Saddle Bag Repair

[Canadian FJR]

I broke the upper tap off the back of my saddlebag - the one that slides up & down into the bottom of the fender when you lock the handle. Any thoughts on removing and repairing it?

Canadian FJR

 

[ionbeam]

...Any thoughts on removing and repairing it?

Yes. No. The act of accessing the tab is irreversibly destructive.

 

[Fred W]

Scott,

You could pin it, like many of us have with unbroken tabs. At that point the locking tab becomes redundant except for theft protection. If you used a small pad lock for the pin you'd have that covered too.

As far as repairing the locking mechanism, I'm afraid that is not an option. You'd have to destroy the case to get at that mechanism and there are no parts available for it even if you did. About the best you could do is buy a rashed up bag for cheap and swap the lids with yours.

(Damn that ionbeam. Beat me to the post again!!)

 

[HotRodZilla]

Your bag is toast. Look on eBay and here for a replacement. They are expensive new, but come up all the time. Any year bag will fit any year bike. The only difference may be the color.

 

[petey]

I broke the upper tap off the back of my saddlebag - the one that slides up & down into the bottom of the fender when you lock the handle. Any thoughts on removing and repairing it?



Canadian FJR

Scott, would you tell us how the tab broke?

 

[Fred W]

I'm guessing that he would prefer not to.

**** happens.

 

[someguy]

Bummer......

 

[Canadian FJR]

I like the pin/lock idea. Thanks Fred.

I already replaced it with a new one but thought it could be repaired as a spare.

Canadian FJR

 

[garauld]

I think you can fix it by welding it. Really. But you need a soldering iron. And it has to be a certain kind of plastic. Try this: take the broken end and with the heated tip of the iron (I suggest a pistol-grip one like a Weller), try and see if the plastic will melt at the cracked end. If it does, you will need to find some ABS plastic filler scrap, probably from a broken toy or appliance. Cut the scrap into small strips and along with the iron, melt and merge the broken piece onto the intact end. File it clean when done.

 

[dcarver]

Ahh, Garuld assumes we all have mad skilz!

 

[Brodie]

Repairing this tab with a plastic weld may work, but would you trust it? These highly stressed area take quite a beating when mounted. It would be like using a repaired hard drive to store valuable data. Who knows how long that repair will last before the drive tanks taking it's data with it to the grave.

You have the right idea, replace the whole saddle bag. It's an easy process to swap lids to keep the same color.

Brodie

 

[bluesdog]

Replacing is best, however combining garauld's welding procedure with some of the newer hi-tech epoxy would likely result in a repair as strong or stronger than the original. Both Devcon and 3M make some awesome plastic repair products.

 

[leclairk]

I don't want to hijack a post BUT, is it possible to remove the inside plastic on the LID of the saddle bag. I have a 3" crack that extends to the lip of the lid and I would like to get to the inside of the lid to fix the crack. Possible? or do I just wait for a used box to show up on the forum?

 

[Canadian FJR]

Warm it up and pry it off. Several have come off and then glued back on.

Canadian FJR

 

[garauld]

I have a 3" crack that extends to the lip of the lid I have a 3" crack that extends to the lip of the lid

Is the crack in the lid or bag? I've repaired several lids with cracks using the welding method.

 

[RaYzerman19]

As for the tab, if you have the broken piece, you could possibly drill and put in a couple of metal pins, then use plastic epoxy. Or fab up a piece of tab if the broken piece is lost (don't use Delrin or TPO, nothing sticks to it very well). The real life load is a side load to keep the bag from falling outwards enough to let you lift it off the tabs.

 

[leclairk]

I have a 3" crack that extends to the lip of the lid I have a 3" crack that extends to the lip of the lid

Is the crack in the lid or bag? I've repaired several lids with cracks using the welding method.

Not sure I know what you mean by "bag". The PO dropped the bike and cracked the outside of the saddle bag, the painted portion. I would like to repair it so the water doesn't get into the case. Make sense? I think its time for me to research how to post a picture.

 

[leclairk]

Research complete, here is a picture of said crack.

 

[Niehart]

leclairk, two things:

1) Double walled bag, looks bad but it will not leak.

2) Gary, garauld, could make that cover look like new.