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General Category >> The Cafe >> Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
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Message started by keith217 on 09/27/13 at 11:20:34

Title: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by keith217 on 09/27/13 at 11:20:34

Hi guys,
Just posting for a friend with no account on here, he's pretty worked up over this whole thing and I promised to help him post once to shut em up. Good Information all together.

I’ve never posted or wrote a review before so I’m going to copy the format.
I purchased Jafrum branded saddle bags about 3 months ago. I purchased them partially
due to the low cost and so I thought high quality. Their “ Warranty” sounds too good to be
true ( it is ). I found negative reviews about them on yelp and other sites, but thought they
were just disgruntled customers. I knew from the low price of them that they weren’t going
to last forever. Unfortunately, after only 2 months of weekend riding use, they’ve started to
fall apart. I didn’t fill them up and use them more than 5 times. Barely even got to store
anything in them and the seams and glue starts coming undone. I contact Jafrum regarding
this issue and mention their warranty. They refuse to issue a refund to me and actually
blame me for everything. They mentioned my poor installation and handling of the saddle
bags caused the glue and stitching to be undone. I am currently in the process of having
my credit card do a chargeback on them. I know most people would let this type of thing
go, but unfortunately for me. Money is tight and I don’t just let overseas companies come
and crap on me.

Jafrum is a crappy overseas based company. Their customer service reps don’t make any
sense! They don’t know what to do, go on their online chat and its like talking to a robot
that doesn’t make any sense. Stick with a reputable American Company like Revzilla,
Motorcycle Superstore or any other company. Don’t buy cheap products that seem too
good to be true. These saddlebags looked 2x better in the photos, but I let that slide at
first.. look where it got me.

--

I was urged by another person from yelp to write and post reviews to spread the word.
http://www.vstarforum.com/Jafrum-Review-Bad-experience-Thread

Look at that thread and notice how on all the review sites, they have so many ‘ fake ‘
customers writing great reviews. They have to have so much negative PR that they have a
full time staff writing good things about them! .

Look at how far undone thye've gotten! I should have purchased from Saddlemen or HD, now I know why they can charge so much for saddlebags!
http://i39.tinypic.com/rstto5.jpg

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by Serowbot on 09/27/13 at 12:59:26

I don't know Jafrum well enough to comment, but,..
Most reputable companies will refund a product that new, just to keep their good reputation, no matter who's at fault...

PS... if money's tight... those bags do already have stitch holes... it's not too bad to hand stitch if the holes are already there...
Just a thought... ;)...

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/27/13 at 13:31:39

Stop by an upholstery shop & ask them how much to sew them back up..

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by WD on 09/27/13 at 21:13:28

Shoot me a PM and I'll fix them for him. Will take awhile, BUT, they'd be better than new. And have a properly reinforced face welt.

I have a set of Willie and Max bags that I restitched while down with a broken shoulder. Each side has had roughly 40 pounds of groceries in it at the same time. 6 layer stitching and a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch stitched face welt. The stock bags are rated for 15 pounds...

He pays shipping, both ways, and any materials costs over and above what I have on hand. I will have final say on fix them or junk them...

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/28/13 at 09:11:10

6 layer stitching and a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch stitched face welt.

Ill bet the material its made of isnt worth all that effort. If it was quality stuff, they woulda bothered putting it together better.

Hey,, What IS that stuff made of? Pressed crap? PLastic?

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by kimchris1 on 09/28/13 at 12:54:08

It is always maddening when a product does not last longer than this period of time.
The $$$ that were spent should at times tell a person how well a product
is made as well as long it might last.
I have made purchases from Jafrum and never had a problem with them nor returning.
Of course my returns were made immediately and were for the wrong size not the workmanship.
3 months is too short of a time to not have them do some kind of offer to either return at least for 1/2 off on another set or to fix them at their expense.

WD as usual your kindness shines thru. Your offer to fix his bags is very generous.
I hope their is some good resolution that comes from this.
Thanks for the post and is a good reminder for "buyers to beware". :) kim

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by Oldfeller on 09/28/13 at 12:54:10

Blew up the pic he offered and it looks like the thread itself parted due to load.

If the stitch holes are still good he can resew it by hand fairly quickly with some GOOD HEAVY upholstery thread.

If the leather tore, he's got nothing to work with.

===================

I have run Jafrum bags on two bikes with no issues -- this doesn't mean he didn't get a lemon sewn with substandard thread. But like others here on Suzuki Savage I have no quality issues to report and after 10 years on my Savage my Jafrum bag's stitching is still sound. So is the leather ....

Also, please realize that Jafrum doesn't make the thread, so let's see what sort of help he gets out of Jafrum and see if their guarantee is worth anything or not.

Also, it sort of bothers me that we are getting third or 4th hand bile from other motorcycle lists parroted over on to our list as "authoritative".

This simply isn't so according to our own sources.

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by WD on 09/28/13 at 13:37:12

That's the same design error as my Willie and Max bags, the face seam should ALWAYS be rolled in 1930s style. The seam is several times stronger than an exposed stitch line. The rear seam can be exposed w/o major worries... I've had original 1930s Indian Motocycle Company bags that were still structurally sound, stitched the way I described. With old time waxed linen heavy carpet thread. Which apparently isn't made anymore.

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by Oldfeller on 09/28/13 at 14:48:53

I have several miles of tire cord "thread" that I would use before I used any sort of normal thread, and if I wanted black instead of tan I have about 100 yards of black Kevlar tire cord as well.

Thread strength need not be the limiting item here, the leather "pulling through" with the thread tearing its way through the leather with the thread never breaking should be the theoretical strength limiter in saddle bag construction.

Still, I'd be curious to know exactly what heavy something he put into the bag to bust it open at the bottom like that .... simple curiosity if nothing else.

Keith217 ---- communicate with your irate buddy and find us out some answers to how he did it. You posted it here, so you get tasked with finding the answers for our questions.

;)

Title: Re: Warning about jafrum Saddle bags
Post by verslagen1 on 09/28/13 at 14:55:54

You can get waxed bowstring from archery stores.
Dacron or Kevlar.