Hi Touring section,

I am converting my Deluxe to a bagger and have seen some great deals in the classifieds for lower bags in excellent shape, with no tops or hardware.

If I go down this route and buy the lowers, where is the best place to get tops and hardware? Are any aftermarket manufacturers reliable for this? Or am I going to get bent over a barrel at the dealer to complete my bags?

Thanks for your time and expertise.

W

 

lowers are more often for sale as some guys buy the ebay "stretched" bags kits- and use their lids. leaving a surplus of stock lower bags.

check the classifieds on the forums and craigslist.

your best fit will be Harley parts and harley parts, rather than trying to fit knockoff parts together, sometimes yes, sometimes no..and grinding, cutting, filing...then filling to get a surface you can paint.

mike

 

Id try calling Patricia at Matazu and see if they will sell just the lids or just check out the price for the complete stock ABS bag with lid at $ 219 painted black. They also have complete hardware kits at $140.00 for everything, at the dealer its almost $ 400.00. You can get a complete set of vivid black stock bags with all hardware for $ 360.00 plus $ 30.00 shipping to your door

if you call and order mention that you are a Forum Member they give us over at RG.org a 10% discount

http://www.mutazu.com/products.php?c...387&s=prod.php

 

Hardware is the pricy part of the hard bags. I bought my first set of bags on ebay complete and the same color as my bike, so I didn't have to pay for paint.

 

Thanks for the feedback. XARAN, do you have the Mutazu? I can't find anyone that can vouch for the quality, seems hit or miss.

But I can't beat that price for a complete set!

Thanks everyone,

 

I have Matazu CVO style extensions on my stock bags and they are good quality and good paint. I have the CVO style bags from eastern performance now and they are made in china like the matazu and fairing factory I've seen the lowers and bags on bikes in my area and the abs is just like the factory parts the paint is what varies in quality from one to the other. That is why if you decide to go with matazu or fairing factory call and talk to Patricia at Matazu and place the order. They will personally inspect the parts before shipping to be sure you get a good set since some of the QC is not always consistent regarding the paint

 

XARAN, thanks for that info - that was really helpful.

I'll give her a call asap.

Thanks again!

 

I bought some of those pre-painted bags and ended up sending them back. The adage that you get what you pay for is true. Mine were warped, while the paint looked fine. I also sent back the outer fairing because the mold lines on the inside of the fairing were visible on the exterior surface. That paint was also fine. Cost me the return shipping but they did refund the purchase price. Lesson learned.

 

My buddy sells all the saddle bag parts. He will be at Long beach this weekend. It is his side business.

 

Thanks everybody. I appreciate it.