| Author | Message | ||
     Xl1200r |
Two questions: It's been a number of years since Al's post about how to fiberglass the bag inners, but I'm not finding any long-term reports of how this worked out. Does this repair hold up well? Also - I almost NEVER take my bags off, and only have them off now because the one is cracked so badly. Is there a way to mount these things with a sturdier and more reliable method instead of the goofy latches? One of my handles for a latch is busted and I don't care to try and replace the thing. I'd rather just to be able to bolt the damn things to the bike and be done with it. | ||
| Ebutch |
9 yrs and still working!  I use Three U bolts ,rubber washers and wide fender washers,To Hold Them On,Lock-Tite. | ||
| Ebutch |
Mark those Goofy latches Broke Once on ME!!!  | ||
| Randy_spann |
Be sure to checkout http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/384 2/34032.html ! I did this and hopefully saved heartache with the bags. | ||
| 5liter |
Had mine glassed up at a boat repair shop. Wear like iron now. A tad pricey but a lot cheaper than a new bag. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Randy - I've had that thread bookmarked since I bought this thing last October... I knew I'd be doing it if they were cracked or not. Ebutch - Do you have any pictures of how you used the u-bolts? I was thinking of something similar, but with how the support tubes are flattened where the tabs on the latches go coupled with the 'void' areas on the bag inners, I wasn't seeing where I could get more than 2 attachment points... | ||
| Ebutch |
Cann,t find pics, camera being repaired.At each of Three connect points replaced with Stainless U bolts as said,Nuts being on inside Bag.I don,t even remove for new tirs,just hang bike.  | ||
| Huck_farley |
One of my bags on my '97 S3T locked shut while still under warranty. I was able to unlatch the bag with a crescent wrench from the outside and bring it in to the dealer. Inside was a few slices of my favorite sausage/pepporoni pizza. I let the service manager know about the food inside but he kept my bag for 6 months before he got around to fixing it.Needless to say the stentch caused him to puke when it hit him. I received the bag back smelling like the coffee grinds he put in there to absorb the smell. Served him right for taking so long. I remember those bags holding up pretty well at 26k miles as far as stress cracks. I remember them being mounted with enough play to bounce around a little. Wouldn't looser hanging bags be less likely to crack than cranked solidly to the bag mounts? (Message edited by Huck_farley on May 04, 2010) | ||
| Xl1200r |
Huck - I think a looser mounting would be beneficial if they were dampened somehow, like with rubber isolators. Think of a solid-mount sporty vs. a rubber-mount sporty... the rubber-mount surely takes less of a beating, but the bags on an S3T are like having a solid mount bike and backing out all of the motor mount bolts half way - it just beats the hell out of them. When I picked my bike up it had 11,000 miles on it and a small crack starting in one bag. It's been a couple thousand miles now and nothing carried in the bags and crack is easily 5 times the size now, so the loose mounts are not working in my favor. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I don't run an S3 (have an S2 with bags), but the issue on those is the relatively small "clamp area", which pinpoints the mounting stresses in a small spot, and overall 'glass flex. I altered my S2 brackets for more stability, and use the largest washers I can get in there to spread the clamp/flex loads out. No cracks yet  In my book, when dealing with 'glass (especially as old as this stuff is), tighter is better. Loose/flex equals motion, equals cracking. | ||
| Ebutch |
128,000 miles no cracks on my S2T stock bags,But drilled out bail-fastener holes and use rubber washers and bolt,nut,washers Lock-Tite at all three points!!! Nice thing about these bags they are Fiber-Glss=vibration Proof!!!! | ||
| Hambcastle |
I repaired the right bag on my '98 S3T quite some time ago, and it is still rock solid. Both my bags developed major cracks running the length of the latch channels. The repair on this site may be a little extreme, but as long as you follow the intent, you should be alright. The fiberglass for the repair needs to be epoxy based (usually found at boat shops), and definitely use the lower corner as a forth attach point. My left bag may fall off the bike if I don't get to it soon, but I have other things that are higher priority. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Hamb - extrapolate, please. What is 'extreme' about the repair method shown on this site? | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I just noticed a small crack in the right side inner from my 98 S3T. They bags haven't been off the bike in years. I'm guessing my problem arose from an "oops" a few years ago. I had to make a quick adjustment to my bike prior to a weeklong trip. The bike was fully loaded with clothing, tent, sleeping bag, etc. As I was taking it off the wheel stand, the bike slipped and fell on the right bag. Al's write-up will be very helpful in repairing. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Well, I've had the bags glassed up for a couple weeks now and just getting around to putting them back together. I've decided to go ahead and use the original latches, though one needs to be repaired/replaced so we're still waiting to see how that turns out. We're all familiar with Al's post, but I did things a little different. First, I didn't like the rope idea, and I didn't like how he so many peices of clotch just rough cut and tossed in there. Basically, I spent a little time cutting the exact peices I need and ended up with 1 layer over the entire inner of the bag, 2 layers over the entire latch channel area and the bumper plate corner and a third layer in the cavity where Al put the rope (this is where I had my crack, so this made sense). Also, in Al's post he says you can't use the lock washers - but you can. From the factory, it goes (from bottom to to): nut, latch arm, lock washer, nut. Just move the lock washer under the latch arm and you're good to go - nut, lock washer, latch arm, nut. To be honest, this almost makes more sense since the pulling of the latch will keep the top nut tight while the lock washer keeps the bottom nut tight. I also changed up the "4th mounting point". I drilled a hole and just ran a bolt into the threads for the bumper. Inside the bag I have a fender washer which fits perfect and rubber washer to take up the angle difference (made out of 1/4" fuel line), and on the outside I cut a peice of 1/4" fuel line and slipped it over the bolt for a spacer. I think this allows for more adjustability than Al's solution. At the end of the day, I have one bag completely put back on and I can't believe how much more solid and stable it feels - no jiggling at all. I'm very happy. |
