Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Easy Brackets and Saddlemen Desperado Bags

Has anyone tryed these bags on the easy brackets? Are the back of bags hard? I have the Brackets but i have not made up my mind on the bags yet any suggestions out there on bags..........

I have Easy Brackets and Saddlemen Drifter Bags. The back of the bags is a semi-thick plastic. It hase some existing holes for the removeable throw-over. I drilled two additional holes for the EZ brackets. Works great. I bought both the EZ brackets and Bags on E Bay cheaper than any other retailer I found. But this is the next cheapest I found for the bags. http://www.accessoryinternational.com/Me..._Code=SADDLEMEN

Hey James, I have the easy brackets too, a Christmas present from my wife. I was looking at the Saddlemen bags for them, but have only seen them in pictures. What material are they made of? Do they look close to leather and are the sturdy?

James, do you have the jumbo or large size?

I have the easy brackets with the Saddleman Drifter bags, in the large size. Those will hold a leather jacket by its self and nothing more. If you want to carry a lot, get the jumbo size.

Duane,

I went through this dilemma last year. Here is what I came to. Whatever bags you use, they will mount best to the "Easy Bracket" system if you will develop some kind of backing plate for the bags. Some BA.com members have used a carefully cut out piece of plywood placed on the inside of the bags. What I did was fabricated a piece of .063 Marine-Grade aluminum, riveted it to the outside of my large "tourmaster" bags. (see pictures below).

-BT

I have the Saddlemen Drifter's in the large size but not the EZ brackets. I have them hard-mounted to my saddlebag brackets, they only come off with tools. Can't imagine riding without them so the EZ brackets wouldn't pay for my use.

Bought the bags from Accessories International, great price and quick shipping. With their rigid back, I don't believe you will need any additional bracing. So far, mine have been great. Like someone else pointed out, the large size holds a jacket. I don't like the looks of the Jumbo size unless you are running a solo seat, than they look perfect. (my opinion) The large size fit my cruising needs fine.

here's my tba with jumbo saddle slants and ez brackets. i think its the ultimate. your mileage may vary!!

ba.com photo

Duane,
Check these Bags that I have on my scoot. They are called K Drive by a company called Vartex. I gotta tell ya that these are of the highest quality and available in either leather or the synthetic leather material that mine are.
I have had them on for about 8000km (8 months) in all weather conditions and they are as good as new. They are meant for a harley dyna glide but they fit our bikes perfectly, even to the angle of the rear shock and the length of the rear guard. Check them out at(url) http://www.vartex.be

Duane,
I also have the Jumbo Drifters and the Easy Bracket setup. The Easy part is getting them on/off, not putting them suckers on. They require a few beers and some swearing but the end result is worth it. The jumbos can hold a case of beer each and room to spare. You can get a lot of crap in these babies for sure. I figure I need bags to haul stuff, so I got the biggens.

Pat,
When you mounted your bags did you drill extra holes in the bags or use the (upper)holes already there from the throw-over attachment? Also do you feel it is necessary to add some sort of additional backing to the bags or do you feel the plastic is strong enough without any additional support?
I have the bags and EZ Brackets and this will be my next job after finishing up the cable re-route for the risers.

Many Thanks,

Keith

I used two of the existing holes on each bag and had to drill 2 more in each bag. Not a big deal. I also bought nice stainless nuts/bolts since I know they will eventually get wet and I didn't want any rust.
The backs seem to be plenty strong enough so far, the plastic is pretty beefy and sturdy.

with the easy bracket system on desperados do the bags stay clear of tire? and not damage paint on fender? i do not want bags on speedy all the time but would like to take some stuff with me if i go out of town.but not have big loopy brackets on all the time.

don,

The picture below should serve to answer your question.

-BT

jp, i ended up drilling 4 holes as i found the upper existing holes a little high for the look i was after. i lined up the top of the bracket with the bottom of the little strap on the back of the bags. and there's no rubbing and very little sag after well over a year of use.

Thanks Pat,
I went with the same setup except I couldn't get SS hardware at my local harware store so I got the glanvanized stuff. I'm not too worried since it's so dry here in Colorado that almost nothing ever rusts.

My right side bracket went on no problem with an extra washer in back, the left need a little more coaxing.

Overall, for me, it was the easiest job I've done lately. Installing the extra wire for the tach kit on my '02 turned out to be more of an adventure then I expected with the bad instructions and not being able to get the wire end into the igniter block side. Likewise, adding the spacers to my bar risers has turned into the job that won't end as I need a longer clutch cable in addition to re-routing the throttle cables. After all these "easy jobs" being such a pain I think I'm going to forgo the valve check and fork oil change I had planned until I get back from my trip this summer when I'll about 12k on the bike. My karma seems to be bad right now for working on bikes so I don't want to push my luck.

Keith

I like mine "Saddlemen Drifters Jumbo's" really nice and not to big on the easy brackets