Well you are shopping on line and you find a great deal on a set of saddlebags. You wonder to yourself, I would love to get these but will they fit my bike? I hate to be stuck with them or have to return them if they don't fit. Well, if you follow our simple formula described below. It will help let you know whether those bags will work for you and your motorcycle.
The first thing to do is, measure your bike from the bottom of the seat to the pipes. (shown below as the blue line.) This is the maximum height. Measure from your tail lights ( if they are on the struts) foward.(see Red line) this is your max length.
Now, when using this formula, use some common sense. Subtract at least about 2 inches from above the pipes for the max height. This will help ensure that you do not burn your bags because they are sitting to close or on the pipes. If you have a bike with exposed shocks, like on sportys, dynas etc. it is better if you go with a slant bag. Now compare the measurements given in the auction for the saddlebags that are listed, against your own personal measurements that you came up with for your bike. Once you have this, you will know if you will need to relocate turn signals or lights etc. to make the bags you found work for your bike.
We get alot of questions about throw over saddlebags needing brackets. Brackets on throw overs are personal preference. If you like them ghost brackets work well and you can email us where to find them. Otherwise, throw over saddlebags are just that, they fit under the passenger seat and they can tie down. The nice thing about throw over saddlebags is that you can take them off the bike when you go inside somewhere. This way anything valuable you have in the bags will be safe with you. We carry some great throw over American made bags that have removable clips. The nice thing about these is you do not have to remove the passenger seat to get them off. You can just unclip them and go. See below
We have more quality bags to fit all price ranges listed in our ebay store so check out A Choice in Saddlebags
If you have found this guide helpful or have suggestions on how we can improve please feel free to contact us and let us know. We hope to write a leather saddlebag quality buying guide soon. So you can understand the different types of leather used in saddlebags and know your options for what price and quality line will fit your needs. Until then ride safe and stay in the wind!
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