Kathy's Bag Liners for the FJR?

[puppychow]

Over the years, I've had 3 sets of side-bag liners, and each one of them failed with the well-known seam-split problem. (All three were in 'never-used' condition when I started with them.) I've tried other general purpose bags, but it can be a hassle trying to get those bags loaded into the side-bags, and get everything tucked up just right so the lid closes properly.
I just ordered a set of these bags from Kathy's. I'll let you know how they work out once they arrive.

I had the seams split on my OEM FJR bags. Not that I belong to any sewing cub, but I sewed the seams right back up. They have held for over 2 years now.

PS - NO. I am not sewing yours! Although, ask me after you have bought me a few Beers!

 

[Bugnatr]

Over the years, I've had 3 sets of side-bag liners, and each one of them failed with the well-known seam-split problem. (All three were in 'never-used' condition when I started with them.) I've tried other general purpose bags, but it can be a hassle trying to get those bags loaded into the side-bags, and get everything tucked up just right so the lid closes properly.
I just ordered a set of these bags from Kathy's. I'll let you know how they work out once they arrive.

I had the seams split on my OEM FJR bags. Not that I belong to any sewing cub, but I sewed the seams right back up. They have held for over 2 years now.

PS - NO. I am not sewing yours! Although, ask me after you have bought me a few Beers!

Hey Sam I have some pants that need to be hemmed

 

[puppychow]

Keep your pants on. I ain't going there Dougie Bear. Not even after a hundred Beers!!

 

[FJRRider08]

Hi Guys,

Just an FYI for you...

I emailed Kathy's about adding a small velcro attachment loop to the front and back of the bag to lock it in the hard bag, this way each time you open the left while on the kickstand the inner bag does not fall out.. I hate that. They responded very quickly and below is a reply from one of her co-workers.

Hi Bill,

Thank you for your interest in Kathy’s Journey Designs products.

We do not currently place any attachments on these liners to hold them in place. It’s an idea that I will take to Kathy for her review – Thanks!

If you wish, I could speak with Kathy about making a custom set for you with some type of Velcro fastener. There may be a small additional charge for this. Just let me know.

 

[GPRIDER]

Wow. Sound like these guys aim to please. If my OEM bags ever give it up, I may do buisness with them.

GP

 

[tcfjr]

DO NOT toss your old side case liner bags. They can be fixed easily, good as new.

I had a friend sew up one of the split seams, but soon after a different seam came apart on the same bag, so I didn't pursue more repairs. My damage seems to occur on long trips, when I need to get into the bags 3 or 4 times a day for a week at a time. A small split that might be easily repaired happens early in the trip, but by the time I get home the split has grown into a 10" mess.

I kept all my old, failed bags, and I'll take the best pair to a shoe repair place and see what they say.

 

[Tango Sierra]

When I purchased my 2010 used with 15,000 miles on it, the bags already had holes worn through the fabric and not just at the seams. I'm going to look into Kathy's bags and also the ones on Motorcycle Larry's site.

 

[Fred W]

Over the years, I've had 3 sets of side-bag liners, and each one of them failed with the well-known seam-split problem.

I never knew there was a "well-known" seam split problem. Thought only I knew about it.

I've had seams split on at least two of the four side case bags I own--still have the two from my wrecked bike. Like a lot of OEM parts--and a lot of after-market parts too--I think they're badly overpriced. So when the seams split, I fixed them.

I had the seams split on my OEM FJR bags. Not that I belong to any sewing cub, but I sewed the seams right back up. They have held for over 2 years now.

PS - NO. I am not sewing yours! Although, ask me after you have bought me a few Beers!

+1, 2, 3

Both of my OEM bag liners have split. In both cases (see what I just did there) the split occurred when my faithful pillion was using that side saddle bag. Coincidence? Perhaps not.

We're now in the "six step program towards lighter packing" program, but I've also effectively repaired the blown out seams with some heavy carpet thread and a needle. They aren't pretty, but they're holding up well now for over three years, and are still occasionally getting somewhat overstuffed during a week long vacation ride.

You can see the repair I made with the brown carpet thread above, and that is the same seam that blew-out on both sides. The reason for the blow-out was that they didn't grab enough fabric in the seam before stitching it up, so the stitches just tear out. The thread never breaks. So the "fix" is just to make sure that you do that on your repair and get a folded double layer of material to sew in there.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

MIne just came in...

These things are built really well. :good:

 

[tcfjr]

Mine came in too -- they shipped UPS Ground the day after I ordered them.

The build quality is very good. Unlike the OEM bags, which fill from the top, the Kathy's front panel zips all the way open (with twin zippers, for convenience and redundancy), which seems like it will make packing easier. There's a full-size zipper pocket on each of the outside side panels, and one full-size mesh pocket on the inside. There's two-inch heavy-duty webbing around the circumference of the bag, which is used to form a comfortable, integrated carrying handle, and supports two rings for attaching shoulder straps; these straps are not provided, but the ones from the OEM bags would work nicely. (If you're anything like me, you've got plenty of stray shoulder straps tucked into your gear stash.) The bags may be a tiny bit smaller than the OEM bags. Heavy-duty materials and doubled seams are used at all the stress areas.

As a test, I was able to pack a standard set of road-trip clothing -- two pairs of jeans, two pairs of LD Comfort shorts, three long-sleeve heavy-weight cotton t-shirts, 3 pairs of tall socks, a pair of basketball shorts, a pair of water shoes, and my shower kit -- into one bag, without a problem.

The bags look to be rock-solid, and based on their quality I expect them to last me indefinitely.

 

[William England]

Nice - glad to see some positive reviews! Thanks.

 

[SacramentoMike]

DO NOT toss your old side case liner bags. They can be fixed easily, good as new.

I had a friend sew up one of the split seams, but soon after a different seam came apart on the same bag, so I didn't pursue more repairs. My damage seems to occur on long trips, when I need to get into the bags 3 or 4 times a day for a week at a time. A small split that might be easily repaired happens early in the trip, but by the time I get home the split has grown into a 10" mess.

I kept all my old, failed bags, and I'll take the best pair to a shoe repair place and see what they say.

I should have said you can fix your bags better than new, since you can use tougher thread than the makers did when you repair them. @tcfjr: ever hear "a stitch in time saves nine?"

Good old folk wisdom. Once a seam starts to split, it keeps splitting. Don't motels still sometimes put a tiny little sewing repair kit with the shampoo and free shower cap? I keep one of those in my shaving kit. You can stop the split when you see it and then do it better when you get home.

To the OP: I know you posted about this one bag maker and wanted feedback about them, but others who saw the thread title and had bags that had split would be drawn there, curious about replacements. Some of them, anyway, would consider my suggestion if they hadn't already thought of it. That's my excuse for going off on a tangent. Hope nobody minded.

 

[William England]

Not at all! Good info to know; thanks.