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Posted by pcarrell
- January 05, 2017, 08:05:41 AMThose bags rock!
Posted by mittico68
- January 05, 2017, 02:16:38 AMQuote from: Trall on January 04, 2017, 16:55:53 PMI wonder if anyone had parts stolen off their Drifters when out and about?
It's 18 years now since I bought my Drifter and, fortunately, I've never had nothing stolen off it.
But it happened many years ago that a "nice" fellow stole a headlight off my car, while parked in a open lot... Too bad!
Posted by Trall
- January 04, 2017, 16:55:53 PMWow those are sweet looking. I have Viking trunk that locks and high quality. What a great price......
I wonder if anyone had parts stolen off their Drifters when out and about?
Posted by bambam0099
- January 04, 2017, 11:34:42 AMWhile I absolutely love the Iron T bags, two things are preventing me from considering them at the moment, price and the fact I can't lock them. Surely, someone would steal them.
While perusing around looking at other bags, I came across these new bags from Viking. Hmmmmm, might actually look good on my Drifter and for $399, how can you lose?!
https://www.vikingbags.com/indian-chief-vintage-motorcycle-saddlebags.htm
Posted by Old Drifter
- December 30, 2016, 15:58:48 PMQuote from: indo on December 29, 2016, 09:52:47 AMWow, seems like cutting off the frame ear mounting tabs is a drastic measure to make it more eye appealing. Cutting off the mounting tabs now limits your mounting choices. A safer alternative would have been to find the correct Drifter solo seat. The skirt would have hidden the tabs.I cut those ugly ears off of the frame that hold the original bags. They are just plain fugly! The underside of the fender has three layers of 6oz glass more than enough to strengthen the fender. Plus, the bags are not full all the time and it leaves the bags level with the rack which the original brackets do not.
Posted by Trall
- December 30, 2016, 15:30:26 PMLooking great. I guess my only concern with the mods is the additional stress on the plastic fender accounting for your glass reinforcement with that be enough over time not to stress crack the plastic fender over time or worse breakage? Also handling with the weight off the factory ears for frame displacement of the weight for bags to all directly on the suspension and fender support if that will affect the handling and suspension. I guess you don't ever plan to use a double seat set-up, sissy bar, or factory racks for it. That really limits your future options without the frame ears. Keep us posted over time how things go.
Seedman bag brackets to the frame ears are the safest and 100% tested designed by Kaw engineers for bag weight. I don't know if anyone here has gone that far with removing the frame ears and putting all the weight on the fender and moving suspension, if so post up on your results.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- December 29, 2016, 15:49:12 PMpowder coat them......
Posted by Zoar
- December 29, 2016, 12:11:58 PMQuote from: indo on December 20, 2016, 13:16:18 PMI dig the red rims!!Well, I had ordered the brackets from Starklite to fit the original rack but I had been waiting 6 weeks for them and just got tired of waiting. So, I made them. Went to the metal supply and bought some aluminum. Unfortunately, since it was scrap it did have some scrapes but I buffed it as good as I could. Hand bend on the radiuses and I made a lower bracket to go on the top bolt of the bracket holding the fender. As I stated in another post, I throughly glassed the under side of the rear fender to make it beefier. It is definitely solid. Since it is a part of the fender it moves with the motion. The advantage to this design is that you can put any type of bag on it as long as it clears the pipe. However, these are not quick detach unless one were to put jam nuts on the bolts on the brackets and use wing nuts to fasten the bags on. The wing nuts would have to be secured from backing out. And then you would have the face of the bracket protruding. So, for all intents and purposes they are semi-permanent. Rack is still fully functional. I utilized Viking Bags as they are very robust and inexpensive. Someday maybe I'll put some Traveleer bags on. Here are some pictures and the last one of my Moto Guzzi which I did a very similar design on.
Where can I get my rims made red like that??
Posted by indo
- December 29, 2016, 09:52:47 AMI cut those ugly ears off of the frame that hold the original bags. They are just plain fugly! The underside of the fender has three layers of 6oz glass more than enough to strengthen the fender. Plus, the bags are not full all the time and it leaves the bags level with the rack which the original brackets do not.
Posted by OR Seedman
- December 25, 2016, 19:37:23 PMNot sure why you would want to put the extra weight and stress on the PLASTIC fender and have all your stuff bounce around....there are options for rigid saddlebag mounts that attach to the seat frame on the 1500 and allow the rear fender to float independently from the bags....and not shake all your stuff around...just my opinion...plus replacement fenders are getting really hard to find....
Posted by bambam0099
- December 21, 2016, 19:53:02 PMQuote from: indo on December 20, 2016, 13:16:18 PMI think the Iron T saddle bags are the most beautiful bags made....Someday maybe I'll put some Traveleer bags on....
Posted by indo
- December 21, 2016, 09:24:55 AMYes they do move with the fender/swingarm, as one unit. I have pictures of bags on '51-'53 Chiefs with the brackets (original) but the brackets are too obscured to see exactly what they are. I particularly wanted to have the option of camping with the bike and the rack is a must for the tent/sleeping bag as they will not fit in the bags. This system would also work with hard bags. Took her for a ride yesterday and everything functioned perfectly. Thanks for the compliments.
Posted by pcarrell
- December 20, 2016, 22:48:00 PMLooks like a very clean installation. Do the bags move with the fender then, since the fender is attached to the suspension?
Posted by bambam0099
- December 20, 2016, 22:29:40 PMGeez, that came out really nice and clean! Nice job!
Posted by CDNRatMan
- December 20, 2016, 15:43:35 PM 
very well done.....