SuzukiSavage.com - questions mounting hard saddlebags

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2005 No Login

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Posts: 88
mid Missouri
Gender: male

questions mounting hard saddlebags
02/08/05 at 22:20:54

I want to mount my hard saddlebags and have some questions since I haven't had the bike long:
1 how do I remove the rear turn signals,
2 can I wire the bag lights in (I'd like them to be running and turn signals. Perhaps in addtition to the existing ones if I can re-mount the original ones.)
3 I planned to use one or both of the forward bolts holding the chrome trim next to the fender. Any problems doing that, or tricks I need to know. Is this do-able with removing the wheel.
4 Any concerns hooking up the lights (is there a cmputer on the bike or other concerns about hooking up.

Thanks in advance for your help. This sight is a great source of info and help (and entertainment) because of the helpful people on it.
I had these on my old Kaw 550 but that was so long ago I forgot how to do much beyond fire it up and crank the throttle!

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Ron
South Central Missouri

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Kropatchek

Serious Thumper

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Why more than 1
cylinder?

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Alphen a/d Rijn Netherlands
Gender: male

Re: questions mounting hard saddlebags
Reply #1 - 02/09/05 at 05:43:18

Hi rebslb13, will try to answer in sequence.

1) Remove the rear wheel
Remove the front and rear seats
Remove the 2 chrome siderails and sissybar
Disconnect the turnsignal wiring
Remove turnsignals
2) To have running and turnsignals at the rear you need another 2 FRONT turn/running lights. The running light voltage you can tap-off from the rearlight.
3) Bolts are fitted from the inside of the fender, see 1)
4) See 2)

Hope this helps, keep us posted.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

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Never ask your bike to scream before her throat is warm.
'93 Sav in '96 ( yellow) looks

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Diane Full Member 2004 No Login Offline No matter where you go, there you are. Posts: 102 Houston, TX Gender:	Re: questions mounting hard saddlebags Reply #2 - 02/09/05 at 05:57:19 This might be of help http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;n...
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Paladin.

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Posts: 4929
Sunny Southern California
Gender: male

Re: questions mounting hard saddlebags
Reply #3 - 02/09/05 at 06:18:30

I got a new set of Leatherlyke Saddlebags and it took me less than four hours to mount -- including breaks. Would have taken much less time if I had removed the rear wheel. You can check my blog entry

With the rear wheel in place I snaked a stiff wire thru along the path of the tail light wiring to pull the turn signal wires thru (relocated the turn signals to beside the license mount with the parts and instructions supplied by Leatherlyke.) Getting to the fenderrail mounting nuts/bolts required starting nuts with one fingertip, blind, backwards, fingers crammed between fender and tire. It can be done after many tries. It would have been much easier w/o the tire in the way.

The Leatherlyke Saddlebags are supplied with studs to replace fender bolts and have a rub strips to rest against the rear springs. Since I had no field engineering to do to mount the bags I could get away with not removing the rear wheel.

Mounting bags from the Kaw will require you to field engineer the new mounting system. You will have to somehow route the bag light wires to under the rear seat where you can connect to the existing wires. Greg posted pix of the wiring system in a thread in the Technical Section of this forum -- as you can see, no computers.

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Max_Morley

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LT650 Luxury Touring
& sidecar rig

Posts: 1490
Moses Lake. WA
Gender: male

Re: questions mounting hard saddlebags
Reply #4 - 02/09/05 at 12:13:16

I put hard bags on mine. AMMCO brand, the display set in Bent Bike Motorcyle Salvage in Kent, WA. I was able to use some of the brackets on the front support spot of the fender rails, but drilled it out for a full 10mm diameter bolt. The I had a machine shop make a threaded press in plug that fit the turn light stalk hole to support for the back bracket. Extended the light wires out under the rail and they are cable tied to the back of the support and into the bags. The bags also had a rail that went between the bottom of the 2 bags that helps support them from side to side deflection. The bags bolt to the frame work with 4 expanding rubber plugs, think old themos bottle plugs or small boat bilge plugs. I find it quicker to just drop the whole bit when I need to work on the rear tire/wheel. I did put flat connectors in the wires so I do not have to rewire each time. e-mail me direct of you wants picts. I can drop in a standard grocery bag loaded full and still tuck some items in at the ends. I also have a double helmet sized GIVI top trunk that will hold lots. I use mine lots for errands to town, PO, shopping and some parts chasing for my BIL's farm operation. Love those $4.or less fill ups when the dinger on the next pump hit $50.00 and stops with the SUV and Fullsize 4x4 PU rigs. Still trying to figure out with gas at a premimum and mileage loss of 2-5 MPG why so many folks need 4 WD. I had to special order our new colorado Z71 crewcab to get 2WD only. Love getting over 21 MPG+ in the winter and over 22 when it is warm.

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Max at Thumper Acres. '96 Savage bagger, '03 Savage w/Cozy sidecar for wifeni.

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Paladin. Serious Thumper Offline Hamster Posts: 4929 Sunny Southern California Gender:	Re: questions mounting hard saddlebags Reply #5 - 02/09/05 at 13:29:58 Max's Bagger and my Leatherlykes (click images for larger)
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