Saddle bags

[Rafterd]

Got home from Sturgis this Friday. Great ride.

unloading my right saddlebag and noticed daylight

from the bottom. Unloaded it and a piece has broken off and gone out of the bottom.

dont think I lost anything, but that crazy. Didn't hit anything

didnt drop it. Don't know what happened.

[djh3]

Hmm That's interesting. Must have been fatigued cracked and just fell out. Next question is how you gonna fix it?

[Condor]

I get confused really easy lately. but doesn't the factory tool kit sit in the left saddle bag????

[mm482]

No, they are in the right bag...

 

Earl

[Condor]

No, they are in the right bag...

 

Earl

 

See.... Told ya so....

[MikeWa]

If the muffler is getting too hot the plastic on the saddle bag can crystalize and break away. I may be reaching but is this a possibility?

 

Mike

[turtle]

I think it is squirrels you need to stop hiding your peanuts in there.

[Rafterd]

Took the bag off, and I found where at sometime before I bought this, this bag had been repaired with fiberglass. And of course the fiberglass didn't stick, so that piece fell out. It is cracking all over. Looks like I'll be looking for another bag.

[djh3]

Yea to bad there is not a way to lay glass in there and make it bond. Is there not a way to use MEK or something like that to sort of soften the ABS and lay resin cloth in?

[cowpuc]

I know,, I have an odd way of thinking about scoots,, more of function over form kinda varmint - that said, try to stick with me on this one cause I know it sounds out there a ways..

Few years ago Tweeks got lop sided up in the Utah mountains and I had to roll her all the way over to get her feet back to planted cause between we couldnt get enough umph to upright here pushing uphill.. Ended up doing damage to her left saddle bag - LOTS of spider web like cracks.. I drilled the cracks at the ends to keep them from going any farther, then drilled holes along the cracks and "stitched" the cracks together using tie wraps - having done this many times with dirtbikes - I had pretty high hopes of it being successful.. Fast forward to this past June when Tip and I took Tweeksis (she has Tweeks bags on her) out CTFW on the east coast.. We hit some extremely hard storms out there in NY - flooded highways that the water was so deep it knocked Tips feet off the rear pegs and broke the front fender mud flap clean off!! Couple days later I noticed water leaking from Tweeks maintenance department (right bag) - opened it and a bunch of water came rolling out.. Thats when I found a 2 inch open hole that I did not know was there - similar to yours, I had lost a fairly good size chunk of glass from the bag itself.. Not one to give up and knowing that almost NOTHING works for repairing these bags in a permanent way, I set out to figure out the repair. I ended up drilling a few small holes around the hole and, again, along some cracks that were present. I tie wrapped again across the hole and pulling the tie wraps tight to draw it all together. Then I took clear fuel line and wove it into the tie wraps. Next I started searching for the perfect filler.. I ended up trying this product called E6000 Adhesieve.. Turns out, the stuff is AMAZING!! It drys like a VERY strong rubber and is bonding beyond belief!! I patch the hole, covering all the tie wraps including the stitching from days past. I carry about 70 pounds of tools and stuff in that bag, we just finished over 15 thousand miles of travel since I made the repairs with a fair amount of rain days, a few hail days, LOTS of extreme heat. I have checked the area several times (My tire spoons are in the maintenance dept - lots of times to check the hole) and it remains rock solid and very secure.. I purchased the tube of E6000 from a local store called Meijers but I am sure Walmart or even Auto Zone would probably carry it.. Tell em Puc sent ya,,,,, what the heck - may be good for a laugh or something..

[Statussymbol]

I get confused really easy lately. but doesn't the factory tool kit sit in the left saddle bag????

 

mine is in the left on my 08

[Statussymbol]

Yea to bad there is not a way to lay glass in there and make it bond. Is there not a way to use MEK or something like that to sort of soften the ABS and lay resin cloth in?

 

try this..... couldn't hurt

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=132322796&KPID=26112702&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_As_Seen_On_TV&pla=pla_26112702&k_clickid=61767c6f-a1c5-4106-ad37-e7f1e7d9e01c

[flynvy5]

Took the bag off, and I found where at sometime before I bought this, this bag had been repaired with fiberglass. And of course the fiberglass didn't stick, so that piece fell out. It is cracking all over. Looks like I'll be looking for another bag.

 

Might reach out to hanagan as they pull the bags when they trike bikes. I don't know if they keep them.

[Condor]

try this..... couldn't hurt

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=132322796&KPID=26112702&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_As_Seen_On_TV&pla=pla_26112702&k_clickid=61767c6f-a1c5-4106-ad37-e7f1e7d9e01c

 

That's funny. I just got off the phone with my daughter who works for ACE in the distribution plant to order some A/C covers for those severe winters we get out here in California, and was also looking for some flex spray or tape to patch a hole punched in my new storage tent. Couldn't find the tape listed but I'm calling her back to add to the order... THANKS!!

 

I forgot to ask her what the price was for the tape, but the covers were the same retail and cost me $3.68 ea. Talk about a profit!!

Edited August 15, 2017 by Condor

[camos]

Replacing the bag would certainly be the easiest way to go but if you have the time the repair could be done for somewhere around $20 to $30. That is just a WAG of course. A quart of MEK solvent is probably under $10 and a small sheet of ABS is probably the same and probably similar for some fiberglass cloth. The only other must have is a solvent applicator bottle/syringe which is also not very expensive and can be reused.

 

If the broken area is deformed it will need to be straightened into position using a heat gun to soften the ABS enough to move it without stressing it. Trim the missing area to straighten it up enough to fit a new piece of ABS sheet. The small cracked and missing parts at the corner and up the side can be filled with a firm putty made from MEK and ABS. If done right, this repair should be close the the same strength as the original. Embedding a layer of fiberglass in ABS will make it stronger than original.

 

Once it is all filled and glued together the fiberglass can be applied using a wet layer of MEK/ABS paste, then the cloth, then more MEK/ABS. The idea is to let the "liquid" plastic soak into the material in the same way that polyester resin soaks into it.

 

Working with MEK/ABS is a slow process as it can take a few days for the solvent to dissolve the ABS to make a putty or a paste. Getting the right consistency is also somewhat time consuming since there is no magic mix recipe and it is just done by adding solvent to ABS letting it dissolve then evaporation to get to a firmer workable mass.

 

Commercial ABS glue might work easier to apply the fiberglass but the only kind I have seen turns an ugly yellow colour when set.