Ok, I've had these cheap bags mounted for awhile. At first I threw them over the fender, but they scuffed the paint (surprise, surprise!):
So I scrapped the yoke, and bolted just the attachment edges to the bike - works pretty well, with both the OEM seat and my solo seat and rack:
The strap keeps the bags stable.
What I've just discovered is that the way the bags rest on the fender supports, they kind of turn in towards the back, so they interfere with the swing arm movement: the lower shock mount acorn nuts rub against the bottom edges of both bags, and on the right side, the axle nut and brake wear indicator are
really rubbing, to the point where they're damaging the bags. Not sure why I never noticed it before, but I'd like to take care of it:
I'm thinking of installing a simple "stand-off" bar, which would attach to the rear seat bolt (or the rear rack bolt, depending on which I have installed), and with a slight outward bend, extend straight down across the outside of the lower fender support (with something to protect the support from chafing), as far as the bottom of the bag. This would change the angle and clear the up-and-down-moving parts, and the straps would still secure the bags.
I'm thinking maybe some aluminum bar stock, 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick, and long enough to suit. I could either paint it black, or try to find some black anodized, which I would still have to touch up with paint where I "adjust" it.
Any thoughts? Any recommendations for sourcing this stuff, or other ideas?
On the other hand, some sort of spacer attached in the correct spot to the bags themselves would accomplish the same thing, but if I remove the bags, I won't have that unsightly bar hanging down...
Topic: B5 Saddle Bag Mounting (Read 1433 times)