City Side Cases Project

[Larry33319]

I saw these bags in person the day he picked them up. They are done very well. They appear to be both strong and still watertight. It does slim up the bike and actually looks very good in person, even in the black color. VBG

 

[RZ350]

FYI – Some info I dug up a couple of years ago…

Part numbers for full cases…

Matt Black Left: 5JW-W0753-1L-05

Matt Black Right: 5JW-W0753-1R-05

Midnight Black (SMX) Left: 5JW-W0753-1L-10

Midnight Black (SMX) Right: 5JW-W0753-1R-10

Never could find a parts breakdown however.

Examples of OEM City Side Cases in matching body color…

(If you compare Gen I and Gen II, they appear to have different lids)

 

[shroffman]

Hi James,

I was so impressed with this work that I am going to send my lids to Mike to do his magic too.

Could you explain how you removed and installed the pop rivets? I have no idea how to do this.

Thanks,

<b>City Side Cases Project</b>

Like many FJR owners I’ve never liked the “fat-ass” look Yamaha gave the FJR in some misguided and failed marketing gimmick. The bulging side case lids don’t even match the flat side lines of Yamaha’s own top case. Unfortunately, unlike the BMW replacement lids, Yamaha tries to get us to buy two complete saddle bags at ridiculously high prices and only makes these “City Side Cases” available in the UK, thus adding exchange rate and shipping premiums on top of the already outrageous prices, for what should be a simple and inexpensive pair of ABS plastic lids, <a href="https://bmwdean.com/biglid.htm" target="_blank">ala BMW</a>.

I happened to have a spare set of bags from an '06 FJR I had in Japan, where lane splitting/sharing is not only accepted/allowed, but is a way of life (so cool). I was never able to really use my side cases in Japan because of the “fat” lids but got used to having the extra space and carrying capacity offered by the saddle bags while here in the US. Given the prohibitive cost of buying the Yamaha City Side Cases, coupled with the futility of having to buy complete saddle bags just to get a flatter lid I hunted around to try to find someone who could convert my spare bags into City Side Cases. After contacting numerous people/companies and getting responses ranging from “we can’t do this”, “this won’t work” or being quoted ridiculous prices by people who did not inspire a great deal of confidence in their ability to do the job in the first place I finally stumbled onto a talented kit car builder, <a href="https://www.kitanautobodyexperience.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">Mike Vetter</a>, owner of <a href="https://www.kitanautobodyexperience.com/" target="_blank">The Car Factory</a> based in Micco, FL who agreed to do the job for $350. Mike is a really great guy who’s not afraid (actually likes) a challenge as you can see by many of the kit car projects he works on.

Mike completed this project in only a few days and the price includes a tough, chip resistant black textured finish used by car makers for car grills and other exposed surfaces. This finish was my preference (since it matches my Givi box) vs. spending additional money on color matching the pain to my 2007A. IMHO this is the kind of finish Yamaha should have used for the saddle bags to begin with. So now no more worrying about scuffs/chips/scratches on the lids which as we all know are ever so vulnerable.

However, if you prefer painted, Mike can “fix” your “fat” side cases and leave them in primer, ready to paint in whatever color you require.

The side case lids are made out of ABS plastic, which typically does not “play” well with most materials, so Mike not only inserted a flat fiberglass section in the cut out part of the lid he also ran the fiberglass all the way to the edge of the lids, thus ensuring that the newly built lids are tough, rigid and have nice smooth rounded lines.

Also worth noting, if anyone desires to engage Mike’s services to convert their “fat” saddle bags to City Side Cases, he would only need you to ship him the lids, since he has already worked on my side cases and knows what’s involved. The lids are easily removed by drilling out 4 pop-rivets securing the lids to the hinges. This would save you a lot of money on the shipping costs.

