About a year ago I purchased a "LaRosa Black Leather Red Stitch HD V Rod Night Rod Special Left Mount Saddlebag" off of ebay for about $130 (plus shipping) for my '07 Night Rod Special. It has been on the bike since I first installed it. I have put 5-6000 miles on the bike since then.
I am not associated with the bag manufacturer or seller(s).
I just remember that I had trouble getting info about how different saddlebags looked/worked back when I was in the market for one, so I figured that I would write up my thoughts after using it for a year.
I created an imgur album with a bunch of pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/wnnBC
I'll also try attaching them to this post, so hopefully one of these versions will still be available for future people who are interested.
Pros:
Cons:
Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far. It gives me the utility I need on a bike I commute with (whenever the weather isn't shit). I can see the paint scratches being a big turn-off for some people, but I never see them unless I'm cleaning the bike. You can tell from the pictures that I don't do that often enough :rofl2: It may be possible to prevent those scratches by securing the lower mount straps to the swingarm or something, but I didn't like that idea. I'm going to look for some kind of abrasion-resistant sticker to slap on the spots that are getting damaged for now
I am not associated with the bag manufacturer or seller(s).
I just remember that I had trouble getting info about how different saddlebags looked/worked back when I was in the market for one, so I figured that I would write up my thoughts after using it for a year.
I created an imgur album with a bunch of pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/wnnBC
I'll also try attaching them to this post, so hopefully one of these versions will still be available for future people who are interested.
Pros:
- Looks nice in my opinion. The red threads match well with the wheel stripes
- Easy install
- Spacious enough to carry a bunch of stuff. I keep an emergency flat tire gooper kit with an electric pump, thin hoodie for night missions, extra home depot impact goggle sunglasses, and one of those $6 cycle gear cargo nets in there. There is some room to spare, but not much
- Doesn't get in the way. For the first couple of days I noticed it while I was backing the bike out of my driveway. Now it's like it isn't even there while I'm riding. Despite how close it looks to the passenger footpeg, they've always said it wasn't a problem.
- Hasn't fallen off or opened unintentionally :thumb:
- It's not waterproof, but it has survived the occasional random rainstorm without noticeable damage to the exterior or items inside
Cons:
- It has scraped my swingarm and upper drive belt guard paint up pretty badly in a couple of spots over time (see pics). This may be partially my fault. I did not use the lower 2 straps that were provided because I didn't want to strap it to the swingarm. You can see the spots where those straps would go in one of the pictures.
- The sloped "floor" of the bag makes fitting some things more difficult than expected.
- No lock on the closure belt straps. I wouldn't want to leave anything valuable in there in a parking lot. On the other hand, nobody has messed with it yet.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far. It gives me the utility I need on a bike I commute with (whenever the weather isn't shit). I can see the paint scratches being a big turn-off for some people, but I never see them unless I'm cleaning the bike. You can tell from the pictures that I don't do that often enough :rofl2: It may be possible to prevent those scratches by securing the lower mount straps to the swingarm or something, but I didn't like that idea. I'm going to look for some kind of abrasion-resistant sticker to slap on the spots that are getting damaged for now