I guess I am one of those other guys. I know myself that the bags are not as easy to install as they are to "uninstall". Remember the original video when the windshield, sissybar, rear seat, and saddlebags could all be removed in under 2 minutes? That is a true statement. However, to do a complete job, it takes probably 5 minutes to reinstall all that stuff. Specifically with the saddlebags, there are 3 points to line up, it is true, but some of them must be lined up independently of the other; this makes it difficult at best. It's not like the ladder that slides across the library wall on a track so you can easily gain access to your book of choice. I remember the '10 mounting bracket by the rear footpeg had to have the loop cover a pin and then slide forward, locking the pin inside the narrow part of the loop as I recall. The '11 and '12 are almost identical design to themselves. Most difficult part for me is lining up the inside of the bracket of the saddlebag with the 2 pins on the fenderrail of the bike. And getting the C-bracket aligned with the groove behind the rear footpeg at almost the same time. Once you get those all 3 lined up, then you do your best to drive them home (foreward motion). When all 3 points are firmly (I said firmly!!) fastened as they should be, you pull out the levered knob inside the saddlebag and rotate it upward which allows the locking bolt to slide into the slot and it is a done deal. Then you observe again that the bag is aligned correctly on the rail and that the C-bracket or loop is fully engaged in that footpeg point. If something is wiggling just a little bit, it is not firmly engaged at that point and needs to be repositioned and tightened. When I got my '10, whoever assembled the left bag was not trained well and just jammed it on and consequently cost me time and energy to have a new black grommet replaced as I could barely get the bag off because of a chipped grommet. We do need to learn our bikes (as best we can) so when faced with mechanical issues, we can be successful. I can't do much with the electronics of this bike but I sure can about the mechanical parts. The alternative is expending more energy in waiting for the MOCO to rule in our favor and less time riding. At fast approaching 60 years old, I have now had 3 years of convertibles as well as the Heritage I started with. Something falls off my bike, I have a pretty good feel if it was something I did or something they didn't do. right is right and wrong is wrong but if it's an easy fix, I try to get the new part and take ownership myself. My experience has been in 8 years of owning Harleys, the dealerships are hard-pressed to find anybody (that's anybody including those old wrenches that are spending more time enjoying their legendary status rather than painstakingly really caring for my bike as if it was their own) that treats your bike like it was theirs. they are all about the mighty dollar$ these days. Once it hits the dealership, my experience has been they treat it like it was just another used bike and (with rare exception) if anybody believes otherwise, they are fooling themselves. there is a frame of mind in today's shops that Harley has been around so long, your bad experience isn't going to change anything and you will just keep coming back for more. so, my fix is I am going to try to do absolutely everything mechanical that I can do myself. This includes making double sure my saddlebag is on correctly and when I tug on it, it looks and feels solid. Maybe it could be a loose pin bolt or something else that doesn't give it that solid feel before you take out on the highway. Once the bag goes sailing down the highway isn't the time to be cursing yourself or the dealership. We can't rely on them to make sure stuff is secure or we will be sadly disappointed. So, go the extra mile and familiarize yourself with this "rocket science" of 3-pin alignment so that when you install your bag after washing the bike, you know in your own mind that it is hundred percent going to stay on. The knob on the '12 does seem like it is a bit larger and more surely allows the locking bolt to slide into place................. Now, I've ambled on and on but I hope at least one person new to the Convertible bag topic will gain something from this and never experience the tragedy of a scarred bag that may end up bouncing up and thru someones windshield; something much worse! Black tie-straps won't do much for a bag that is already installed incorrectly. And why in the world would I want to entrust the bag of my $30,000 motorcycle to the "security" of a 10c wire-tie or what about baling wire? Plus wire-ties sort of defeat the concept of "quick-disconnect" or even worse, "quick-connect". Let's all do our homework, learn from other people's mistakes, and make absolutely sure you have the bag installed correctly or fix what doesn't line up. I believe the design is correct. The Porkster.
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Topic: Saddle Bags Falling Off (Read 51406 times)