Commentary

Up In Smoke! Saddlebag Shifting Can Be Dangerous

By Steve Mango, ISRA #8347

How I got by without saddlebags for the first 25 years of my riding career is still a mystery to me. Sure, I had some sort of luggage rack; in fact, I can still remember the time I was tying something down to the back of my 1979 Honda when I pulled on the bungee just a little too hard, in the wrong direction, and the kickstand unfolded and down she went. It happened not once, but twice, I am (almost) embarrassed to say.

I developed a case of “men-o-pause” a few years ago and just had to have a new scoot--a 1998 RoyalStar Boulevard--nicely equipped with windshield and lots of chrome, but no saddlebags. Not being totally destitute, I had a few bucks to spend on accessories, and saddlebags were first on the list. A set of Tour Classic saddlebags put an entire new light on my cruising enjoyment. Along with the new scoot, however, came my wife’s revelation that this scoot wasn’t just for point A to point B transportation. I was enjoying riding more than ever. Well, the solution to that “problem” was a scoot of her own, a new 650 Custom. Leveraging what I had recently learned about accessorizing, the mission was clear and swift: saddlebags and supports, rear passenger seat and backrest, pipe mods, GAK, you name it! But unlike my RoyalStar, I decided that a set of “throw-over” saddlebags would be sufficient for her ride.

I was a little uneasy with the installation. I got them leveled and adjusted just fine, but they just didn’t seem robust enough to hold up in the long term. There was no means to hold them level and steady, to keep them from shifting. Of course, all we had to do was to make sure that we loaded them perfectly evenly, and there would be no reason for them to shift, right?

Nice and Level

Fast forward to a beautiful late spring day. We both have the day off, and it’s perfect riding weather. We decided to head down into Pennsylvania. From upstate New York where we live, it’s a very comfortable 85 to 90 miles each way, and with a couple of stops, it would have been a quite leisurely ride. Our destination was a fireworks warehouse, to stock up for the upcoming Independence Day celebration, and with some luck, we’d have some left over for New Year’s festivities. It was at least the second trip there, but the first time was before my wife’s 650 Custom, so she previously rode with me.

The Wife’s Scoot, Complete with Bags

Well, having two scoots and two sets of saddlebags, we were like kids in a candy shop! We filled a VERY large box of fireworks, hoping that we’d be able to fit it all into the saddlebags. We damn near succeeded, but when we got back to the bikes, we realized that our eyes were bigger than our saddlebags. No problem. There’s always room for more; we just couldn’t get the bags closed completely, but it was close enough.

Packin’ It In

We had spent so much time in the “candy store” that we were a little pressed for time on the way home--no stopping permitted. We cruised at a pretty good clip, a bit faster than my wife was comfortable with, but I figured she’d get over it. When we finally pulled onto the blacktop in front of our garage, I noticed my wife was acting kind of strange. She was frantically pointing to the rear of her bike, but at first it wasn’t quite obvious what she was trying to tell me. I’m thinking, spell it out baby, what exactly are you trying to tell me? But then it became quite obvious: Her saddlebags were spewing thick purple and green smoke, kind of like the huge smoke bombs (among other things) we had just purchased! Not to mention that the saddlebags were lopsided and askew, with the port side resting right against the hot pipes.

Knowing there were various aerial displays and “heavy artillery” also in the saddlebag, it was imperative to minimize the damage. With a rush of adrenalin, I knew exactly what to do: I ordered my wife to “get it out of there!!” And, having her act quickly was paramount! After all, I hadn’t even come to a full stop and deployed my kickstand, but more importantly, having her do the “bomb squad” work would keep me out of harm’s way! But I guess I came to my senses, secured my bike, and rushed to her saddlebags, emptying the offending payload just as it unleashed its full fury.

When the smoke cleared (literally!), we had a bunch of charred ordinance and a saddlebag with a hole burned through its bottom. Now I’m sure the risk of shifting throw-over saddlebags has been contemplated before, but I wonder if the worst case was really considered? We could have lost a relatively new 2002 V-Star 650 Custom (not to mention my wife).

Necessity, being the mother of invention, led me to a couple of solutions. The photo below shows how I tie-wrapped the saddlebag right to the saddlebag support. Sure, it’s not 100% waterproof, but considering the alternative--99% is close enough. Oh yeah, the other solution: We traded in the bike for a 2003 V-Star Silverado, which, of course, has factory-mounted saddlebags.

The Solution: Tie-Wrap the Bag