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[Dan_Lockwood]

Not literally, but has anyone ever had one fall off?

I spent three hours Friday evening cleaning up my '09 O/B SERG, almost ashamed to be seen in public with the dirty thing.

The last items to go back on are always my saddle bags.  I've had this twist lock pin setup before on the SERK and installed and used Dzus fasteners on my Willys tilt front end, so I understand the twist past the cam and lock of the items.

I rode about 100 miles to a HD shop I had never been to before and looked around and had a Diet Coke and chilled a bit.  I double checked everything before I left to make sure all was well.  After that it was out of sight out of mind.

I rode another 100 miles down to Truman Lake on the central west side of Missouri to see a girl I graduated high school with up in Michigan.  All was well when I hit the rode.

My wife is at the Lake of the Ozarks with some lady friends and I called her from Truman Lake to see if I could stop by and say hi.  I really just wanted to ride my arse off yesterday and didn't much care where I went.

I headed across highway 52 between the two lakes and the road was under construction.  New blacktop and old concrete with the usual steps between the two where they start and stop their work.  It's about 50 miles across and there were probably 8 to 10 of these transitions along the way.  Some came up so fast you didn't know they were there, others you could watch the car ahead and see where the smooth spots were.

I'm going about 60 mph all the way and when I get to a little town about 3/4 of the way there, a couple cars pull up to me and yell at me that I lost my saddle tank, as they called it.  CHIT!!!!!  They said it came off about 3 miles back, but the sun was at my rear and lights from behind were hard to see.

So I high tailed it back to look for my left saddle bag full of stuff.  I went way past where they said if fell off without seeing a thing.  I pulled into a side road to turn around and a car pulled in behind me and they had picked up the saddle bag and went through it for identification of some kind, but then saw me going slow and without one saddle bag.  I thanked them and put it back on.

It was boarding on about 100 degrees on the road while riding and with the loss of the bag I was a bit upset.  So after the bag was back in place I took out another Diet Coke from my right side bag and cooler and cooled off a bit trying to calm my nerves a bit.

The bag had never opened up while skidding, but did a number on the latch assembly, the top and the lower bag extension, '09 SERG.  The girl had taken all our rain gear out, shirts, tool kit, air shock pump and all my camera stuff, but it was still there with my two CHIT twist pins.

To make a VERY long story short....  TOOOOOOO LAAAATE!

Has anyone else ever dropped a bag while riding?

I looked at the twist lock pins and they look good, but I know it had to do with the very hard raps I had given the bike on those transition bumps.  I guess if the bag bumped up and took enough slack off the pins, they could work loose.  But like I said, I know how to use the damn pins and would not just leave them without bottoming them out to the right before buttoning up the lids.

All the way home I kept checking to make sure both bags were still there.  I guess I'll be paranoid for some time.  I'm now thinking of taking out the twist pins and replacing them with bolts and nylock nuts, just to be on the safe side.

Anyone have to replace a SERG bag complete?  I'm going to the dealer today to get a price quote, but I can only guess it's going to be a couple thousand bucks with a complete read to bolt on bag with O/B CVO paint.

I'm sure the insurance company will say just repair the scratch, replace the chrome latch and have it repainted.  My thought on this is that yes, there at people that do the color to match paint jobs, but when a O.E.M. doesn't give out color codes the usual shops cannot do a repair.

I'm saying replace only, what do you guys think?

Sorry about my riding trip dissertation, I could have just asked if anyone had dropped a bag while riding and left it at that.  Buy hey, it's me and once my fingers get moving I can't stop them...

    

[skreminegul07]

Dan, that really sucks.  I just noticed that the ends of the pins on my SG were starting to spread, so I bought new ones.  It's a crude system at best.
I would pursue the insurance route.  All of my experiences with motorcycles claims is they want to buy the pre painted factory parts, there are not many motorcycle claims and they know how fussy we are.  I've never seen them want to pay for custom paint.  My old deuce was wrecked by its owner.  I had custom painted it.  The insurance company paid for one of the limited edition HD paint jobs and he got to keep all the sheet metal which seems very fair.

[Dan_Lockwood]

Dan, that really sucks.  I just noticed that the ends of the pins on my SG were starting to spread, so I bought new ones.  It's a crude system at best.
I would pursue the insurance route.  All of my experiences with motorcycles claims is they want to buy the pre painted factory parts, there are not many motorcycle claims and they know how fussy we are.  I've never seen them want to pay for custom paint.  My old deuce was wrecked by its owner.  I had custom painted it.  The insurance company paid for one of the limited edition HD paint jobs and he got to keep all the sheet metal which seems very fair.

