Saddlebag Brackets

[DaWood]

So I'm looking at getting saddlebags for my Magna.  I see the Ghost Bracket and Easy Bracket setups that seem nice, but are they truly worth the investment?  I have to park my bike out in the weather, so having my saddlebags easily removable may be a good thing.  Does anyone here have any experience with either of these products?  If so, whatcha' think?  I am assuming by the looks of them, they require you to modify (i.e. create holes in) your saddlebags to mount them on the brackets.  Is this true?

[Greg Cothern]

Daniel I would highly recommend the Leatherlyke hard bags, I know they are more expensive but they are worth it.
The soft bags or something you throw over will require a saddlebag guard to keep them out of the rear wheel which is mandatory even on leather bags.  Last thing you want is for them to get caught in the wheel and cause you to go down.
I do not have any experience with the ones you listed, sorry.
Again I know there will be others who will agree Leatherlykes are absolutely the best for the Magna especially if you want to remove them frequently.

[MagnaMan]

Daniel,

I know a few owners who run ghost brackets on their bikes. They do not use saddlebag brackets because the brackets actually hold the bag about one to two inches farther away from the fender. However it does require you to punch holes in your bags.  And some bags do not have a solid enough back for ghost brackets without adding some kind of reinforced plating inside the bag.  So you may still have to do some retooling.

I have been seriously looking into bags as of late. While I like the idea of the lockable Leatherlykes, I personally think the fake leather grain looks pretty cheesy (sorry Greg ). You have to see it up close because the pics on the web site don't show the detail:
http://www.leatherlyke.com/stores/showdetl.cfm?&DID=13&User_ID=650027&st=1374&st2=64675333&st3=-78473719&Product_ID=7&CATID=1&Product=Cruiser_Saddlebags_For_Honda_Magna_750('94-_)

My only choice for leatherlykes would be to go with their contemporary style.
http://www.leatherlyke.com/contemp.htm

On the other hand, I really need portability with my bags. Because I commute, when I get somewhere I want to take my bags with me. (I realize I could have soft bags inside my hard bags but thats seems a little redundant). So I've been looking into soft mount bags that throw over the passenger seat and then buckle to the bike a couple of places .

If the bags are not too large then they barely clear the bottom of the rear fender so I'm not worried about them interfering with the wheel.  A number of riders at my local Honda dealership have referred me to the Cortech bags. They use them on sport bikes and cruisers without brackets. The trick is to adjust the strap a little narrower than the passenger seat. The bags then poke out a little bit rather then perpendicular to the ground. But when you load the bags, they hang straight down rather than point in toward the wheel.

These are the two Cortech bags I'm considering:
The larger version:
http://www.newenoughhp.com/tour_master_cortech_saddle_bag_page.htm
(Now these bags may require saddlebag brackets because they're larger.)

A smaller, sportier version:
http://www.newenoughhp.com/tour_master_cortech_sport_saddle_bag_page.htm

You'll see that both these bags have have rain covers, padded straps and backs to protect the paint, and they even snap together with a handle to become like a briefcase.

I have put the "sport" bags on my Magna and I thought they looked good. My suggestion is to go to a shop where you can try them all on your bike. It really is something you need to see on the bike.  Most of my internet researching has not turned up signficantly lower prices on these bags (counting shipping), so I will likely buy the Leatherlykes or Cortechs from whoever let's me "try them on for size."

Lastly, another hard bag option is from Fat Max.
http://www.fatmax.com/magna/magna.htm
The fiberlgass bags are really pricey but probably nicer looking than the Leatherlykes. I emailed Fat Max last week asking what their mounting hardware looked like and they have yet to respond. So maybe they're not really interested in the business. I'm not sure. Right now they're out of my price range.

Just some thoughts as I investigate the world of saddlebags.

[Greg Cothern]

Jesse the Leatherlykes pull off the bike in about 12 seconds flat and you can carry them inside with you.  That is one of the neat things about them is they are lockable and extremely easy to remove and when off the bike does not look like it is missing anything.
I agree the appearance could be better, I mean if we could only get fiberglass painted bags that could be remove so easily LoL.

[MagnaMan]

Greg, I heard the Leatherlykes will come off pretty quickly but they don't really allow you to easily carry them do they?  

I mean they don't have handles so you either have to carry them under your arms or one at a time, right? Part of the appeal of the soft bags is the portability through the two elevator rides I have everyday. Not to mention I have carry my helmet in too because the helmet lock is useless.

[Greg Cothern]

Jesse ya got me there LoL.  They do not have handles however I believe I know of a very easy way to put a removeable handle on them to carry.
With the 2 mounting holes you could make a simple setup to be able to carry 1 or both easy enough.
Helmet lock is very useless where they put it, however I have seen several folks move it to the front fender.  I have also seen folks use a pad lock and lock the metal D ring to the handlebars.  I think this is just as safe as the helmet lock since if a crook wants it they just have to cut the strap right?!!

[kdf9511]

If you are thinking about soft bags you can always fab up your own brackets.  All they are is a U shaped piece of round stock.  I was planing on doing that for mine when I thought that was the direction i was going on my '84 as nobody makes them to fit my bike.

[DaWood]

Its all so confusing!  I know I really do not like the look of hard bags on the Magna.  I'm trying to keep the "sporty" look of Magna while giving myself a little storage room.  I need to go somewhere and just start seeing what things look like on my bike....

[Greg Cothern]

Daniel best place to do this is at MOOTMag you will see so many combinations of accessories and modificaitons it will make you drool!!

[Gloveberg]

I share your pain Daniel.  I have grown to dislike saddlebags on my bike but then struggle with having no storage.  Basically, if I have to carry anything that won't fit in my forkbag then I just use the backrest and a bungee net.  Is it a hassle?  Yes, but I would rather do that then have saddlebags.

FWIW, Saddlemen makes a pretty nice looking set of plastic lined bags that they claim are removeable and they are much cheaper than the LeatherLykes.  Might be worth looking into.

[Greg Cothern]

The saddlemans are nice bags not as big as the Leatherlykes and they bolt on.  They have a hard plastic back.

[Gloveberg]

Any bags you get for a Magna won't be big because of the high pipes.  I'm just trying to give him another option besides $400 LeatherLykes

[Curtis_Valk]

Personally I'd just go with a tank bag..........or take my Valk (you guess which one I do).  I agree with not messing up the Magna's beautiful lines.  Not everyone has that option though, so I sympathize.

Curtis

[MagnaMan]

Good point on the tank bag, Curtis.  

Eventually I will have to get saddlebags for longer trips but last week I bought this magnetic tank bag:
http://www.newenoughhp.com/joe_rocket_rapid_transit_recon_19_magnetic_tank_bag_page.htm

Daniel, Honda of Houston carries it and that's where I bought it.  You'll find that it's well designed. It doesn't look too bad on the bike and comes off quickly. Another thing is that it will attractively bungie net to the top of your back fender or the luggage rack. So it looks good on the bike whether it's on the tank or the fender.

[greg_o]

Well for removable bags check out T-Bags
http://www.t-bags.com/

I use this one
Baja- http://www.tbags.com/detail.aspx?ID=1&SelectedCat=3

It holds my Laptop for work commute, maps, wallet, keys, wheel lock, gloves, and misc other stuff. Expandable section allows me to stuff my 3/4 helment in it.

Quick mount and remove. Can lock to rack with small cable and lock. Has RainCover built in. Has back-pack shoulder straps and also a handle for carrying options. All for $130 bucks. Was a winner for me....

Heres what it looks like on my magna  http://www.geocities.com/g.oehler@sbcglobal.net/

gregoehler