Hey, everyone....
I have a 2002 XL 883 with the Harley Sportster deluxe saddlebags. These are very stiff leather saddlebags; in which the backing is formed ABS plastic. They bolt in 4 places to the saddlebag support brackets that came with them, and these brackets bolt to the fender struts in 2 places; the rear bolt (turn signals re-located aft, of course) and the upper shock mount. Here's my dilemma....
I like the bags for commuting back and forth to work, but want to look cooler cruising on the weekends with the bags off. I took the bags off once before, but the supports were left on and are really ugly, and I don't want chrome supports.
I was thinking (my fiance' is a machinist / welder) of modifying the brackets somehow, like cutting a small section of the fron mounting eyelet / bolt hole of the support bracket off, to make it a "C" instead of an "O"---that way, when I remove the rear support bracket bolt, I could just loosen the upper shock mount bolt a turn or two, and slip the bracket off of the bolt stud, then re-tighten the bolt (if you can visualize what I'm talking about). BUT.....will I need some sort of spacer, to take the place of the bracket eyelet / bolt hole or what?
Anybody ever done anything like this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. And no, I don't think I want the "Bag-Eez" Ghost brackets, simply because I like the stock turn signals and don't want to end up with aftermarket ones in a different location; when i can probably make the bags quick-detachable myself with a little ingenuity.
If anybody has ANY advice, please post it!
Thanx in advance,
Rob in New Jersey
P.S.---Chicks dig Harleys WAY more than crotch-rockets...
I have a 2002 XL 883 with the Harley Sportster deluxe saddlebags. These are very stiff leather saddlebags; in which the backing is formed ABS plastic. They bolt in 4 places to the saddlebag support brackets that came with them, and these brackets bolt to the fender struts in 2 places; the rear bolt (turn signals re-located aft, of course) and the upper shock mount. Here's my dilemma....
I like the bags for commuting back and forth to work, but want to look cooler cruising on the weekends with the bags off. I took the bags off once before, but the supports were left on and are really ugly, and I don't want chrome supports.
I was thinking (my fiance' is a machinist / welder) of modifying the brackets somehow, like cutting a small section of the fron mounting eyelet / bolt hole of the support bracket off, to make it a "C" instead of an "O"---that way, when I remove the rear support bracket bolt, I could just loosen the upper shock mount bolt a turn or two, and slip the bracket off of the bolt stud, then re-tighten the bolt (if you can visualize what I'm talking about). BUT.....will I need some sort of spacer, to take the place of the bracket eyelet / bolt hole or what?
Anybody ever done anything like this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. And no, I don't think I want the "Bag-Eez" Ghost brackets, simply because I like the stock turn signals and don't want to end up with aftermarket ones in a different location; when i can probably make the bags quick-detachable myself with a little ingenuity.
If anybody has ANY advice, please post it!
Thanx in advance,
Rob in New Jersey
P.S.---Chicks dig Harleys WAY more than crotch-rockets...
