Saddle Bag Safety Pin

[old&slow]

A friend of my riding buddy gave him some "pins" so he drill and pin his '06' FJR saddle bags.

( I'm assuming they are trailer hitch safety pins as described in the bin of facts stuff)

I've already done the "Loctite" thing to my saddle bag locks. And my riding buddy is planning on doing that too..

( My '08' didn't have any Loctite on the lock screws ,,, only took the torx bit and finger pressure to take them out)

My questions are:

How many of you have done the Safety Pin routine to your FJR saddle bags ????

How many have actually had their saddle bags come loose and / or fall off ??

How many feel the Safety Pin routine is necessary ??

I was going to wait until Friday to ask the question ,, but figured the dog pile group wouldn't have

a problem with pouncing on Thursday.... :dribble:

Old & Slow Dan <<<<

 

[keithaba]

I'd say overkill, but if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy, go for it.

Only time mine ever came open, is because I was a dumbass and didn't latch it correctly.

A few other's have had a bag fly off, but once again, it was user error.

 

[sychron]

I installed the safety pins at the beginning (April 07). Locks eventually loosened up and were re-installed w/Loctite. The bags aren't going to be lost when pinned. It only takes a few seconds to remove them and nobody even notices them when in use. I see no downside...... +1

 

[Geezer]

I have not done it. I am very careful about making sure each bag is securlely mounted any time I put them on.

You may get a better count of who's done it and not done it if you use a poll.

 

[Silent]

Pinned for that warm and fuzzy feeling. My bags haven't come loose.

 

[kaitsdad]

This past summer, someone tried to "jack" my left saddlebag.

They gave up - seems they hadn't counted on the pins.

 

[SkooterG]

This past summer, someone tried to "jack" my left saddlebag.
They gave up - seems they hadn't counted on the pins.

Interesting. Would they have been able to 'jack' the saddlebag without the pin?

No pins here. Never a problem with a saddlebag coming off in over 160,000 miles. Just like the sidestand, pay attention to what you are doing and there will never be a problem.

 

[Fred W]

I did the pins. I never take my side bags off, so pinning was a no-brainer. It makes them just that much more secure. If you take them on and off a lot, it might be too much added hassle.

 

[kaitsdad]

This past summer, someone tried to "jack" my left saddlebag.
They gave up - seems they hadn't counted on the pins.

Interesting. Would they have been able to 'jack' the saddlebag without the pin?

No pins here. Never a problem with a saddlebag coming off in over 160,000 miles. Just like the sidestand, pay attention to what you are doing and there will never be a problem.

I don't know. When I tried to remove the bag, the left handle wasn't engaging the mechanism that drops the slide or engagement bar. The pull handle was broken out on the bottom, and the lock tang was tweaked.

When I removed the bag by cutting the slide bar off, I could shake the bag, and hear little pieces of plastic rolling about in there.

The only way I can figure that happened is that someone grabbed the handle and forced it upright - trying to disengage the slide bar. I suppose it's possible that the bag would not have come off anyway, but I tend to think that the pin made things a wee bit difficult for the person holding it.

 

[FJRocket]

Around 50K miles on two different FJRs. No pins, no locktite, no problems. Just a hassle to pin them.

Give 'em a jiggle when you latch them to make sure the bags are locked on a GO!

 

[Ignacio]

90K and no pins, but Lotcite checked the screws. I did have a saddlebag mechanism break that meant it wasn't securely mounted and had it replaced under warranty instead of skidding down the highway. I think Yamaha engineers did a fine job engineering them and trust the three points. To be sure I carefully mount them each time and give a good wiggle.

 

[mdisher]

I have not simply because I know I'd forget about them and end up breaking my bags at some point, likely far, far away from home, trying to remove them with pin attached.

-MD

 

[brazos parker]

Since I rarely take by bags off, pinning the bags was a "no-brainer" for me.

"Pin 'em an' forget 'em" says I.

It's just like insurance...

 

[Knifemaker]

I installed the safety pins at the beginning (April 07). Locks eventually loosened up and were re-installed w/Loctite. The bags aren't going to be lost when pinned. It only takes a few seconds to remove them and nobody even notices them when in use. I see no downside...... +1

I do. The width of the FJR is of course a bit more with the bags on. If for some reason I ended up contacting something solid (like a car or a tree) with the bag, I think I would rather it just got torn off on impact and let me continue on still upright than to hold fast and cause the bike to possibly pivot and wipe out.

I also think if the bag got knocked off in a lowside type fall it would sustain less damage than if it stayed on the bike.

The only reports I have seen on the bags coming off (without impact) were do to pilot error installing them or loose locks.

KM

 

[Silent]

This past summer, someone tried to "jack" my left saddlebag.
They gave up - seems they hadn't counted on the pins.

Interesting. Would they have been able to 'jack' the saddlebag without the pin?

No pins here. Never a problem with a saddlebag coming off in over 160,000 miles. Just like the sidestand, pay attention to what you are doing and there will never be a problem.

JB had one of his bags "jacked" in San Francisco awhile back. As near as he can tell, they just grabed the handle and pulled hard and broke the lock.

 

[Fred W]

JB had one of his bags "jacked" in San Francisco awhile back. As near as he can tell, they just grabed the handle and pulled hard and broke the lock.

Interesting. I wonder what the going rate on FleaBay is for broken FJR hard bags.

 

[Fred W]

I do. The width of the FJR is of course a bit more with the bags on. If for some reason I ended up contacting something solid (like a car or a tree) with the bag, I think I would rather it just got torn off on impact and let me continue on still upright than to hold fast and cause the bike to possibly pivot and wipe out.
I also think if the bag got knocked off in a lowside type fall it would sustain less damage than if it stayed on the bike.

The only reports I have seen on the bags coming off (without impact) were do to pilot error installing them or loose locks.

KM

2 things: 1) I don't think the bag would separate easily enough on impact to keep you fromn bad things happening should you slam the bag, and 2) I want my side bags on there in the event of a low side. Those suckers are some nice big sliders. Persoanlly I'd rather grind up the saddlebag than my leg.

YMMV

 

[madmike2]

Over 60K on two FJRs...no pins.

As with the other "no-pin" posters, I check them religiously when I put them on. I have found a loose fit one time and found the latch screw was loose. Duh...Loc-tite is your friend!

However, if you have a doubt, by all means, drill for them and use the pins.

 

[HaulinAshe]

74,000 on two FJRs. I'm still "pinless".

I rarely ride with the side bags off, but I remove them periodically when doing maintenance.

If I was going to pin my bags, I would use a spring-loaded pin with a T-bar handle. Guess that would defeat the theft-deterrent qualities of the hitch pins. Oh well!