| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
All the talk lately about the bags made me go and take new photos (lost the old ones) of my S2 bag modifications, for those who are on the fence about which bag to get. First, neither is perfect. The S2 bags, you need a key to latch and unlatch, and when/if the latches fail your bag contents take flight. They're not weathertight in the least, but that's what Hefty bags are for (and they work quite well, too). The S3 bags don't require a key to open and latch, unless you want to lock down your stuff. However, when those latches fail you are left with cargo you can't get to until you drill a hole into the bag/latch assembly - in the exact right location, much like drilling a safe - so you can stick something in the hole to push on the lever that broke, and release the latches. The S2 mounts let the bags "flop" at speed and over bumps, much like the ears of a hound dog. I suspect this contributes to a lot of the flex and latch-release problems. S3 bags are pricey. Mounts to put S3 bags on an S2...even MORE pricey. My solutions - and these have been serving me well since '04 or '05, through highway trips, Homecoming trips, Homecoming "parade lap" track days (lol), trips to, up, and down the Blue Ridge Parkway, and mundane trips to the store. Zero failures to date. First, rack modification. I am no fabricator, but a friend did these for me in an afternoon.  Factory S2T mounts are in orange; three twist-fasteners hold the upper section of the bag to the bracket, allowing the lower section to "flap". I added the green section, from the stock rear hoop down to the passenger peg bolt, and it contains a fourth twist-lock mounting tab that attaches the bottom of the bag to the bike, eliminating the "flap" tendency. Bags don't flop, bags don't flex. Bags don't flex...latches don't unlatch.  I also got an extra pair of the tethers that hold the lids, when you open them, and keep them from flopping into the swingarm. To go with them, I visited the hardware aisle of Home Depot where, in the lampshade section, they have "knurled nuts" designed to hold a lampshade/globe to a fixture. They are an exact match, except for finish (brass from Home Depot, black from Buell), to the nuts that hold the factory tether to the lid. I put the brass ones inside the bag out of sight, and used the OEM black ones outside. Drilled one hole in the bag base; drilled one hole in each of my lids (I have wides and narrows); installed the nuts with screws from the interior of the bag and plenty of loctite.  Having the nut mounted "backwards", with the knurled side closer to the bag, allows me to simply slip the hoop on the cable over the end to open or close the bag. It has become so convenient that barring hateful weather or small cargo (the bag lids are slightly warped)...I don't even mess with the factory locks anymore. I simply close the lid, lasso the nut, and ride. And...they're low-profile and virtually invisible. If you look closely here, you can just barely see the nub of the knurled nut on the deep lid (and, you can *barely* see my added support strut going to the passenger peg).  So...if you've been debating putting S3 bags on an S2...it's up to you, but S2 bags can easily be made to work, reliably, and still retain originality. Just my .02...  | ||
| Easy_rider |
Looks nice, Rat. Thanks! | ||
| Two_seasons |
That is a really good looking S2T there Rat. Did you get it to that condition, or buy it that way? Just for reference, I rode my 1996 from Kansas City to Waukesha last October 19th. It was cold, wet, foggy. I had never used S2T bags. I did not loose any thing in the 730 miles to the home base. Maybe luck, maybe the PO X3 made sure the mounts and the hardware were well lubed. That trip was one for the memory. Second most wonderful trip I've ever been on. I've commented that S2 bags don't look right on an S3. That comment/bias is based solely on what I've read in these forums. I think if it wasn't for the original beauty of the S2T bags, I'd just as soon run a Ventura system. But, that is just me. Hopefully soon, I'll have mine on the road again. There a very distinct squeal/rubbing sound coming up to a stop and then the first several feet on takeoff. I think I've got final drive bearing issues. The belt was tight as a drum when I picked it up in KC,MO. And I rode it home that way! (Message edited by two_seasons on July 03, 2013) | ||
| Jolly |
Ratbuell, its bikes like yours above that made me chase an S2 for my garage! man that's fantastic!! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Actually, my bike is a 95 S2. The original owner, when the 96 S2T came out, got the accessories: wide bags, bag bracket, drop peg mounts, and lower fairings. He didn't spring for the bars, which I wish I had sometimes (getting old is a bitch). All factory S2T's had gray frames. I have to check paperwork, but I found the bike in 04/05/06, somewhere in there. Clean original bike, Supertrapp muffler, EBC rotor. There's a couple stress fractures in the bodywork here and there (front fairing, tail section where it bolts to the tank cover) but from what I can tell it's all original paint and I've never done anything cosmetic to it except keep it clean. I changed the sideplates to (I believe) the LAST set Al had at American Sport Bike, that are designed for a standard tuber sidestand - no more Leaning Tower of S2! I added the Works shock, thunderstorm conversion with X1 cams, I found narrow lids in Red Snap, the bag mount and clasp mods...and that's about it. Oh, I added driving lights (you can see them in the photo) and changed the taillight over to LED inside the stock lens, and swapped the sealed beam headlight for a Hella H4 halogen, euro-spec. MUCH better lighting, plug and play install. Thanks for the compliments. That photo above, it was extra-special-clean - it was the day Erik signed it at Homecoming '09. Photo was taken at the campground that evening.  | ||
| Johnod |
Very Nice. |
