What are the best fittings bags?

[Yard Dogg]

I'm looking for a nice set of bags for my bike. I don't want some dinky things that I can't fit anything in. I'd like to go with leather. Just wondering if anyone knows what kind of bags are made for or will fit well on a 1980 XS1100 Midnight Special. I still have my stock turn signals and plan to keep them.

[psycoreefer]

I don't think you'll find anything that will make you happy without re-locating your turn signals.

[ManitoulinLad]

Hey Jeepster: I got the same bike (81) & I got the biggest bags i could fit (heritage studded bags) I could get from Bikerbags.com - they are in the states. Best prices I found. I think most of there stuff now is synthetic leather (mine are real leather) & ya'know if I could again I would get the synthetic, stands up better to the rain & humidity - the bags don't get soft & no maint. I just swung them under the seat & put the back passenger peg down to help hold them up. This size just fits between the rear turn signals & the side cover. Bigger than that & its too big. You will lose the use of your back pegs though. But ahh the room. I thru forwards on the bike & the passenger uses the orginal driver pegs instead. You can fit a half helmet in these bags, but a my 3/4 one with a sheld won't fit in it. Now at least you have a size to work with & know the loss of the pegs. - Dan , Oh by the way the bike looks way cool with them (I got the matching tool bag for the front too)

[CatatonicBug]

I don't think you'll find anything that will make you happy without re-locating your turn signals.

I agree... I started with the bags in this picture, and they were a tad too big to fit. They hung down and touched the pipes, and ended up burning a hole in them. They fit in front of the stock signals, but just barely, and they didn't feel big enough for me. I could put a few things in to carry around, but I couldn't do a run to the grocery store.



I upgraded to the hard bags, and I don't know how anyone lives without them! Now I can carry 14 two-liter soda bottles!

[Yard Dogg]

I've been considering hard bags too. I plan on making some fiberglass parts for my bike as soon as income tax comes in. I want to make a more compact air box that I can trust will seal up better. A better seat pan than my first attempt with steel, and some side plates which will also cover where my old air box was. I wanted to make some kind of forced air induction but I don't think it would work too well with the vacuum system. If I do those things I can make some hard bags that mold with the rest of it. I'm still a big fan of leather though and the hard bags might be too much of a challenge for me.

Cataconicbug, I like the way your bags open up from the side, it would actually solve a lot of design problems for me if I make my own. Thanks for the pics.

[slow mo]

ameritek futura saddlebag

the b classic;; nice bags that curve down at the back;;one buckle only;;sold by jc Whitney and others ;;kindly have a look;; i have some on order,,ride safe ,,slow mo!

[Larrym]

Pitfalls: Know Before You Buy.

I'm looking for a nice set of bags for my bike. I don't want some dinky things that I can't fit anything in. I'd like to go with leather. Just wondering if anyone knows what kind of bags are made for or will fit well on a 1980 XS1100 Midnight Special. I still have my stock turn signals and plan to keep them.

In the quest for cargo storage you might come across hard bags for sale. That's a good thing cause someone may be bailing out of their full dresser and going for the naked look.

Important to determine/know if the hardware they're selling will fit your bike without any saws-all or welding heroics. Just cause "it came off an XS" doesn't mean that it's a direct swap/bolt-n-go for your bike.

Standard bags are for standards. Special bags for specials. XJ bags are for XJs. Lots of minor differences in the bike's rear dimensions and geometry which end up frustrating the people who thought they bought the right hardware. DAMHIK.

Really makes those pic's of C-Bug's bike stand out as quite an accomplishment.

.

[MrOzz]

This is what I have. No issues with the signals or passenger. They are Tour Master Nylon Cruiser II Medium Slant Saddlebags. I got them around $72.00 at Dennis Kirk.

Excuse the bike. Parts are at the paint shop. LOL

I just threw them on the seat so you get a idea on how they look. The mounting yoke goes under the seat.

But at least you can get a idea on how they look.








Ozz

[fredintoon]

You cannot have the penny AND the bun.

Hi Jeepster,
You cannot have decent sized bags AND keep the rear signals in their stock location.
One or t'other.
You choose.

[DGXSER]

Best fitting bags

See, I read the title and thought of Tom's vatar.....

[ManitoulinLad]

Hey DGXSER: You know how to bring a smile on everybodies face hehe - Dan (of course I agree)

[CatatonicBug]

I like the way your bags open up from the side, it would actually solve a lot of design problems for me if I make my own. Thanks for the pics.

Yep, Craig Vetter really is a genius when it comes to design. You can still find bags just like these all over the place. Be patient, and you can find a good deal from someone who just wants to get rid of them.

In the quest for cargo storage you might come across hard bags for sale. That's a good thing cause someone may be bailing out of their full dresser and going for the naked look.

Important to determine/know if the hardware they're selling will fit your bike without any saws-all or welding heroics. Just cause "it came off an XS" doesn't mean that it's a direct swap/bolt-n-go for your bike.

Standard bags are for standards. Special bags for specials. XJ bags are for XJs. Lots of minor differences in the bike's rear dimensions and geometry which end up frustrating the people who thought they bought the right hardware. DAMHIK.

Really makes those pic's of C-Bug's bike stand out as quite an accomplishment.

Thanks Larry. You're right. The nice thing is that all the Vetter bags are pretty much the same. There is one variation in style, but it doesn't matter for our bikes (I can explain if you're interested). They ALL fit on ANY of the Vetter mounting brackets. The tricky part is finding the correct mounting bracket for your bike. None of them are marked as to what bike they belong to. The only way to know is find out what bike they came from. I have also noticed (and heard from other Special owners) that the Vetter bags make the Passenger seat pretty much useless. They mount too far forward to allow the passenger to use the pegs.

I got the bracket from a fellow XSive via Ebay, the trunk from Craigslist, then the bags (and another trunk) from another CL seller. Took me over a year of searching and waiting, and about $175 or so, but it's complete now.

[cywelchjr]

The tricky part is finding the correct mounting bracket for your bike. None of them are marked as to what bike they belong to. The only way to know is find out what bike they came from. I have also noticed (and heard from other Special owners) that the Vetter bags make the Passenger seat pretty much useless. They mount too far forward to allow the passenger to use the pegs.

It must be the mounting hardware that is different for the specials, as looking at pictures of your and mine side by side (the pictures not the bikes ) it appears that the bags are about 1 inch further back on the standard, which must be just enough to make a difference between the pegs working for the passenger or not? Maybe some sort of bracket could be created to move the passenger peg forward about an inch?

[CatatonicBug]

It must be the mounting hardware that is different for the specials, as looking at pictures of your and mine side by side (the pictures not the bikes ) it appears that the bags are about 1 inch further back on the standard, which must be just enough to make a difference between the pegs working for the passenger or not? Maybe some sort of bracket could be created to move the passenger peg forward about an inch?

I do know that there is different mounting hardware for the Specials vs the Standards. It would be nice to be able to fab something that would allow the bags to be moved back just a tad on the Specials. I'm not equipped to do that kind of work, so I just deal with the original setup.

[bikerphil]

You can make any hard bag fit any bike you want if you can do a little fab work, welding may not even be required. I perfer the look of the factory Yamaha bags without the normal type of mounts....