Saddlebag Guardrails on EBay - My Experience

[Frazer]

Hi folks...

As many of you know, there is a guy that is selling chrome saddlebag guardrails for fat ladies on EBay.  Here is one of his latest listings:
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA-VALKYRIE-CHROME-SADDLEBAG-SADDLE-BAG-RAILS-GUARDS-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eb6f8fe16QQitemZ200638266902QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I snagged one of these in a recent auction and thought I would share my experience with this accessory.  First, the vendor shipped promptly and the item was well packed - arriving with no damage whatsoever. 

At first inspection, the rails looked well constructed - good tubing - nice clean welds and the chroming was spotless.  My first challenge was that there were no installation instructions and while it seemed obvious how they should be attached, the ORDER in which things need to be done was not.  Some time-wasting trial and error here.  Bottom line - its easier to assemble the rails entirely first, then mount them as a unit.

The hardware supplied was confusing.  There are bolts and washers that, as far as I can tell, have no purpose.  They may be for an Interstate application??  I have a Tourer. 

The really bad news was, however, that while the rails LOOKED well constructed, it is clear that the weld-up was sloppy.  I am not sure if they used a jig to build these things, but the simply did not fit as intended.  I had to do some serious bending to get them attached and an installation that should have taken about 30 minutes took an entire day.  When I finally did get them installed, they were slightly skewed to one side (by about 1/3 inch) and the attachment to the existing hardbag support rails required removal of the rear cross member, so that the new rails could be bolted to the cross-member retaining clamps.

Also, installation eliminates the use of the rear-most bottom saddlebag retaining bolt and while the bags are quite secure with 3 versus 4 bolts, I never like doing stuff like that.  In order to fix this, I will probably have to drill out the original threaded hole, in the saddlebag support brackets and get a longer bolt with a nut that secures under the bracket.  This will make bag removal a pain in the butt.

While the rails are now installed on my bike, I am less than satisfied.  The amount of pushing, bending, trial and error that I had to apply to get these items attached was frustrating and quite unacceptable, given the price paid.  It is clear to me that the vendor has copied the OEM rails and either does not have an accurate welding jig - or is just plain careless.  I suspect that the vendor has never actually installed their rails on a real Valk.

Anyway, before you decide to buy a set of these, just be warned - you could be in for a long and frustrating day.

cheers,

FZ -
98 Tourer "Brunhilde"

[f6john]

   Sounds familiar. I haven't heard of a positive experience yet.

[designer]

I was wondering is the trunk side rails are any better?  I would love a set, but once you drill out your trunk there's no going back.

[R J]

That sounds familiar.

I had to do a bunch of bending, getting a longer bolt & aviation nut for the rear bottom bag bolt.    By the way, it doesn't take me any longer to remove my bags with this nut setup.   
 
And this set of rails had HONDA written all over the packing cardboard.

As long as I have been in the car repair and bike repair business, even if it was on a part time basis, that sounds like standard procedure to me.....

I never plan on add-ons as these are called, to install with out some modification.   Just part of the game as I see it.

PS:   What is wrong with the weld.   At the start of your post you said something to the effect it was good, then you say later it is not satisfactory.    Please explain what you are talking or referring to.     Also pictures would help of this poor weld.

Not being picky, just trying to get to the bottom of your complaint, and maybe some possible solutions to make things easier on the install.   In order to do that, we need all the details.

Have a nice day.     

[Scott in Ok]

I have a set of OEM Honda saddlebag rails.  They don't fit any better than what you describe.   There is just a lot of variation in fitment to a Valkyrie.

-Scott

[Dubsvalk]

I bought the rails off ebay and am very satisfied with them.  I did have to adjust them to get them centered in the rear but that wasn't a problem.  And I drilled holes in the rails where the bottom rear hard bag bolts go and used longer bolts to, first, bolt the bag to its support, the extra length on the bolt went thru the rail and using washers to space the rail and a nut to secure it, they are very sturdy.  I didn't have to bend anything, just adjust and use washers to space where the rails attach to the bag supports beside the rear fender.  A couple hours is all it took.  But this was my experience and it was satisfying in terms of looks, fit and cost.
Dubs

[Grumpy]

I purchased a set of Hondaline rails several years ago, they were a pain to install also. I think each bike has little differences that cause the mounting problems.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Pictures below are Bernie  ( Dubsvalk ) bike with the flea-bay saddlebag rails .They look pretty good I guess time will tell how the chrome holds up. We was parked side by side the day I took these pictures and you could tell the Hondaline on my bike appeared to be somewhat better quality but the kicker here is I gave $650.00 for mine used ( Yeah I wanted them ) and Bernie has around $250.00 in his. I have the rails on all three of my bikes and best I can remember they sold new from Honda for alittle less than $400.00 .
Black Valk has the e-bay....Blue Valk has the Hondaline.

[hubcapsc]

It might be a trick of the perspective in the picture, but it seems that the sharp bend right in the middle of the
rails doesn't line up with the relief line down the middle of the fender... that's the kind of thing that would make
me not want the ebay rails...

[Dubsvalk]

Hubcap,
This was one of the things I had to adjust later.  I knew it didn't line up but wanted to ride more than fiddle with it at the time.  Whe I pulled the wheel to service the splines I made the adjustment to line the bend in the chrome rail to the vee in the fender.  It was a simple and easy adjustment and now is perfectly aligned.
Dubs

[Frazer]

Sorry if I was not clear.  The strength and quality of the welds are fine.  THe problem is that the pieces were absolutely NOT positioned correctly when the rails were welded up. 

