Saddlebag tie down troubles

[ShirleySerious]

I got tired of my saddlebags always hitting my swingarms and shocks, so I looked online and saw a tiedown kit. Maybe some of you are familiar with it, it seems kind of popular:


It has 2 metal hooks attached to a bungee cord, 2 plastic hook things, and 4 24" nylon cords. Given how my bike is built and the scant instructions that came with it, I have no idea how to mount it. My saddlebags have 2 web straps each in the front and rear, presumably to mount it somewhere.

I normally keep the saddlebag yoke under the seat because I occasionally have passengers and it looks better. The seat is unscrewed and just sitting on top of it, which is why it looks off kilter.

Rear view. The picture was taken off center. Notice how low the bags hang.

This is how it looks with the seat off. I'm not sure how to tie the strings correctly.

Anyone with a similar setup know how this is done? I'd appreciate the advice.

[bonanzadave]

Hey, I think that system would fit better with the yolk over the seat. It may not look as good but it would square up the bags and keep them from sagging on the pipes. Then you could run one strap on the back, from bag to bag, above the license plate and a strap on each bag front going fwd to a mounting point by each foot peg. Let me look for some pic of my bags.........

[bonanzadave]

OK, my yolk straps are over the seat and one strap goes around the fender, behind the plate, bag to bag.


And then a strap goes fwd from each bag down to a quick disconnect attached to each rear footpeg.


Thats all I got for ya. Good luck.

[ShirleySerious]

Your seat looks similar in the rear, but my bags are bigger and I have a rear rack to work with. I was asking because I have a 550E and saddlebags are more meant for the L-style bikes.

[bonanzadave]

Mines an E too. I was just throwing out a plan B.

[Guest]

get different bags, those are hideous

[bonanzadave]

R U talkin to me ?

[ShirleySerious]

get different bags, those are hideous

No money, my friend gave me those off his 750L for free.

[Guest]

not a very constructive remark, i know...sorry... But.. I see those things flopping all over the place and i just can't stand em.
Best bet is to throw them over the seat, only use them when they are full, and tie them to the passenger footpegs and each other around the back of the seat/fender as previously mentioned.
And only at night, when its dark.

[Steve]

Anyone with a similar setup know how this is done? I'd appreciate the advice.

My wife's bag are similar, but I took a different approach.

The yoke is under the seat, and is zip-tied to keep it from sliding forward. Because I have re-located the turn signals back to the license plate area, the bags are far enough back that they are no longer supported by the shocks. Therefore I fired up my crude construction skills and made some braces to keep the bags off the tire and the pipes. Might not be the solution for everybody, but it works for us.

[ShirleySerious]

My wife's bag are similar, but I took a different approach.

The yoke is under the seat, and is zip-tied to keep it from sliding forward. Because I have re-located the turn signals back to the license plate area, the bags are far enough back that they are no longer supported by the shocks. Therefore I fired up my crude construction skills and made some braces to keep the bags off the tire and the pipes. Might not be the solution for everybody, but it works for us.

Those are the kind of things I wish they sold. The problem is that most of the bag accessories on the market are made for L style or cruisers.

Where does the front part of that bracket attach to?