SuzukiSavage.com - Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better

IslandRoad

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The Kiewa Valley, Australia
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Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better
04/22/17 at 04:00:47

A while back I got some Willie and Max throw-over saddlebags and a set of OEM saddlebag brackets. I wasn't sure the brackets would work very well, but none of the other brackets I found looked like they would fit a late model S40. I think the bolts in the fender rail have migrated a bit at some point in the last few years.

They are good quality but the position left me no options when it came to mounting the bags. I had to mount them more forward and lower than I wanted. And the bracket still poked out the front and barely made it to half the height and length of the bags. They worked but always felt like a work-around.

They other night I decided to take them all off and have a go at working something out.

I had already moved the rear turn signals to make more room. I removed the fender rail (I wanted to get rid of it anyway) and thought maybe I could use the hole where the turn signals originally mounted - if I could stretch the bracket.

I stood on one arm of the bracket and pulled on the other. They stretched beautifully.

Now the brackets sit properly behind the bags, and I could lift them to the height I want. They feel much more stable too. I'll plug the holes in the fender with blank grommets or with some short bolts and dome nuts. I bought shorter bolts for the brackets because the rail is no longer there.

This image shows the difference in fitting them once stretched. The left image is stock, and the right one modified.

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Comparison_-_Installed.jpg

S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres.

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IslandRoad Serious Thumper Offline It doesn't vibrate, it purrs! Posts: 1147 The Kiewa Valley, Australia Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #1 - 04/22/17 at 04:01:46 Before:
Back to top	Saddlebags_-_1.jpg S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres. IP Logged

IslandRoad Serious Thumper Offline It doesn't vibrate, it purrs! Posts: 1147 The Kiewa Valley, Australia Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #2 - 04/22/17 at 04:02:08 After:
Back to top	Saddlebags_-_2.jpg S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres. IP Logged

IslandRoad Serious Thumper Offline It doesn't vibrate, it purrs! Posts: 1147 The Kiewa Valley, Australia Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #3 - 04/22/17 at 04:04:29 After I stretched one, I placed it on top of the other one (flipped over) to illustrate the difference:
Back to top	Bracket_-_Comparison.jpg S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres. IP Logged

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #4 - 04/22/17 at 08:41:25 Well Now ya need bigger bags.. Nice color.
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Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5109 Manteca , CA Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #5 - 04/22/17 at 10:20:02 Looks much better that way,good job ! I like that you left the eye brows off !
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IslandRoad Serious Thumper Offline It doesn't vibrate, it purrs! Posts: 1147 The Kiewa Valley, Australia Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #6 - 04/22/17 at 15:00:00 Thanks guys. I'm really happy with them ☺
Back to top	S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres. IP Logged

IslandRoad Serious Thumper Offline It doesn't vibrate, it purrs! Posts: 1147 The Kiewa Valley, Australia Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #7 - 04/22/17 at 15:04:22 Ruttly wrote on 04/22/17 at 10:20:02: Looks much better that way,good job ! I like that you left the eye brows off ! "Eyebrows" ... now I can't unsee that! BTW, I also removed those weird little S40 stickers from the airbox covers while I was mucking around down there.
Back to top	S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres. IP Logged

Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5109 Manteca , CA Gender:	Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better Reply #8 - 04/22/17 at 19:37:58 That's the only name I know for them ! Anyways looks very clean !
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IslandRoad

Serious Thumper

Offline

It doesn't vibrate,
it purrs!

Posts: 1147
The Kiewa Valley, Australia
Gender: male

Re: Making OEM Saddlebag brackets fit better
Reply #9 - 04/23/17 at 01:55:00

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 04/22/17 at 08:41:25:

Well Now ya need bigger bags..
Nice color.

They hold a six pack each ... Good enough for me

The color came with the bike (2015) ... I wanted black but couldn't bring myself to fork out the extra 3k for a 2017 model!

The greyish/blue has grown on me. I tell myself it's "faded black".

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S40, 2014, Dyna, Raptor, 52.5/152.5, spacer mod, sea level, cat-eye LED tail light, bullet style halogen turn signals, 'Superbars' with custom 40mm risers, modified stock seat, Metzeler tyres.

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