Nelson-Rigg Soft Bags

I have a 6th Gen and plan to do some touring (but prolly only once or twice a year). I don't like the price on Hard Bags but wanted something reliable. I've read through a number or threads here and have seen some good options. I was wondering if anyone has used the Nelson-Rigg soft luggage (specifically I'm looking at CL-85 and CL-850 combo with heat shield pads).

CL-85 EXPANDABLE SPORT TAILPACK
CL-850 TOURING SADDLEBAGS
SADDLEBAG HEAT SHIELD PAD

If you have used them were they secure and good, and did you have to do any modifications.

My baby is brand new and I would like to avoid any permanent mods for now.

If you have other good ideas also please feel free.

And sorry if this was answered in another post but after a couple hours I still haven't found an answer.

 

Ive got both hard and soft bags from my 6th gen. I have the brackets for the hard bag bags that I keep on at all times. They keep the soft bags far enough away from the mufflers. I guess my advice would be to see if you can get the brackets and put them on. Also a little research on VFRW their was a member that made his own bracket (has pictures) for his soft bags. Good luck.

 

Check with NG001 I believe he just post on similar thread

 

The best way to protect the paint is to use clear shipping tape on the bodywork where the bags contact it. I generally fold about the last 1" of each strip of tape "back on itself" to make a pull tab for easier removal. Use 3M or Scotch tape; the cheap stuff leaves a lot of residue behind. A coat of wax applied shortly beforehand also makes the tape pull off easier;

http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/19273-soft-luggage-support-rack.html

Besides holding the bags away from the muffler heat shields, the "guide" gives the bags a straight surface to align with. I also made one of these for the SV650, as the bodywork is even more curvy where the bags hang.

 

Soft bags chafe. Your stuff moves and settles, strapping stretches ect. Some of this can be prevented entirely with a tankbag. Personal preference is magnetic.

Until I got smart and popped for a Great Basin (shameless plug here: Giant Loop? Moto: Saddlebags for Motorcycles | Welcome) I used soft bags for years excepting my BMW mit Krauser. Couple of things on soft bags. Generally they need more attach points for other cargo, net bungees ect. To prevent chafing the tape thing works fine but a better tape IMO is gaffers tape. Gaffers tape is like duct tape but leaves no residue. A little hard to find. Available at theatre suppliers. Another little trick was using a "saddle blanket" Mine was a double layer of Polarfleece. I folded it and hemmed three sides.

Hard bags are great and some of the mounting devices are unbotrusive and don't look all that bad. Ventura has some nice one's that work well and can be used to attach a small rack or thier large touring bags. Not all the hard bags look great IMO. The "Beetle" bags from Corbin are not cool at all..and IMO the Givis make any bike look like it's about to have twins or triplets from outer space..

 

Lgn001 I have seen your rack that you built and think it's a great idea. Are you willing to make additional ones and sell them? I lack the tools or knowledge of who would have the tools out where I live.

 

It would take me a looooong time to bend them, compared to somebody who is good with an EMT bender. As a thought, see if you can find an electrician in your area who has a lot of experience with conduit. The only other thing you really need to do is flatten the ends (big vise) and drill holes in them. If you find somebody that can do that, I can probably get some of the rubber shoulder washers for you (hardware store in a nearby city). They were actually the hardest thing to find, and sort of the pivotal point of the attempt.

FWIW, there are two "illegal" conduit bends that must be performed. Where the conduit bends down from the grab handle, and then bends towards the front of the bike, is kind of an interrupted bend. I won't beat the details to death; suffice it to say it's kind of a pain to do without kinking the tubing. If you were to perform "legal" conduit bends, the side piece would end up quite a bit lower, although that might not be a bad thing from a support point of view. I was trying to follow the lines of the mufflers, more or less.

PM me if you find somebody who can bend it up for you, and I'll get by the hardware store for the shoulder washers if you can't find any locally. All four were only about four dollars, if I remember correctly.

 

A plumbing shop should have mandrils to bend conduit. Some muffler shops that do other than wham bam thank you mam installs have mandrils. Or the old trick used to bend tubing by filling the tube with sand might work.

For overal design of the basic affixed elements take a look at the basic setup from Ventura. A little different for each bike but similar in design.

 

The P.O. of my '04 had those N-R bags on when I bought it; to each his own but I removed them as soon as I got it home and the N-R tank bag followed very shortly thereafter. The side bags stayed in place mostly and the heat shield pads were effective but the bags did chafe the paint a bit. I quickly put a Givi hard set on but for inexpensive carrying capacity the N-R bags are a high-quality alternative to hard luggage. I sold the bags already but I still have the N-R large touring tank bag if interested.
Joe

 

I got a set of the Nelson Rigg soft bags last summer, packed them to the gills with enough crap to last a week including some basic tools and did not have one iota of a problem! My buddy and I rode to Deals Gap from here in central Arkansas making the trip in one day, approx. 450 miles give or take. I didn't even remove the seat cowl, just strapped the bags over it and tied them off on the rear foot pegs. For a hundred bucks you can't go wrong! The quality is great, they come with rain covers, tie down straps and a life time warranty. When you receive them they are compressed flat, however they come with plastic inserts that fit the inside contour of the bag which makes them rigid. It's one pain in the ass to get the insert installed but once you do the bags perform flawlessly. I did have some concerns about the heat shields not being adequate protection but that was not the case at all, they worked fine! We even hit light drizzle the last hour or so of the trip but I didn't even bother with the rain covers and the water never penetrated the bags. Now had we hit a down pour I would have pulled the covers. Get a set, you won't regret it. If I can figure out how to post a couple of pics in this thread I show them to you installed on my bike.

 

I have had those nelson rigg bags ( in the above post) for years. I used them with my last bike, and my m50 that i have now. I plan on using them on the vfr as well. You cannot beat them. They are pretty waterproof without the rain covers, though if you use the covers be careful about putting them on, people have had them blow off ( I have not and I am a speed demon). I have been through some nasty downpours without the covers and they barely leaked at all, probably because I was on the highway most of the time ( rain didn't have a chance to collect on the top. Mine are finally falling apart and might just order another set. A plus to those bags is that you can add a bag to the top and it will clip right in...