Finally got my replacement saddlebags the other day. For those who don't know I originally had Saddleman Jumbo Drifter bags but they were being replaced by my insurance company after an accident 6 months ago. The Australian dealer couldn't get the same bags so they offered me the more expensive KDrives instead, but I'd have to wait for them.
They come either as a synthetic leather bag (a material called Iparex 1000) with or without studs, or genuine leather without studs. Both sorts have a thick (4mm/1/4") plastic backing. I ended up with the studded Iparex ones, due to the need for extra care required for real leather.
These bags come with their own custom brackets to mount on the sides of the bike. The bags attach to the brackets by means of a sturdy looking plastic clip on the back, and are locked in place by means of a key inserted from inside the bag. This means there's no yoke below the pillion seat to scratch the rear fender, and the bags can be easilly unlocked and carried away to clean the bike, to secure the bags for the night, or to use them as suitcases (complete with handles) when touring. Both bags are keyed the same, and they come with a pair of identical keys.
Fitting these to the bike is very simple. The bracket kit is actually the kit to suit the HD Dyna, but comes with a small bag of extra parts that include four spacers of two different sizes to allow for sissybars or not, and a set of four mounting bolts that replace the standard ones. Simply remove the first and last bolt on a siderail, place the bracket and appropriate spacer against it, and screw the new bolts in. The bags then clip onto the backets.
Compared to my previous bags the lids on these are a thinner material however the load-bearing parts of the bag seem just as sturdy and the bags themselves are slightly larger than the Jumbo Drifters. The bags clear the rear shocks nicely and fit like a factory accessory. I've ridden through some fairly decent rain in the last few days and everything in the bags managed to stay dry. I imagine if the bags were completely full it might be a little awkward trying to access the lock inside the bags but it's still achievable and something you wouldn't have to do often. A feature of the Drifters I miss on these bags is the "lockable" buckles - they're by no means foolproof but they'd stop or at least slow down a casual thief.
Be aware that these bags aren't cheap - Brent at newspeedmaster.com charges US$479.00 for them, and my Australian dealer's price is AU$890.00! This price seems less extreme when you realise that these bags match the functionality of a product like "easy brackets" (US$149.95 MSRP) with bags of a similar size and quality to the jumbo drifter slants (US$167.95 MSRP). I guess it's up to you if it's worth paying the US$161.10 extra for a setup that's complete from the factory, or save it and convert yoke-type bags to the easybracket mounts yourself. I've wanted a set of these since before they were available for our bikes, however I wouldn't have been willing to pay that much to replace bags I already had but weren't easilly removable. If I hadn't already had bags I might have considered it. For free, I'm as happy as can be with them!
Matt