Thanks for the input.

I doubt that if I do the replacement bag thing that I'll get to keep the old bag.  Doesn't the MOCO require on CVO painted items that are only a year or two old that they return all salvage parts?  Now that I think about it, that may be for warranty, but then again I remember guys wanting to buy replacement dash items and the MOCO wanted the original one back.

Thanks again and now that I've got my first scrape on the bike, I may not be quite as anal about it.

[SteveFLHTK]

Buddy of mine (who may see this and comment) had his '09 SERG saddlebags replaced by insurance.  He kept both the old ones.  The Dealership didn't want to try to repair and paint them because with the extensions, they'd just never look right.

[RayG]

Sorry to hear about the damage. I have had both bags come loose at one time or another from the hardware working loose on rough roads but luckily the other pin held it from falling off completely. Although I have the 08 SEK as you once had and I really wanted the hard bags done I rectified the problem by using a SS bolt with a low profile jam nut to keep it in place, so now I just push the bag over the stud and use nylon sealing nuts in the bag. It may not work on your new bike (really Jealous their) but It works well for me and it reduces the theft possibility. I had photos of the system posted on here awhile ago, but you are so mechanically minded you probably already have a better system to replace the one on the bike.

Good Luck

Ray G.

[MikeV]

You might want to have a look at this thread -> http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=49814.0

This has happened to a number of 2010 FLSTSE owners as well. Do you have a picture of the mounting points? I wonder if they are the same design?

MikeV

[Dan_Lockwood]

You might want to have a look at this thread -> http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=49814.0

This has happened to a number of 2010 FLSTSE users as well. Do you have a picture of the mounting points? I wonder if they are the same design?

MikeV

Thanks Mike.  I checked that out.  It sounds like others have had issues and it seems that although some have lost both, it seems more have lost the left side just like I did.

I just got back from the dealership and priced out the 5 parts I need.

Lid
Gasket
Body/Skirt
Chrome Latch Cover
Bottom Skid Plate

This will set me back $1,646.00.  The lid along with the body/skirt are listed as "Restricted Order Only".  The parts manager said that he'll need the VIN and full payment to order these.  The MOCO will tap their parts account with a $5,000.00 deposit for these parts and will remove it when the parts are returned.  This will give them some incentive to get the parts back.  But if this is going to be an insurance job, the insurance company will own the parts, just like in a car repair.

I'll talk to my insurance agent tomorrow and update everyone tomorrow night.

Thanks to all for the input so far.

If anyone has proof that these DO loosen up and that HD "might" be pushed to warranty this, please post.

Thanks again.

[49445CVO]

I remember reading something like this about a member who had just picked up an '09 SERG and lost a bag on the ride home from the dealership.  I believe the dealership make it right.

[Scotty]

I remember reading something like this about a member who had just picked up an '09 SERG and lost a bag on the ride home from the dealership.  I believe the dealership make it right.

That would be me. Picked up the brand new SERG and drove 30 miles up the road and the right bag fell off.
HD dealer in Salem, Oregon made it right and sent me a brand new one.
This is what was left of the old one..

[Scotty]

Here is the bike now. Very happy with it

Scotty in Seattle

[49445CVO]

That would be me. Picked up the brand new SERG and drove 30 miles up the road and the right bag fell off.
HD dealer in Salem, Oregon made it right and sent me a brand new one.
This is what was left of the old one..

I love it when I remember things.......Thanks for making my day Scotty

[CTcvorider]

I lost my left saddlebag about a month after I bought my bike (08 SEUC).  The bracket that the rear Dzus pin goes into had loosened up and actually fallen off.  The dealer replaced the bracket no charge, but mother HOG said that 'one pin should be adequate to hold it on' so wouldn't replaced the scraped up latch and plastic.  I hit an unseen frost heave at about 50 mph that bounced me about 4" off the seat.  So much for the immaculate paint job.  After two years now, I don't notice it as much.

[North Star]

Yikes, that sucks- sorry to hear.

Makes me glad I ordered the Saddlebag Secure set up from Brukus, along with the seat screw. I'm willing to bet you will be doing the same.

[tennisman]

Dan:

As others said, "that really sucks"....note my pic, two reasons I had the dealer put on the chrome bars like the standard Ultras have...won't loose a bag & if I lay it over, the bars will protect the bags.  The latter has occurred .... in the garage!
T

[t rider]

Scotty, What seat is that? Looks nice