| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Has anybody here used Roadgear Saddlebags? I'm thinking about getting a set, and if anyone has anything to say about them (good or bad), I'd appreciate the info. Here's the set I'm thinking about: http://roadgear.com/adventure-jumbo-sport-saddle-b ags-p-69.html (Message edited by Crusty on February 26, 2015) | ||
| Crusty |
I just got off the phone with a very pleasant young lady at Roadgear. It turns out that the Jumbo Sport Bags are not a real big seller, so they're discontinuing them. They're selling off their remaining stock at 50% off. The catch is that the only colors they have available are yellow or blue. Still, for half price, I decided to gamble and I bought a set of the yellow bags. I also bought a pair of raincovers, also at 50% off. With shipping, it comes to something like $144.00. I was considering either a pair of Nelson-Rigg or First Gear bags, which are smaller for around the same money before shipping, so I think I'm making a good decision. It's probably going to take a week to get them; once they arrive, I'll post back with my first impressions, if anyone is interested. | ||
| Indybuell |
I'm interested in your impressions of them. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I'd buy a set if I needed them. Made in the USA! | ||
| Roderick |
How can these 'universal' bags mount on an S1 ? THAT I would like to know. Roderick | ||
| Patches |
Have you thought about surplus army Ammo Boxes? Mite be a cheaper alternative. With a little ingenuity and a trip to Home Depot you can solid mount them. The problem I have had with textile bags is flopping around in the wind and shifting weight going through the turns.   There also paintable. | ||
| Crusty |
Yes, I thought about ammo cans. I prefer the Cordura bags for this trip. A good part of this trip is that it's a tribute to my friend Bill who died unexpectedly last May. We had been planning a cross country ride on Iron Motor Sportsters. He built a custom military themed Sportster and it had ammo boxes for saddlebags. Although it might make a good tribute to Bill to use them, I think that since I'm going to be living off my bike for a few months, I want the larger capacity and the more easily removable aspect of the Roadgear bags. As far as the flopping around part, I've used soft bags in the past and I've found that if they're attached properly, they don't flop around. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Problem with ammo cans.... they are small, very small... | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I can imagine the rattling handles would drive me mental too. | ||
| Patches |
One of Guys at American Legends Motorcycles Runs them on his Bike. Also there is a Big Dog Ridgeback here that has Ammo Boxes on it also. They do come in larger sizes and as for the handles they can be cut off. | ||
| Crusty |
I got the bags today. They look pretty stout. The main compartment has a stiff foam piece on both the wheel side and outside to help keep the shape of the bags. As well as the main compartment which is pretty good sized (13" x 10" x 12"), there are three other zippered pockets. There's a zippered pocket on top that's pretty big (roughly 10" x 12"), one on the outside of the main compartment that's as big as the body of the bag (About 14" x 10") and there's a zippered pocket on the back (7" x 8").There's a pocket on the front front that's big enough to hold a fairly good sized bottle of water (9" x 7"). It doesn't have a zipper; just a strip of velcro across the top flap. The sides of the bags and the pockets are all made of pleated material, so there's a Lot of room for expansion. Supposedly, they have a 45 Liter Capacity each. I don't know that for certain, but I believe it. I guess what I should do is pack a weeks worth of clothes and see if everything fits with room for tools and other sundries. I think they'll work beautifully. For what they cost and what I got, I think they're a steal of a deal. I really think I'm going to like these bags a lot. (Message edited by Crusty on March 04, 2015) | ||
| Ducbsa |
Do the rain covers look effective/convenient to install? How does the mounting look? Are they for an XB? | ||
| Crusty |
The mounting is two straps across (or under) the passenger seat, a strap that goes across the rear fender near the tail light and straps that go from the front of each bag to the passenger foot pegs. I don't have an XB nearby to check out how they'd fit, but I think they would work just fine on one. Here's a picture from their web site:  | ||
| Buellish |
I have a pair of Cortech Sport saddlebags that install in the same way Crusty's do and this mounting system is very versatile.I use them on my Moto Guzzi V11 Sport and came up with a method to prevent them from moving in toward the wheel and from one riding lower than the other if they are not balanced properly.All it takes is some experimenting.It took a little time but mine pretty much stay in place. | ||
| Sifo |
Do the rain covers look effective/convenient to install? While I can't speak for these specifically, I will give some practical advice gained from my wife's Guzzi. I think her rain covers are pretty typical in that they go over the bags from the side and snugs with elastic around the mounting system on the inside, right next to the spray from the wheel. The problem with this is that the spray hits the small open area near the mounting system and runs down inside the rain cover. If there's not a grommet or something to let the water drain out the bottom, it just doesn't. After a while you can wind up with a couple of inches of water at the bottom. Certainly details will vary from one system to the next, but the rain covers for my wife's Guzzi bags are a FAIL! A simple drain hole is an easy fix though. |