From your reply, its sounds like you are the supplier/vendor for these rails.  If so, your advertisement on EBay specifically says "Perfect fit".  I am sorry, but this is a falsehood - especially with the set that I obtained.  We are also not talking about coaxing a connecting tube a half inch or so to fit.  The flat pieces that connect under the bottom of the saddle bag were almost 2 inches out of allignment.  The tubes that connect from the rear cross piece to the existing saddlebag brackets were way out too - even after bending to get these as close as I could, they still needed a LOT of body english to get attached and are still not attached as I suspect they are supposed to be.

I stand by my evaluation of this product.  Good materials.  Solid welds.  Good chroming - but really REALLY sloppy fabrication, in terms of alignment of parts and fit. 

If you are the vendor, then I suggest some serious quality assurance steps are in order.  You should carefully measure the pieces before you okay them for shipment - better yet - you should test fit them to a Valk to make sure you are not subjecting your future customers to the crap that I had to go through.

And put some damn instructions in the box.

Frazer

That sounds familiar.

I had to do a bunch of bending, getting a longer bolt & aviation nut for the rear bottom bag bolt.    By the way, it doesn't take me any longer to remove my bags with this nut setup.   
 
And this set of rails had HONDA written all over the packing cardboard.

As long as I have been in the car repair and bike repair business, even if it was on a part time basis, that sounds like standard procedure to me.....

I never plan on add-ons as these are called, to install with out some modification.   Just part of the game as I see it.

PS:   What is wrong with the weld.   At the start of your post you said something to the effect it was good, then you say later it is not satisfactory.    Please explain what you are talking or referring to.     Also pictures would help of this poor weld.

Not being picky, just trying to get to the bottom of your complaint, and maybe some possible solutions to make things easier on the install.   In order to do that, we need all the details.

Have a nice day.     

[BF]

Sounds like my original OEM Hondaline rails just went up in value then.  Investing in Valk parts seems to be more lucrative than Microsoft stock.  Woo Hoo!   

[MP]

I have put Honda OEM rails on a standard with IS bags, and on a 01 IS.  Both fit perfect.  Had no problems with either.

MP

[T.P.]

I got my rails for $203.00 + $30 shipping,  yep it will take some time to get them bolted on.

[Willow]

   Sounds familiar. I haven't heard of a positive experience yet.

I have a positive experience.

I've the OEM guards on my Interstate and bought a set of E-bay rails for my Standard.  I can tell a difference, but I have to get pretty close to do so.  I did have to work a bit on fitment, but then some of that was the rails and some was my application.

Much of what the OP complained of would be common to the OEM or E-bay rails.  My guess is the OP has no experience with OEM rails for the comparison.

I'd assess the comparison as the OEM are definitely a better fit and probably better quality, but at half the price, the E-bay rails are a better deal of you're not a show bike kind of owner.  If you're looking for perfection, go ahead and spend the extra bucks on an OEM set when you can find them.  You won't get the perfection for which you seek, but you'll be just a small notch closer.

[Walküre]

Hi folks...

As many of you know, there is a guy that is selling chrome saddlebag guardrails for fat ladies on EBay.  Here is one of his latest listings:
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA-VALKYRIE-CHROME-SADDLEBAG-SADDLE-BAG-RAILS-GUARDS-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eb6f8fe16QQitemZ200638266902QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
While the rails are now installed on my bike, I am less than satisfied.  The amount of pushing, bending, trial and error that I had to apply to get these items attached was frustrating and quite unacceptable, given the price paid.  It is clear to me that the vendor has copied the OEM rails and either does not have an accurate welding jig - or is just plain careless.  I suspect that the vendor has never actually installed their rails on a real Valk.

Anyway, before you decide to buy a set of these, just be warned - you could be in for a long and frustrating day.

cheers,

FZ -
98 Tourer "Brunhilde"

Man, hate to say it, but they started at $1.00...one solitary dollar. YOU set and paid the price!! I managed to get mine for $120, shipped to me. Wasn't going to pay any more than that. And, they are worth the $120, at least to me. Yeah, they are crappy compared to the HondaLine's. But the LAST set of HL, I saw, were offered at $850!!! No way in hell would I pay that kind of money, even for PERFECT rails. But, $120 I can do. If they last 3 years, I might still have the bike, and worth another $120 to replace them. Everything that was mentioned, has been correct. BUT, I spent a bit of time today, with a 2-Valk owner, and he never, not once, said "Man, you got some crappy rails!!". I am happy with them, given the price paid.

They have been talked about quite often here, and all the shortcoming have been gone over and over. And, I'm typically a perfectionist, but they work just fine for me, given the price paid.

Ya gets what ya pay for...some just pay more than others, for the same thing.

Sorry you're not happy. But at the same time, I would hate to see someone pass up a passable set of rails, because you aren't.

And put some damn instructions in the box.

Frazer

And, just how many bolts WERE there??

R

[f6john]

     I guess I should have given a reference point for my comment. I have not heard any comments about the rails that reflect my experience with the Hondaline rails I have that I bought used.  Just like MP stated in his post, my Hondaline rails went on slick as a whistle, no tweaking at all. Maybe the original owner of my rails pre-tweaked them when he put them on his bike. .