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My Stuff! Phone Mount, Engine Guard, Saddlebags/Panniers

4K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  daxyireh 
#1 ·
Hey Guys!

There are a few things on my bike that I love and wanted to share my experience with them. I unfortunately went down in a hailstorm this past winter. The bike has since been repaired so I wanted to throw some extra protection on it and invest in some retro looking saddlebags that are easy to tote! Also, gotta shout out to this sturdy phone mount - first blurb below.





PHONE MOUNT: Techmount Gripper


This thing has held my phone fast for over a year. When the bike went down the phone didn't slip or anything! This is super solid and looks nice to boot! My Phone is the Google Pixel.

This is super easy to install. Nothing to note.




ENGINE GUARD: Hepco & Becker Engine Guard


Love these things - black, stylish, fit nicely. They stick out far enough that they’ll protect the turn signals, the engine, the tank, and possibly the handlebars if it ever – God forbid – gets knocked over... again. :serious:

When installing the Engine Guard you will need to be aware of which ERGO-FIT option you have set on the bike. The engine guard comes with all required parts if you have the ERGO-FIT Mid or Reduced Reach setup. (I am 6’3 and have the bike set with ERGO-FIT Extended Reach.)

You’ll notice, when installing with the Extended Reach setup, that the Engine Guards need to attach to the front bolt of the foot peg (brake right – clutch left) assembly. The spacer that sits in that location will need to be removed and replaced with a smaller spacer to fit the Engine Guard’s bracket on the existing bolt. Do the right side with the break first.

When I removed the spacer from the right side I was able to fit the bracket on and fill the gap with 3 washers instead of a spacer. (Keep the spacer from the right side of the bike for use on the left side)

When I removed the spacer from the left side I was able to fit the bracket on and fill the gap with the spacer from the right side of the bike.

If you don’t have Extended Reach set on the bike you will be able to install the Engine Guard without that mess!




SADDLEBAG/PANNIER MOUNT: C-Bow Carrier for Kawasaki Vulcan S ’15-


When I asked if the C-Bow Carrier would fit with the Kawasaki Quick Release (KQR) Passenger Backrest I was told, “no.” This was incorrect. It was actually both simpler and easier than the directions indicated.

If you have the KQR Passenger Backrest you will only need to purchase one 8mm x 35mm and one 8mm x 40mm metric hex screw per side! 8.8 Grade.


You will then install these 2 screws through the C-Bow mounts and through the KQR attaching spacers. You won’t have to do any of the measuring and cutting that are typically required with the C-Bow carrier on the Vulcan S.

On another note – I forgot to lock my bags onto the C-Bow Carriers earlier this week and successfully made it 15 miles home on the freeway with them solidly attached. I only noticed they weren’t locked when I went to unlock them. Oops! I don’t suggest trying that out often – just in case – but I was glad they stayed secure even when unlocked!




SADDLEBAGS/PANNIERS: Legacy Courier Bag Set L/L for C-Bow Carrier


I kinda feel like Indiana Jones with these bags - freaking love the classic aesthetic. I use them daily to carry my lunch and my gym clothes.

I have packed them with about 10-15 lbs of juice when going to the grocery store and they seem to take the weight just fine. Time will tell how well they hold up but the thickness of the canvas and the sturdy leather seem like they are going to last.

They only come with one shoulder strap but I fashioned handles out of belts that came with some cargo shorts. Simply loop them through, tighten them, then wrap the extra and you have a cool briefcase bag! The C-Bow attachment will dig into your side if you sling them over the shoulder as a messenger bag anyway. Can’t imagine you’d want to do that too often… nor would I imagine you’d want to deal with the strap flapping in the wind or taking it off the bag and tucking it someplace every time you wanted to attach the bag to the bike.

I would hands down suggest these.




**The Techmount gripper I bought was from Amazon. Hepco & Becker stuff had to be bought from Motomachines because I live in Los Angeles and they're the US distributor for the brand.
 
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