Securing your saddlebags

[Fred H.]

Y'all might want to check out the article in the recent Concourier about the saddlebag problems. There have been a few reports surface of saddlebags coming off the bike, even after the recall for replacing the latches. Some folks are drilling holes in the bottom mount and "pinning" them, but I believe I have found a better solution that doesn't require drilling any holes. I have done it to my own bike and have put over 3K miles on it since on all kinds of rough roads with no problems. The rear of the bag no longer is able to be lifted up or bounces on bumps.

 

[Cap'n Bob]

I read your solution Fred. It sounds like it will help. But I personally still prefer the pins. I know the bags are not coming off with them unless something major breaks! Just my opinion!

 

[badinc1]

I read your solution Fred. It sounds like it will help. But I personally still prefer the pins. I know the bags are not coming off with them unless something major breaks! Just my opinion!

I drilled and pin'd mine also.
I felt a lot safer with them attached that way, although it does make them harder to remove when you want to remove them, but for me, that was hardly ever, as they stayed on all the time, except for when I did complete cleaning.
Bobby. 

 

[COGnosticator]

You might want to think about using this solution:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Concours-14-GTR-1400-Saddlebag-Retaining-Brackets-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4153fd3bb9QQitemZ280581979065QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I have already pinned mine just to make sure

 

[killer]

I'm not pinning my bags, but I will go with Fred's solution to this problem.....having said that, I'm still optimistic that Kawasaki will do the "right thing" and fix the problem. 

 

[Cap'n Bob]

I'm still optimistic that Kawasaki will do the "right thing" and fix the problem.

Edited for better wording:

It's good that your optimistic in your hopes that Kawasaki will fix the problem. But I personally belive that Kawasaki will not issue a second recall on the panniers. They probably don't feel any problems thus far warrant the cost of a recall for them. Of course this is just my opinion!

 

[Cap'n Bob]

There were originally a couple of more posts in this thread at this point. The first one was posted in response to my last post (the way it was originally worded). The member felt that my post had a negative tone.  The other was a post was made by me explaining what I meant in my post (originally worded). We had a nice discussion about it and I agreed with his assessment. So I decided to change my original post to the way it was meant to be worded in the first place. I also deleted the second post that I made, that was explaining my first post. As to not to confuse things more than it already was. The other member later informed me that he also decided to delete his post, for it did not apply anymore.
Another forum member pointed out to me later that he worried that the posts that no longer exsist, might appear as some kind of censorship. I again see his point. So I posted this just to affirm that there was no censorship of any kind. Just a misunderstanding of words, that was corrected by the people involved. The deleting of said posts was totally at the discretion of the posters, and not by anyone else! I just though I should convey this just in case it looked that way! Now back to the original topic!

 

[matticeca]

I high sided my bike and the bags did not come off.  I would like a little more info on how people are pegging the bags.

Thanks  Relic 8)

 

[tshusband]

Is it just me? Sorry, but I didn't quite catch Fred's solution. Please help a guy out here. Fred, what did you do to your bags to secure them? Thanks.

Has anyone tried the brackets shown on the Ebay link above? Any comments on them from someone who has tried them out?

 

[Fred H.]

Is it just me? Sorry, but I didn't quite catch Fred's solution. Please help a guy out here. Fred, what did you do to your bags to secure them? Thanks.

Has anyone tried the brackets shown on the Ebay link above? Any comments on them from someone who has tried them out?

I put an article in the last Concourier with photos showing what I did. It does not require any drilling of holes. It works by simply tightening up the interface between the lock mechanism and the bike so that they can't lift up from the rear and release by accident.

Check your latest Concourier magazine for the write up.

 

[ljcorby]

Is it just me? Sorry, but I didn't quite catch Fred's solution. Please help a guy out here. Fred, what did you do to your bags to secure them? Thanks.

Has anyone tried the brackets shown on the Ebay link above? Any comments on them from someone who has tried them out?

I purchased them off of eBay.  They seem to do a very good job in securing the bags......I wasn't too crazy about drilling through them.  If that is ultimately what i have to do I will, but for now, these are working beautifully.  Thanks.

 

[joeincalif]

I bought the brackets from a board member, they work real good

 

[rawman]

Unfortunatley, I laid mine down at 15-20 mph on the left side.  Supposedly the bike slid 92' (according to the Sheriff).  The bag had some major road rash, but did not come off.  It seems a litle looser than normal and the shop is checking the mounting bracket under the tail plastic.  About $3000.00 in damage (including labor).  The worst hit was the mirror, it broke the internal mounting brackets.

The bags did not come off in the hour ride right after the accident, nor in the trailer back home. After the estimate at the shop for the Insurance Company and while waiting for the parts, I rode it a couple times and no issues.  It is in the shop now, should be done this upcoming week.

