Right saddlebag flies off. WTF

Nightshift · Nov 4, 2007

Yesterday on my way to work I'm going down a street with normal bumpy pavement about 37 mph and the right saddlebag flies off. I know it was attached properly. I want to know if this is a design flaw or just ' driving on uneven road surface will cause saddlebag ejection'. Anybody else experience this ? Mine is an '04 FJR.

Mick

SkooterG · Nov 4, 2007

First of all, was the key cylinder/lock still in it's proper place?

If it was, then it was operator error pure and simple, and you didn't have it installed properly. They just don't fall off.

Geezer · Nov 4, 2007

Sorry to hear about your mishap.

I always check mine to make sure the two hooks on top are securely in their slots before I fold the hadle down, then I wiggle the bag one more time to make sure it is secure. Never had a problem even when riding on very rough gravel roads.

Enough people have had problems with bags coming off that Toecutter devised a simple retainer that secures the bottom of the bag in place. See the bin-o-facts (faq) for reference to this.

Nightshift · Nov 4, 2007

Geezer said:
Sorry to hear about your mishap.
I always check mine to make sure the two hooks on top are securely in their slots before I fold the hadle down, then I wiggle the bag one more time to make sure it is secure. Never had a problem even when riding on very rough gravel roads.

Enough people have had problems with bags coming off that Toecutter devised a simple retainer that secures the bottom of the bag in place. See the bin-o-facts (faq) for reference to this.

I just went back and checked my bags. I notice that the right bag is inherently looser in place than the left bag. I tested this by grabbing each back and rocking each saddle bag. I bought this bike used so maybe something happend that I wasn't made aware of.

SkooterG · Nov 4, 2007

Nightshift said:
I just went back and checked my bags. I notice that the right bag is inherently looser in place than the left bag. I tested this by grabbing each back and rocking each saddle bag.

Why?

Seriously.

Ignacio · Nov 4, 2007

Nightshift said:
I just went back and checked my bags. I notice that the right bag is inherently looser in place than the left bag.

If you genuinely think it's not operator error, see this post where I didn't lose a bag, but had a bag skip a gear or cog.

The test for this for specific issue is to take the bag off, close the bag as if it were mounted on the bike, and then push down on the square catch. If it moves down about 1/4" like mine did it could be a skipped cog.

Old Michael · Nov 4, 2007

SkooterG said:
Nightshift said:

I just went back and checked my bags. I notice that the right bag is inherently looser in place than the left bag. I tested this by grabbing each back and rocking each saddle bag.

Click to expand...

Why?

Seriously.

See what you've done to yourself.

Bustanut joker · Nov 4, 2007

This sure seems like another operator error. :huh: but, what do I know.

:jester:

clsonfjr · Nov 4, 2007

Nightshift said:
I just went back and checked my bags. I notice that the right bag is inherently looser in place than the left bag. I tested this by grabbing each back and rocking each saddle bag. I bought this bike used so maybe something happend that I wasn't made aware of.

To add some validity to your claim, on my '04 the only time I found any play in the bags was when the bolt that holds the lower bracket on the bike loosened. On my '05 the right bag has always been loose, and I can't find a root cause - trust me, I've looked.

I only put the bags on the bike when they'll be full of gear (and heavy), but I think there's a chance that, with the bags empty, the front hook might lift enough that it could come out of its slot. Then, if there's some slop in the locking post, things could start going really bad. To test if the problem was strictly on my bike I surreptitiously shook a few bags at EOM this year; at least half of my test sample had the same issue.

I'm thinking the extra lock mentioned in one of the posts above would be a sound investment.

Chris

SR-71 · Nov 4, 2007

I've heard of this being reported before. A couple of years ago I saw a mod where someone suggested drilling a hole completely through the lower attachment point and slipping a clip-pin through the hole, one for each bag. Perhaps the bags disconnect due to operator error, not sure, but if you use this pin/clip mod there's no way you can make a mistake and put the bag on wrong,a nd there's no way the bag is coming off. It's a good fail-safe mod.

SR-71

odot · Nov 4, 2007

Bustanut joker said:
This sure seems like another operator error. :huh: but, what do I know.
:jester:

jack and ****.......and jack left town.