Below are some pictures to show you what I’ve been yapping about and more are at this <a href="https://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/klauzja/FJR%20Pics/City%20Side%20Cases/" target="_blank">link</a><i>

I am not affiliated with the company, just a very satisfied customer.</i>

<b>Side-by-side of the FJR rear</b>

<img src="https://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/klauzja/FJR%20Pics/City%20Side%20Cases/IMG_6298.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="https://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/klauzja/FJR%20Pics/City%20Side%20Cases/IMG_6278.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

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[noland]

I love the look James and I think Mike did a fantastic job. While I understand that the goal was for a slimmer inexpensive replacement lid, I think painting them would make it look even better. Especially in the color that you have on your bike. I too think Yamaha could have styled them better.

I am a new owner, about 3 months now, and in getting prepared to make a place in the garage for the FJR, I was measuring the bike and the garage. Much to my surprise, it seems that the mirrors (Gen II Bike) are the widest point on the machine.

Lastly James, why did you put those awful Yamaha "bumpers" on the new lids?

 

[JamesK]

Hi James,

I was so impressed with this work that I am going to send my lids to Mike to do his magic too.

Could you explain how you removed and installed the pop rivets? I have no idea how to do this.

Thanks,

Hey shroffman,

It's just a matter of drilling out the 4 pop rivets. Just be careful not to enlarge the hole since it's all plastic. If you don't mind paying a little extra for the shipping, you can sen Mike the completed cases.

 

[JamesK]

I love the look James and I think Mike did a fantastic job. While I understand that the goal was for a slimmer inexpensive replacement lid, I think painting them would make it look even better. Especially in the color that you have on your bike. I too think Yamaha could have styled them better.

I am a new owner, about 3 months now, and in getting prepared to make a place in the garage for the FJR, I was measuring the bike and the garage. Much to my surprise, it seems that the mirrors (Gen II Bike) are the widest point on the machine.

Lastly James, why did you put those awful Yamaha "bumpers" on the new lids?

Noland,

The two main things I was looking to achieve was to slim down the back-side of the FJR so that (as you pointed out) I would not even need to check when splitting the tight lanes here, often at a good clip (can't afford to be looking behind you all the time...), since as long as the mirrors clear the rest of the bike is guaranteed to make it with room to spare...

I agree that the lids would look more OEM and blingy painted, but it would be more expensive to prep them enough to look good in a dark gloss finish... Than of course you're always worried about chips and especially boot marks, etc. It seems like the bag width is directly proportional to the number of miles you've just ridden, after about 1k+ miles in a day they seem to get a lot wider

I guess I was still in the "oh got to protect the delicate glossy painted finish" mode. With the black stone chip resistant finish when the occasional boot mark appears, removal is just a matter of a quick rub with your finger.

 

[FJR Bill]

Great thead with useful info. I'll not change mine out as I can't lane split in Florida and need the extra sorage space. I bought MC enterprises side bag protectors which extend an inch or so more than the bags. Factory side bags are so expensive so I wanted to protect mine for a tip over. However if I or any other owner really damaged the lid, buying the City Side lids might make economic sense. Looks like a well designed product.

Bill

 

[jdeez1]

I have had my father in Europe trying to track down some "city" cases for my 2005 FJR. I was wondering if there is a difference in the saddlebags between the generations? If not I might just go with this option.

 

[JamesK]

I have had my father in Europe trying to track down some "city" cases for my 2005 FJR. I was wondering if there is a difference in the saddlebags between the generations? If not I might just go with this option.

I believe the sidecases are the same all the way through 2013. But easiest way to confirm is to look up the parts fiches for a Gen 1 and a Gen 2 to see if the numbers are the same. https://partzilla.com or https://partshark.com

 

[stealth1]

I like the look of the modified bags, although personally I probably would have left the Yamaha bumper strip off the lid.

As far as helmet storage in bags goes I have only had 1 out of 3 helmets that actually fit in the sidecase. Maybe my melon is too large.

As far as lane splitting is concerned, if I lived where it was legal, for commuting I would probably leave the bags at home and just use my topcase.