 

[Cap'n Bob]

Unfortunatley, I laid mine down at 15-20 mph on the left side.  Supposedly the bike slid 92' (according to the Sheriff).  The bag had some major road rash, but did not come off.  It seems a litle looser than normal and the shop is checking the mounting bracket under the tail plastic.  About $3000.00 in damage (including labor).  The worst hit was the mirror, it broke the internal mounting brackets.

The bags did not come off in the hour ride right after the accident, nor in the trailer back home. After the estimate at the shop for the Insurance Company and while waiting for the parts, I rode it a couple times and no issues.  It is in the shop now, should be done this upcoming week.

Did this just happen? Or did I miss something recently! It does sound new.

 

[bob14]

I tried these  from a Forum member..... Zteve

http://forum.concours.org/index.php?topic=80212.msg479467#msg479467

seem to be just right
it's a small steel sprung clip that works well one for the right and one for the left( different clips)

 

[slybonesjesse]

I know this is a C14 thread. Seems like back when I first joined COG there were a number of post about people loosing saddle bags down the road on the C10s. Dont really hear much about that any more. I recall people also discussing locking the latches versus leaving unlocked to prevent having them open while going down the road spewing clothes and gear everywhere. Seems like not too much recently, but enough back when that I put a strap from one bag to the other, under the seat, to at least keep it from disappearing should it some how get separated from the antler. And I lock them when traveling with gear.

 

[hayzes]

I have not had any issues with my 09' bags nor any indications that have made me doubt them.  Are people hitting potholes or something when they come off?

 

[Weg3111]

I haven't had any issues either. Still, I got a pair of the brackets off ebay. Just because they were there.

 

[Cap'n Bob]

I have not had any issues with my 09' bags nor any indications that have made me doubt them.  Are people hitting potholes or something when they come off?

Some of the people who knew where they lost them seemed to think they hit a bump. The one on video definetly hit a bump. It was interesting watching the bag bounce down the road in his mirror.
But just to point out, nobody knew that they were having an issue, until the bag actually came off.

 

[joeincalif]

For a few dollars it's cheap insurance and they don't interfere with the use of the bags.,  I bought a set of the brackets like the ones on e-bay from a member here.

 

[Conrad]

I bought the brackets too, just after I put my bike up for the season. I'll be getting out this weekend, I hope, and I'll give them a try then.

 

[gliderbuff]

Due to a tip over accident (while stopped)  landed on right side of m/c picked bike up and appeared no harm done other than to my little feelings!!  Then week later hit a sizable bump in the road and off popped the bag and down the road it went.... luckily no other motorists ran over it... picked it up and reinstalled the scuffed up bag thinking it was never secured properly in the first place and then it happened a second time.... scuffing it up again!  Oh well live and learn.  Here is what I found out:

Once i took lock mechanism assembly out of the saddle bag and gave it a closer look i noticed a small plastic pin broken off the orange hard plastic lock mechanism.  The pin rides in a track and allows the mechanism to fully travel and engage with the lock slot on the motorcycle.  With the pin broken then the lock mechanism no longer seats where it should and will not secure the bag.

So since the oem assembly is no longer available from Kawasaki the options are pretty limited... buy a saddle bag off ebay (don't you know it there is a left for sale right now and I need a right)  or Pin the bags in place ....  pinning the bags in place is a decent solution and getting the scuffed up  bag repainted will have me back looking normal without the  option to remove the bag quickly ..... so it goes .

 

[C1xRider]

Due to a tip over accident (while stopped)  landed on right side of m/c picked bike up and appeared no harm done other than to my little feelings!!  Then week later hit a sizable bump in the road and off popped the bag and down the road it went.... luckily no other motorists ran over it... picked it up and reinstalled the scuffed up bag thinking it was never secured properly in the first place and then it happened a second time.... scuffing it up again!  Oh well live and learn.  Here is what I found out:

Once i took lock mechanism assembly out of the saddle bag and gave it a closer look i noticed a small plastic pin broken off the orange hard plastic lock mechanism.  The pin rides in a track and allows the mechanism to fully travel and engage with the lock slot on the motorcycle.  With the pin broken then the lock mechanism no longer seats where it should and will not secure the bag.

So since the oem assembly is no longer available from Kawasaki the options are pretty limited... buy a saddle bag off ebay (don't you know it there is a left for sale right now and I need a right)  or Pin the bags in place ....  pinning the bags in place is a decent solution and getting the scuffed up  bag repainted will have me back looking normal without the  option to remove the bag quickly ..... so it goes .

There may be a third option, replace the broken plastic guide pin on the latch mechanism with a metal one.  I haven't seen the mechanism apart, but it sounds like it would be simple enough (I've done this type of thing before).

There's a couple of ways to do this, one is to drill a pilot hole where the broken pin was, find a self tapping screw of the correct shank diameter, coat the threads with some adhesive and install the screw, then cut the head off.  The shank becomes the slider part of the pin.  Another is to use a metal dowel of the same diameter as the original pin, drill and install with adhesive, if there is enough material to support installing it into the plastic mechanism.