Adventures in Saddlebags

[DC]

I'll get a hold of you & see if I can schedule a Saturday appointment in the next few weeks. I have a '03 Avalanche that I've dumped a lot of money into & it's still "a wanderin".

I have the same exact truck.  Are you a member of the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club forum?

[Boaski]

yes, $49.99

I'll get a hold of you & see if I can schedule a Saturday appointment in the next few weeks. I have a '03 Avalanche that I've dumped a lot of money into & it's still "a wanderin".

[Boaski]

Boaski sorry not to get off the subject but can you tell me were I can find them rear dresser bars.Thank you

They were on the bike when I got it. I'll look through the paperwork to see if there is a receipt.

[Drift1]

Boaski sorry not to get off the subject but can you tell me were I can find them rear dresser bars.Thank you

[greenbarn]

BTW Greenbarn, do you do front end alignments?

yes, $49.99

[Boaski]

The bags have 4 slots along the top of each for the "common sense" latches on each unit. I think If I can find some that are made stout enough I should be able to make the saddlebags so they can be removed quickly. Right now I have 1/4" bolts going through the fastener openings.

I probably order from McMaster 2 to 3 times a week. They do a good job covering for my poor planning. Our area is primarily serviced by the Cleveland location. If I order by 5:00 pm I can count on the stuff showing up the next day. I think they have one of the easiest to use websites as well.

BTW Greenbarn, do you do front end alignments?

[greenbarn]

The saddlebags I have appear to have the brass female fittings for these fasteners. I should be able to make the next set of mounts so the bags are easily removable.

So the bags are held onto the bike with these fasteners??   That doesn't seem like a very secure method to me, unless maybe there were a bunch of them on each saddlebag?

I did find them on the McMaster site -

BTW, aren't they great?  Sometimes I think their prices are a bit high on some stuff, but usually better than Grainger.   I ordered some air hose crimp-style ferrules, and a plastic oil pitcher from McMaster last week - sent the order in on-line late in the day, I'm thinking 3-5 PM, thinking it would be here in a couple days.  It showed up on the UPS truck THE NEXT MORNING.   Can't beat that...

[Troll]

Just goes to prove that common sense isn't as common as it used to be 

[Boaski]

Thanks for the info. "Common Sense Fasteners"; wonder why I didn't guess that name....

I did find them on the McMaster site - http://www.mcmaster.com/#common-sense-buttons/=mzwo4c

The saddlebags I have appear to have the brass female fittings for these fasteners. I should be able to make the next set of mounts so the bags are easily removable.

[greenbarn]

Yeah, a guy used to share our shop years ago and he made boat covers, tonneau covers, and re-upholstered truck seats,  etc.  He had a pot-load of this type of things.  Find an upholstery shop, or boat-cover shop - Marion or somewhere around should have one - and they'll have a bunch of these.  You could probably choose between sizes and types.

If you're wanting these "common sense" fasteners for leather on the saddlebag, Tandy might have something that would work.
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/bag-clasps-closures/bag-clasps-closures.aspx

[CDNRatMan]

I have a buddy who is an upholster guy and i'll now have to ask him what they are called because we use them on boat covers, snow machine tarps.

[Troll]

  That's what holds the convertible top on an English sports car...that and lift the dot fasteners:  http://www.perfectfit.com/15334/Common--Sense-Fasteners.html

[Boaski]

During the time I was working on mounting the saddle bags I had a sudden rush of blood to the brain & realized what kind of hardware I needed. I can't seem to find the proper name for the things. Here's a picture of the same type of doohickey I need on an old snowmobile:

I can't even come up with a good name to search for - quarter turn latches?.... Any ideas?

[LarryInSeattle]

Hey... nice job.  They look great.

I wish you were my neighbor!

They are not the usual throw over bags that hang uneven like a big portion of the saddlebags out there.

I don't like the looks of the two up seat either.  As long as I have another bike to give her a ride on, then it won't change over here.

[greenbarn]

No more progress on any of the other stuff. Swamped at the shop at the moment. I need some time sitting and staring before make some more parts. The wheels of progress grind exceedingly slow.

