in so I don't know how well they ill hold in the saddlebag, but they are cheap (pennies each) so might be worth a try. You could also put tape on from the inside of the bag, and fill it from the outside with some sort of sealer then remove the tape after drying.

Just the tape that I used has been fine for nearly a year now. no leaks, and have not lost any tape as yet.

 

Great looking bike and bags but they do need to be lowered. I have their solo bag and tool bag for the Deluxe and I too can say enough good things about them and their quality. They also ship fast and are very responsive to questions/concerns.

To plug the hold the only thing I can think of would be to get a couple pieces of quality leather and rivit them to the bags to cover the holes. If you go that route you may also want to add a dab of silicone to help seal them from water........Other then that, no other ideas come to mind to seal those holes.

 

Yep, even before I read anything, I though good looking bags, but too high...

at least even with fender rail

 

Good bags, +1 lower them, a bit too high