Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Saddle Bags

OK, my Triumph slant bags didn't last too long; well, two years. But, I find myself in the market for a set of soft bags, sans the studs, rather large. I want to be able to take off the bags and the brackets easily and quickly. I know you guys/gals know exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks. H.P.

EZ brackets and internal supports no matter what the bag and you're good.

There are tons of bags out there, just figure out which ones you like the look of. From my own measurements, 16-18 inches in length are about perfect. Most bags are either bolt on or throw over, so you will need to get a set of easy-brackets if you want the easy on/off functionality. A few come with their own brackets (like K-drive), so check before purchasing. Willie and max seem to be popluar around here, but there are lots of others that people have used successfully. I picked up a set of Iron Horse bags (saddlebags, tool pouch and sissy bar bag) on e-bay pretty cheap and they have worked well for me. Like most, they come with or without studs, conchos, fringes, etc.. so you can choose the look you like.

This might be a good thread to include pictures of the various bags mounted up on our bikes, so they are all in one place. So here is a pic of my Iron Horse bags (click on picture for a larger view):



And here is from behind showing the easy-bracket mounting:



Cheers,
Brad

Check out this review of K-Drive saddlebags I did a couple of days ago.

Matt

I wasn't even going to look at the Willie and Max bags, but word-of-mouth advertising is pretty effective.

The synthetic material is warranted for life of the biker. No care required - just wipe them off with a wet towel.

Sturdy corrugated inner "box" structure - I did not use any reinforcement when mounting my EasyBrackets.

They make a HUGE variety of styles, sizes, colors, and the price is right. They sell from their own website, but encourage you to use their distributors/dealers. Their own website: WillieandMax
is very user friendly and functional, and the customer service is great. I ordered mine for Christmas, and they had everything on sale. Even then, I found I could have found better pricing from Competition Accessories, or MAWs - there are a lot of places you can shop their stuff.

Get the Easy Brackets - easy on/off for cleaning or maintenance - I pull off my left rear bag to check tire pressure. Link: EasyBrackets
You vcan find these on sale a lot of places, too - generally for $149.95. I found them on sale at WillieandMax
for $136 before Christmas, but when I ordered from W&M, they came to me direct from EasyBrackets...

From what I've seen here, I don't think anyone has ever gone "too big" on their bags - our bikes will accomodate them all, although the Easy Brackets may need some help to spread out the support. Some companies make their own brackets and support systems, like K-Drive. Others are hard mounted or simply support throwovers.

The K-Drive setup seems to have it all. Link: K-Drive

The best looking leather bags seem to be from Leatherneck Jim's, or The Leatherworks, or U.S. Saddlebag Company, or my personal favorite - Hepco-Becker.

Ebay has the easy brackets for 130 with free shipping.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll...o=&saprchi=

A quick question back at you: back when I was working around Hueys, we used quick pins to install the troop seats in the back. You set-up the seat frames and push the pin in to lock the seat parts in place, then pull the ring (or push the pin center shaft) to release the lock-ball on the pin shank, then you could pull the pin out and take the seats apart. Otherwise, the pin was firmly locked in the hole securing the seat frames. Do you use such things? If so, it occurs to me those might be something to consider for attaching bag rails.
It was tons easier than having to wrench nuts and bolts everytime you had to reconfigure the back from seats to stretchers, etc.
If not... never mind.