5th Gen Soft Saddle bags

Hey everyone! I know, long time no talk. Been too hot here in Vegas to do much riding, but the weather is going to be letting up soon. I am looking at Soft saddles for my '99 and i like the nelson rigg stuff but after much searching and wandering about i found only one thing. no one ever mentions if they can ride 2 up with a set of soft bags. I am only talking about a day trip up the SoCal coast, but i was concidering picking up a friend. But i have NO idea if i can do that with the bags. Anyone try short rides with a set of bags? Comfort? Id love some input from my fellow Viffers!
Keep The rubber side down everyone!:biggrin:

 

I would recommend the Tourmaster Cortech sport saddlebags

with a pice of foam over the seat straps . . .

Cortech :: Luggage :: Sport Saddlebags

Whatever bag you end up with make sure you have several inches

of clearance with your muffler.

 

I haven't ridden two-up with my Nelson-Rigg saddle bags but I don't see why you couldn't. You may want to consider running the straps under the seat or strapping a pad on top of the bag straps.

-Jake

 

@Porchebob- Thanx, i'll look into those as well. And good thought on the foam over the straps.
@Jakobi- Im guessing you like your rigg setup. And i was thinkin after bob said it maybe doing that very thing with running them under the seat. Just looked at it and i think i may be able to pull it off. I appreciate the input guys. Anyone else willing or wanting to chime in is always welcome. I am a big fan of too much information is never enough. LoL

 

The Cortech full size bags have an angled corner that helps a lot for upswept mufflers. That's actually why I bought them for the SV650. FWIW, the will not work with 2 people on the SV, but they work just fine for two people on a 6th Gen VFR.

 

@ Lgn001- Thanks, i noticed the Rigg stuff has a simiar design. And my wife rides an SV650s, its a bit narrow so i can see why it might not wrk 2 up.

 

My only complaint with soft bags is the wear on the plastics over time.
I did not notice it at first, but they have worn into my rear fairing after a couple years of intermittent use.

 

Clear shipping tape on the bodywork does a good job of protecting it. If you fold over the trailing edge of each piece of tape applied, it's easy to remove. It also comes off a lot easier if the paint is waxed ahead of time. And cheap shipping tape is a real pain to remove, for some reason. Scotch brand seems to leave very litle residue. BadBilly had recommended Galfer's tape on an older thread, and it sounds like a good alternative. I still have several trips worth of clear tape, so I'll try the Galfer's in the future.

 

@ Drewl - i had read the same thing. And i had noticed the Galfers tape recommendadion too. I have this green, painter type tape i work with at work. Seems to stay off glass and door panels. I am going to bring some home this week and put a couple of pieces on and see how it does. Being hot here in vegas i should be able to asertain if that will help. I dont mind that its green, especially if it saves my bodywork. Besides the trip is the main thing! LOL

 

Do you mean gaffer's tape? Gaff tape is good stuff. I used the piss out of it when I worked as a Sound Engineer. Easy to use and leaves no residue. Just as handy as duct tape without the mess.

The Nelson-Rigg bags come with neoprene pads which are supposed to prevent rubbing and help keep the bags in place. So far they seem to be doing their job pretty well.

@AnUnknown1, IMO, for the price, N-R luggage can't be beat. I looked at all the major brands (Cortech, Fieldsheer, Tour Master, etc.) before purchasing and couldn't be more pleased with N-R. N-R is also one of the only companies to come out with heat shields so that their products can be used with under-tail or high-mount exhaust systems.

-Jake

 

Yep, I meant "gaffers". I'm not sure where I got "Galfer's" from, other than I had never heard of it before and the word was new to me. I was thinking it was named after a person rather than a profession. Yet another mistake with witnesses... I hate it when that happens! :redface: :smile: I remember now that BadBilly mentioned it was used a lot in professional audio.

The neoprene on the Cortechs would also do a decent job if it wasn't for the grit and dust that accumulate between the surfaces. I learned the hard way on the SV with my old luggage how abrasive things can get in a short amount of time.

 

Galfer makes brakes.

I'll have to keep an eye out for dust under the bag pads when I go on trips. Thanks for the heads up.

-Jake

 

@ Jake- Thankx for the opinions, and i thought GALFERS tape sounded odd. The tape i have is very similar to Gaffers tape, i'll just have to be extra cautious. I appreciate all the added feedback. I'll be pulling the trigger in the next 3 weeks here. I think Jake may have sold me on the Riggs gear. =) I'll keep everyone posted.

 

Doh! Thanks! That would have distracted me for a while.

Have fun shopping, AnUnknown1.