'converting' special to bagger.....

[mfarrington]

Putting 3 hard bags AF Vetter ferring on special. Would appreciate advice from voices of experience. What are potential issues, should I install available oil cooler, how are forks affected, etc. Thanks in advance.

Peace!

[Jerry]

Forks really are not affected provided your forks / springs are in good condition. If not, some people cut a piece of PVC pipe and put it on top of the springs to add a little pre-load.

Oil cooler, (OEM) will drop the oil temp by 10 - 15 deg. F. I ran nearly 60K miles on my XJ with fairing, bags, and even pulling a trailer without a cooler in hot conditions without problems, but if you have access to a cooler it won't hurt to have it installed. I would not consider it essential. Without starting an oil thread, in the summer I run a good quality 20 - 50 oil and change at about 3K intervals, changing filter each time.

There are some differences between Vetter fairings. On my XJ with a Vetter IV I did not have to remove the headlight shell. This does not appear to be the case with earlier Vetter units and / or other other bikes which do require removing the headlight shell. Keep all parts and pieces and wrap the wiring well to keep out moisture.

I did have to relocate the horns on the XJ which required some slight re-wiring to extend the horn wires. Not a big deal.

The Vetter bag frames are model specific as the rear set (feetpegs) which the frames attach to, are in slighly different places between the standards, specials, and XJs. The XJ has them farther forward. I had to make a small "link plate" to extend my frames forward as the frames were originally off a Special, I think, and expected the rear mout to be closer to the rear wheel. Again, not a big deal as long as you have a drill, hacksaw, and some flat stock.

Wiring is the area where most people have problems as the Vetters are almost as old as the bikes. If you hve to re-wire either the pigtail that provides power from the bike to the fairing, or the connector on the fairing, I have some male and female pins for the job. Let me know if you need some. There is also a special tool that slips over the pins and depressses the "tang" that holds the pins in place. (You can depress these with a small screwdriver if you have to.) I have the tool someplace - have not used it in several years - and will loan it out if I can find it.

Otherwise it is a pretty straight-forward job. Post if you have issues.

[crazy steve]

...The Vetter bag frames are model specific as the rear set (feetpegs) which the frames attach to, are in slighly different places between the standards, specials, and XJs. The XJ has them farther forward. I had to make a small "link plate" to extend my frames forward as the frames were originally off a Special, I think, and expected the rear mout to be closer to the rear wheel. Again, not a big deal as long as you have a drill, hacksaw, and some flat stock.

The Special and XJ share the same footpeg/muffler mounts, so if your bags are off a Special, that part will bolt up. If the bags are off a standard, you'll need to do the mod Jerry mentions. What is different is the mounting points at the rear of the frame; the standards and 79 Special are in one place, the 80-81 specials are slightly relocated, and the XJ s different from both.

[Jerry]

I should have added that I relocated the rear turn signals, took them off their stock locations and mounted on the Vetter bag frames. There is a place for them to mount on the frames. I recall that I had to extend the turn signal wires as well, not a big deal, but make sure you have a good ground when you do this.

I also have the Vetter trunk but have never used it. Lights on the trunk are generally a problem but several people have posted fixes. Search for "vetter trunk" to bring up posts on this topic if you need that info.

Early Vetters used a 6-pin pigtail, these are the ones without the integrated turn lights. Later Vetters used the 9-pin pigtail.

If you have not already been there, go to http://www.craigvetter.com which is Craig Vetter's web page. History, fitment, and some parts are available on this site. Plus it is an interesting bit of motorcycle history, worth a visit.

[mfarrington]

Jerry and Crazy Steve:

Thanks for the detailed info. I appreciate the help. I've been running my XS11s naked, but now that I got me a '73 CB750, I think I'll scoot on it, and strut on a XS bagger. I'll post pix as things progress.

Peace,