Baggitty Bag Bag

[Larrym]

After one year and 1.45K miles I finally found the right bags for my 79 Special:



No, they're not the OEM hard bags. (Congrats to those owners who have them.) These bags came from an owner/member here on channel 11. Who? Well, let's just say that if one rounded up the "usual suspects" with a known record of doing good things for other members, he'd be in the line up.



I knew I had made the right choice when I placed the center section over the fender and saw not only the pre-cut holes for the seat hold downs but also saw the pre-formed bump that fit over my TCI box.



These bags had been installed before on another 1100. A combination of hot exhaust gases and a Two liter bottle of soda (???) had resulted in a small hole in the bottom of one of the bags. The other bag had a hole as well. No worries! Here's the view of my repair from the inside:



Now from the outside/bottom:



Just for giggles I cut out a piece of 1/4 plywood to place on both bag bottoms to keep anything from causing the bag to deform/sag downwards toward that hot exhaust. I wouldn't want that to happen twice!

Now the question is not whether these bags will carry my disc golf gear, but whether or not a standard 12-Pack of beverages will fit inside. It looks like a close fit if at all possible.

Thank you....to the site and to all the members who would likely be called in for questioning if this were being investigated as the "crime of goodness" it really is...

[Ivan]

You're getting close to the perfect bike. As Bob Falter once said, a bike that can't haul a 30 pack ain't worth a damn.

[fredintoon]

Bagging beverages.

After one year and 1.45K miles I finally found the right bags for my 79 Special: - - - - Now the question is not whether these bags will carry my disc golf gear, but whether or not a standard 12-Pack of beverages will fit inside. It looks like a close fit if at all possible. - - -

Hi Larry,
my 25 year old leather bags will take a 12pack of bottles each side but only a pack that's arranged in the old 2x6 format.
The modern 3x4 12pack is too fat to fit.
This drove me to experiment and I did work out a better method.
Step 1) Switch from bottles to cans.
Step 2) Line the bag with a kitchen catcher.
Step 3) Take the cans from their boxes and stack them loose in the bag the best way they fit.
Step 4) Shake party ice over the cans and tie the kitchen catcher closed.
Step 5) Buckle the bag closed, repeat for other side and ride to the party.
FYI 1) The average sidecar can carry a dozen 12packs with the tonneau snapped down. Some larger models will carry your golf clubs too.
FYI 2) For those who choose not to drink alcoholic beverages, the loosepack + ice trick also works for canned soft drinks.

[CatatonicBug]

Looks good Larry! Good job with the repair too! Your pipes are lower than the OEM ones, so they look like the bags will clear easily. Have fun with them!

[oseaghdha]

I have a set of Willie&Max bags like that, which came with a Virago I had a while ago.
Anyway, I decided to hang them on the Special. I did the same thing and cut slots for the seat hold down brackets. They sit right between the rear blinkers and the top shock bolt.

Works great, and they are simple to remove, except I am going to add heavy duty snaps where the two bags lace together.

Mine have a heavy plastic sheet that goes around the inside, just on the front,rear, and bottom. Helps to keep the shape I guess.

Can't manage a 30pak though, but a pint of hooch fits perfectly with my rain pants and big gloves.

[webbcraft2150]

The OEM hard bags on my G will easily hold a 12 pack of "beverages" and a bag of ice (drain hole has been installed.) 'Course to keep the stability of the bike intact, you have to put one in each bag and consume accordingly to maintain balance.

[MrOzz]

Larry,

Looks great!!

...FYI 1) The average sidecar can carry a dozen 12packs with the tonneau snapped down...

Fred,

Hmmm Good reason to get a sidecare lol.

Ozz

[Larrym]

Holding Back

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm usually the designated driver or the one who holds the young lady's hair back as she drives the porcelain bus. It is nice to be able to make a "run" or two just to keep every one hydrated on those warm summer nights.

Fred wins though. I would think that he could put an entire keg inside his pumpkin. It would be a great conversation piece. You know how there's always a group of folks who tend to gather round the keg if only to keep it pumped up for the ladies.

The real advantage of inviting Fred would be when the local law enforcement appears. No need to get arrested cause you stayed with the keg. Fred can scoot on outa there to the next location.

A keg doesn't count as an "open container" in a moving vehicle if the pump has been removed. Does it, Fred?

[radical123]

seat

Larry,
Nice seat.I just won a seat like that for $15.50 on fleabay but it's seams are all split. So who did your upholstery?
my cargo magnetic tank bag holds 6 with ice. 3 a piece when we make it to the top of the mountain

[Larrym]

Local Craftsman

Seat was done by a local canvas shop which normally did work on the boats in my area. The owner is a bike rider and had done seats for himself and others before. He took this project on during the slow winter months. Cost was less than $150.

Before:



After:



Prior to finding this craftsman I had contacted other canvas shops with no luck. I had also investigated sending my seat to a motorcycle seat re-coverer in Seattle where I was told that they would have to make an entirely new pattern: $300 as a starting price with higher numbers to follow.

Congrats on acquiring the "factory Highback" seat. My passenger(s) tell me that the seat makes them feel as if they are part of the bike instead of something the bike is ready to throw off.

[fredintoon]

- - - The real advantage of inviting Fred would be when the local law enforcement appears. No need to get arrested cause you stayed with the keg. Fred can scoot on outa there to the next location.
A keg doesn't count as an "open container" in a moving vehicle if the pump has been removed. Does it, Fred?

Gee Larry,
I'd hoped that the real advantage of inviting me would be to bask in my wit and wisdom.
But no, I'm wanted just to be a source of beer and a focus of police attention as you all fade into the night before you get breathalysed.
My understanding of US law is based on watching TV cop shows so I may not have gotten this right. They can't open your trunk (or unsnap your tonneau )
unless they have a search warrant?

[CatatonicBug]

They can't open your trunk (or unsnap your tonneau )
unless they have a search warrant?

They can't search unless they have "probable cause". That usually is related to firearms or drugs though. They may ask to search, and you are not required to give them access. However, they have the right to make you wait for a drug-sniffing dog to show up and sniff your car. If the dog gives the signal, then they can search the car. If no signal, you've just wasted an hour waiting for a dog to show up. If they can see anything through your windows that they think is suspicious, that also works as probable cause.

As for the seat, I think that is the ugliest seat ever devised for a bike. When I can afford it, I hope to get my stock seat re-engineered with some kind of inner gel pad, and a real leather cover, sewn to match the OEM cover. I have a Vetter trunk that acts as the backrest, so the pillion rider doesn't feel like they're going to fall off.

[Larrym]

Risk vs Reward

Now now Fred....

Until the cops arrive (following the smoke from the bonfire... homing in on the loud music) and you head off cross the cornfields, I'd expect that you would be showing the ladies some of your dance moves. They do so love the witty gent who can get "Jiggie" with it when their favorite song is playing. Odds are that you wouldn't be making that escape into the darkness alone.

Win/Win situation for you!

The seat is ugly alright. That is until it is adorned with the right passenger.