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Luggage setups??

3K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Ladyhawk 
#1 ·
I have an 07 500 and plan on taking trips this spring/summer. I am going to start off taking weekend trips (2 days) and then progressively take longer ones.

So I want to get luggage that is large enough for trips but also fit the bike properly.

Anyone have recommendations? What size bags would do you go with? I am going to install a luggage rack and get a sissy bar bag as well so that will provide more storage space.
 
#2 ·
The largest saddle bags you can fit on the bike, with bag supports to keep them away from the wheel. Are you planning these trips solo, or with a passenger? If solo, maybe set you T-bag on the rear seat and look into a rear box/trunk. SaddleMan among other make universal ones or you could addapt one from a full dresser such as a Voyager, Goldwing, or UltraClassic.


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#6 ·
I have a set of leather bags that came with the wife's 09. They
weren't on the bike but he said he used them on it. They are much larger than the ones on my other 500. But I didn't get the bag supports with them.
I'm putting hard bags on the wife's 500 that are painted the same as the bike.
I have Leather Lyke bags and trunk on my Vulcan 1500, and love them.
I don't know if they would fit the 500 or not. You might look them up.
 
#8 ·
Hello Blackbird68. I just ordered a very expensive set of luggage from MotoMachines - located in Sterling, VA. I spoke to Alan extensively about their line and the quality before I mortgaged my house to buy the bags. I received them a couple of weeks ago, just before Sandy hit. I had only a few minutes at that time to check them out. The frame is four pieces with lots of support for the hefty bags. The bags themselves are Gobi's made by Hepco and Becker and are they TOUGH! These are by far the toughest bags I've seen so far. I plan to travel cross country so I needed something strong and waterproof! No wet clothes or soggy laptops for us.
The bags each have 37 Liters of space which corresponds roughly to about just over a square foot. That's actually a lot of space. The Gobi's have this strange quality - they are double walled so that you can put a spigot on them and pour water into the cavity between the two walls. That's nice, but I don't think I'll be crossing any deserts so I passed on that option. But the downside of this is that the interior of the bags is just that much smaller. Still, it's got plenty of room. Due to the cost, I only bought the bags and not the top case which I might get later. I really like being able to sling my leg over the bike.
Anyway, I dry fitted the frame and it looks like it could work well. The rear directionals have to be relocated and they supply an L bracket and some screws and some wiring. Because I didn't want to mess with the electrical, I brought the whole mess to my favorite bike shop and gave them the German instructions! You don't really need instructions, just a picture. I have not got them back yet, but I also haven't got any phone calls either. So, either they are busy or it's going along just fine.
This morning it is SNOWING!
Oh, I did think I found another bag that might work. I also had extensive talks with
the Edge Company and their method of attaching brackets. I did have an order with them for several months to make something that would fit my bike. The fellow promised he would send me the proper "stuff" like long enough bolts to get the bags
far enough away from the exposed shocks. But, the bags I chose were on back order f o r e v e r and I finally cancelled the order. I was not sure these would work.
I do have another solution which I have to look up the company names for and which I will write info on in another message. This option looks a lot like the German Hepco-Becker option. You'd have to order the frame from Hepco-Becker and then use this other company's bags to attach to the frame. Actually this company whose name escapes me had an excellent attachment system which would work with virtually any type hard bag.
Oh, I am making an assumption here - that you are interested only in hard bags. All my comments are about hard bags because they offer security and a waterproof environment. In the end, I decided not to take the chance and just order up what was made for my bike.
You'll have the best bet looking at foreign companies because in the states the 500 is not popular but it is a hot item in Europe for it's size and economy - being a small cruiser type cycle. In Europe you are taxed on the cc's so a 500 is fairly economical while larger cc's get pretty pricey.
 