I need to make one of my Sunday afternoon rides pass through your neck of the woods.

absolutely you do. 

[49Reo]

Great job, Boaski. Yes. I too noticed the discrepancy in clearance. Who cares. If anyone rags on it, just say "thanks from everybody else.... as long as you are picking on me, you are leaving them alone!" Seriously though, it (all|) looks great together. Nice job.

Regards

[Boaski]

No more progress on any of the other stuff. Swamped at the shop at the moment. I need some time sitting and staring before make some more parts. The wheels of progress grind exceedingly slow.

I need to make one of my Sunday afternoon rides pass through your neck of the woods.

[greenbarn]

Did anyone notice that the saddle bags are not centered?

The bag on the left sits 5/8" farther from the fender than the right one. The bag brackets are identical mirror image right to left. It doesn't look like the seat mounts have been modified. Weird.

I noticed, but I'm thinking most people would not notice it sitting in a parking lot, and certainly not going down the road.  The brackets I fabbed were also like that - I had to give them some individual "attention" to get them to come out even, before painting.

That's a really nice job - do you have the seat and luggage rack part of the project done yet?  I'd love to see the pics on that. 

[Gerhardberger]

Congratulations for the job done, and for the impressive graphic description.

Yes I also noticed the difference in the distances between the saddlebags. In my bike I have the same problem. One bag is slightly further than the other, but that is just because on one side I attached the saddlebag behind the chassis, and on the other in front of it. As soon as I've `30 min free time, I will fix that small problem. 

[Troll]

Ya gotta love modern machine tools...I'd be happy just having access to a lathe and a press again, but this...it's a glimpse of nirvana!

[DC]

Did anyone notice that the saddle bags are not centered?

The bag on the left sits 5/8" farther from the fender than the right one. The bag brackets are identical mirror image right to left.

Yeh, I did notice that, but in the grand scheme of things, who cares.  The bracket mod, as a whole, looks fantastic and everything is heavy-duty.  You don't get craftsmanship like that anywhere anymore.

[CDNRatMan]

thanks for the insight because I was fixing my glasses again......most people will not notice that .....

[Boaski]

The pinstripes were done by hand by an older local guy. I told him to do something to break it up & look "old school". I really like what he decided to do. I think he charged me a whopping $150.

The machines are a benefit of where I work. Long story short; we sold our family business to a larger company a few years ago. As part of the purchase agreement I made sure I could still work on my own projects after work. Having a waterjet and a CNC press / brake definitely come in handy at times. On the other hand, by the end of the day I usually don't want to turn around and go back to the shop.

One of our primary products is electrical control panels, boxes and brackets. Since a lot of the stuff is military we have demands for bend and size tolerances of +/-.005". That tends to make a person talk to themselves.

If you ever want to mess with 2D CAD there is a program we use called DraftSight. The best part is it's free.

Back to the bags:

The saddle bags that are on it are ones I got with the bike. Not sure what model or how old they are.

Did anyone notice that the saddle bags are not centered?

The bag on the left sits 5/8" farther from the fender than the right one. The bag brackets are identical mirror image right to left. It doesn't look like the seat mounts have been modified. Weird.

[Drift1]

Boaski,great job on the pinstripes really breaks up the color nicely.Sure Chief will enjoy this post for the mod section,great write up pics as well.Unfortunately for me these are machines I'll never own so following your directions are way beyond my league on this one.Besides if you ever saw me operate the computer that cutter wouldn't stand a chance behind these fingers.....now my dear son Aidan on the other hand.....Hmmmm???What do you say maybe I can get him one of these tools for Christmas ::)Any back to the mounts.Those bags are sweet,love that little pouch on the bottom.....looks detachable.The only problem I see is they stick to far out from the sides of the rear fender.Wouldn't want them touching but,definately as close as possible without....just mop of course..When they ready available I'm in the market for a set as well.

[CDNRatMan]

  Well I think we could go into business here selling brackets and a few other items.....mmmmm.....very nice.