need some BIG saddlebags.

[beechfront]

last year i built a luggage rack that hung clear out to the back of my bike. worked ok - held a lot of stuff but was awkward & topheavy with all the crap i piled on there.

did some looking on ebay. LOTS of saddlebags there to choose from. having never purchased anything like this before i am at a loss.

are they pretty universal or are there certain things i need to look for/avoid? I would like something I could just throw over the back seat, tie a couple straps & be ready to go. also need to be water tight.

[Jerry]

You might want to take a look at Leatherlyke bags at:

LeatherLyke Bags

A riend of mine has 2 sets, one on his Intruder 1400 and the other on his wife's Intruder 800. Our own resident author, Dragonrider, runs these bags on his big Honda.

Problem with these, and other hard bags, is that they require a mounting system. Leatherlyke does not list our old bikes in their applications, so you would have to adapt or build a mount. Throw-over bags are less of a hassle.

Dennis Kirk and other places have a variety of throw-over bags available:

Saddlebags

[Jerry]

Sorry, try this link to Dennis Kirk universal fit bags:

Universal Bags

[Jacobite]

I have a set of Willie & Max Fleetside bags - lots of space and (mostly) they keep water out. I had them on a V-Star 1100 -but haven't yet adapted them to the XS. I read somewhere that you could mount a piece of plexiglass on the inside of the bag to make it stiff & mountable. Otherwise you'll need something to fasten the bottom of the bags to.

[beechfront]

hmmmmm

i think i am going to have to stick to used stuff on ebay..... 4-500 is a little out of my price range.

[Jacobite]

The Willie & Max bags that I have are actually the Super Black magic - I just went to Dennis Kirk & checked them out. They are $158.99. They aren't real leather - but there are lots of advantages to synthetic - and they look good. I have used them in all kinds of weather & was pleased with them.

Any bike shop should have some that you could look at.

[pathfinder]

Bags

Go to eBay and search for Eclipse, Vetter, Nelson Rigg & Eclipse. Separately of course. I just bought a Vetter set of soft side bags on eBay for $24.95 plus freight for a friend of mine. They look like they were used a couple of times. When you use soft side on an xs11 std. You will need to relocate the turn signals down to the license plate tombstone. Don't know about Specials. Actually I like them better there because they are well out of the way. Go to http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286970403 to see new location of turn signals on a 78 XS11E.

[pathfinder]

Sorry about double post

Added:
I've ridden thru allot of rain with guys that have all these fancy 3,4 & $500 bag sets and my stuff always seems as dry as theirs. Not perfect but cheap. I use a set of Eclipse that just throw over the seat with one strap and the other strap on the luggage rack then one strap with a buckle to tie the back end together. It just lays across the rear fender. Takes about 30 seconds to install. I went back to change and my 5 minutes expired.