Factory saddlebags, different color. Anyone tried it.

OK guys and gals, I know someone else in the wide world of VFR's is on a limited budget like me and has the desire for the factory saddlebags but can't seem to find a deal on the right year/color. I have an 06 pearl white and have found a decent deal on 05 silver bags. Has anyone used alternate colors? Do they clash or do they add character? The silver bags are half the price of the white ones but I don't want to waste my $$ if they will only look trashy. Give me some feedback and photos if you have 'em.

 

I would say do it. if you dont I will. I have a white o6 also

 

Mine:

 

Paint them, or get them painted. strip them apart so u dont have anything taped up (easy) sand them with 800 wet and dry for any marks and then 1500 wet and dry the rest and paint them, if u cant do it yourself buy the paint and take them to someone that can for you.

thats my 2 pence...

plus silver is a good base for white no primer....

 

klinquist that asphalt looks freakin awesome!

stellenbrav, welcome to my limited budget club. I wasn't about to drop the 1 thou in change for a set of color matched bags, so I waited and waited and waited and found a set of red (wrecked) bags on ebay $300, sanded the scuffs and flat blacked the suckers. I think they turned out great and tend to compliment the other black pieces on the bike. I'll try and upload some pics to my gallery or this thread when I get home.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

The lids are held on by pins that are pushed into blind holes. Use a Dremel and drill holes in the blind end of the hinges. The lids then come straight off. As has been said, wet sand them then paint them the colour you want. The Pearl White is evidently 3 separate colours.

My BIL currently has my pannier lids and is about to paint them. I was unable to afford the complete luggage kit, so have spent about 8 months collecting bits. Bought the trunk and carrier from a town a couple of hundred miles away, right pannier from the other end of the country, left pannier from the US (I'm in Australia), and pannier carriers from Japan...! I'm stoked, as I'll have a complete set of genuine luggage for about 1/3rd of the retail cost.

 

I posted some pics to my gallery if you'd like to see what the flat blacked bags look like on the 06 pearl white. I had a hard time trying to find a way to match the factory color. My local paint shops couldn't cross reference the paint code under the seat and their only other option was to try and match it by using a piece from the bike. I've been extremely happy with my end result. If I kick the bags getting on or off (I'm short) or happen to have any other incidents occur I can just take them off and apply another coat.

Vs