El Gordo · Nov 4, 2007

Once I just about rode off with the bottom mount outside of the rubber pad on the foot rest. Now I give them a good shake every time I put them on.

Nightshift · Nov 5, 2007

I removed the saddle bag and noticed the forward upper notch in the fairing where the saddle bag is hung there are cracks in the two corners, as though pressure from a tip over might make with the weight of the bike resting on the saddlebag. This is turning into a mess. The cracks are only a quarter inch long each. How the heck can I fix this? I don't want to go with fiberglass repair. Is there any alternative short of buying a new saddlebag and fairing?

Geezer · Nov 5, 2007

Nightshift said:
I removed the saddle bag and noticed the forward upper notch in the fairing where the saddle bag is hung there are cracks in the two corners, as though pressure from a tip over might make with the weight of the bike resting on the saddlebag. This is turning into a mess. The cracks are only a quarter inch long each. How the heck can I fix this? I don't want to go with fiberglass repair. Is there any alternative short of buying a new saddlebag and fairing?

Sounds like maybe the hooks on the bag weren't set all the way down into the slots. If they were hooked onto only the painted plastic and not set down into the black plastic underneath you could stress that outer plastic, get it to crack, and lose the bag. That's why I always wiggle mine and make sure they're all the way in the slots before latching the handle.

Ignacio · Nov 5, 2007

Nightshift said:
I removed the saddle bag and noticed the forward upper notch in the fairing where the saddle bag is hung there are cracks in the two corners, as though pressure from a tip over might make with the weight of the bike resting on the saddlebag. This is turning into a mess. The cracks are only a quarter inch long each. How the heck can I fix this? I don't want to go with fiberglass repair. Is there any alternative short of buying a new saddlebag and fairing?

Cracks in the tupperware or cracks in the high-impact plastic that bolts to the sub frame? If the former...I wouldn't worry about it structurally....that's a cosmetic call.

If you have cracks in the actual strucutre that holds the bags on...then you're going to need to pull off the tupperware and have a serious looksee....and I don't think fiberglassing is going to be the option. Here's a close-up of Gen I subframe that shows the black plastic of the bag mounting points and centerstand hand-hold.

weekend rider · Nov 5, 2007

Hey, I do not feel so bad now I lost one several months ago, I figutre operator error big time for me.. Cost at u motors for

mine ?$400.oo big ones..

Looks like you may need a welder for AL.

trimmantom · Nov 5, 2007

odot said:
Bustanut joker said:

This sure seems like another operator error. :huh: but, what do I know.
:jester:

Click to expand...

jack and ****.......and jack left town.

Oh bust my nuts he got ya good on that one

Nightshift · Nov 6, 2007

Ignacio said:
Nightshift said:

I removed the saddle bag and noticed the forward upper notch in the fairing where the saddle bag is hung there are cracks in the two corners, as though pressure from a tip over might make with the weight of the bike resting on the saddlebag. This is turning into a mess. The cracks are only a quarter inch long each. How the heck can I fix this? I don't want to go with fiberglass repair. Is there any alternative short of buying a new saddlebag and fairing?

Click to expand...

Cracks in the tupperware or cracks in the high-impact plastic that bolts to the sub frame? If the former...I wouldn't worry about it structurally....that's a cosmetic call.

If you have cracks in the actual strucutre that holds the bags on...then you're going to need to pull off the tupperware and have a serious looksee....and I don't think fiberglassing is going to be the option. Here's a close-up of Gen I subframe that shows the black plastic of the bag mounting points and centerstand hand-hold.

The black plastic is ok. Its the silver fiberglass with the cracks. I'm glad that the part that holds the bag is ok. I won't worry about the cracks then.

Ignacio · Nov 6, 2007

Nightshift said:
The black plastic is ok. Its the silver fiberglass with the cracks. I'm glad that the part that holds the bag is ok. I won't worry about the cracks then.

And I don't think it's fiberglass. The tail tupperware and fairing are plastic. High density polyethelene I believe....HDPE is stamped on most of the pieces if IIRC having it all apart several times. If you've a got cracks the stuff works takes a bit of epoxy resin and a toothpick from the backside very well..having cracked a bit of my lower fairing before doing an impersonation of a V-Strom.

Right saddlebag flies off. WTF

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