#9 ·
This is the link for the hard bags I got: http://www.motomachines.com/Gobi-_c_24.html. It takes at least 3 weeks to get them as they are imported from Germany. Look up Hepco and Becker on the internet and you'll see it's not a fly-by-night company - they make regular luggage that looks bomb proof. That exploration of their other product lines convinced me to spend the big bucks.
I also got a slilp stream windscreen and now I find out I can't add driving lights.
MotoMachines has a light that might work, but electrical parts are not returnable if they don't work out, so I'm not biting. Anyone out there have driving lights and a windscreen?
 
#10 ·
I've been away for awhile. But I've been busy. I can't recount the hours I've spent researching the internet for this bike. In any case I finally have a set of crash bars or highway bars on my bike as well as my husband's. I feel so much more confident with them as our driveway is almost a mile of gravel to get to the main road.
The bike has got 500 breaking in miles and we have the first snow this morning. It was close. Part of the reason I've been missing is the bike just wouldn't perform - coughing, lurching, acting like it wasn't getting gas, then forging ahead all at low rpms. Of course, it's a new bike! I suspected a gummed up carbuerator (sp?) but the dealer where I purchased it swore it couldn't be. Two other bike shops said - it was gummed up with old gas. Humm. After putting up with poor performance for 500 miles and after getting the 500 mile check-up and fluids change, I decided to drive it in to a dealer and complain. Well, as luck would have it, the bike decided to get me out to the main road and a couple of miles away from home when it decided to DIE with cars behind and cars coming. Panicked I coasted to the side of the road and down the hill to a driveway where I played with it to no avail. A red pick-up pulls up beside me and a young man gets out and asks if I'm having trouble. "I think so," I respond, with my helmet swimming with sweat. He plays with the idle and the gas and determines I'm in trouble. He just happens to know the head mechanic at the dealer where I'm headed - because the mechanic lives next door to him. This young man and his wife have a bike and he has a trailer which he is willing to bring back for me. Where did this man come from? I am so amazed at his generosity. He says it's nothing. He says it's his nightmare to get stranded on the road and knows how I'm feeling. So he goes home, gets his trailer, loads on the bike in about 10 minutes flat! I am at the dealer who has agreed to stay open till I arrive about a half hour after their closing time! My husband has been called to meet me at the dealer to give me a ride home.
So, guys, I know now when I see those friendly hands waving at me when I pass another fellow cycler on the road, that those hands are for real, helping hands.

Two weeks later the bike is fixed - at no cost to me! The dealer who is close to me got Kawi to foot the bill for cleaning the carbuerator (sp?). You know I'm feeling really lucky and really blessed. I am thinking I made a good bike choice, have a company that stands behind its product, a husband to ride with and friends on the road to bike when I need them. You guys out there are really just awesome.
I can't wait for spring!
 
#11 ·
OK this is it for today from me. Just a joke sort of - when I brought in my hard bags the cycle guys laughed and said to my husband that I could run away from home with those bags. They commented that I could probably put the kitchen sink in them. That's when I told them about the spigot option I passed on. Hope some of you are in climates where you can still ride! Enjoy.
I am busy with my map of the US, putting in little dots of all the places I want to visit and where we have friends to see. I am so excited I can hardly wait for winter to be over.
To keep the candle burning, I bought the book Maximum Control to read over the winter. It's pretty good and there are some good tips and some maneuvers I need to practice before hitting the big highway west.
 
#12 ·
I considered these too but opted for real hard bags since we'll have to take a laptop with us for my husband, lest he come down with a case of work withdrawal. On my old Honda I have a hard top case which is so handy to drop in junk like phones, wallets, and laptop all of which you want secure and don't want wet - ever.
 
#13 ·
Have any of you noticed the location of the built-in helmet lock on the 500? On my bike at least it looks like if I used it my helmet would drop down onto the hot muffler. It doesn't look like a particularly useful location for a full helmet.
On my Honda I have a built-in helmet lock and I use it all the time. I hope to find an aftermarket lock I can add on to the frame somewhere. Any suggestions as to a good location or brand of lock that has worked for you?
 
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