I know that he used his hondaline brackets to keep the bags closer to the bike.
I do have the leather Valkyrie bags on the bike now, with the Hondaline brackets. I was wondering if I could use them in some way.
Thanks for sharing,
Mike
Yeah Mike.....since you have a set, you can use them. These......
But I had to modifiy them to use them. As you can see, they're not a direct fit.
First thing I did was to cut off that bottom support piece. It's not needed...it is needed for the leather bags, but not the hard bag Mustangs. At first, I left the stubs on in case I needed to extend them (pics still show them on) and re-use them for bottom support of the Mustangs (eventually cut them off flush with no stub left on the mount at all). The mounts are rock solid with the bags mounted and that lower piece isn't needed at all.
Next thing is to get some flat bar stock. You can find some at Home Depot. I don't remember the thickness I used, but when laid across the mount, it comes flush with the original mounting tabs.
Cut and shape those to fit.....tig weld them on (or have a welder tig them for you).......
Note that you'll want to strip or bead blast all of the original powder coat off before welding.
Next is to drill and tap your mounting holes. The best way to do that is to bolt them together using the original mounting tabs. Put them in a drill press and drill your holes then tap them for your mounting bolts.
Next thing is to put a finish on them. I painted them at first. Painting isn't one of my better skills.
Ended up stipping the paint off of them and taking them to get powder coated. Much better option......the powder coat is tuff and will hold up much better and will last alot longer than the paint. This is it painted (note that the stubs are still on the bottom but I took them off before the powder coating) and mounted and ready for the test fitting of the Mustang's right hand bag......
Now you can begin your test fitting.....
If your not ever planning on using a set of saddlebag rails, you can place and mount them wherever you feel they'll best be on the bike (for lid opening, looks, exhaust pipe clearance, ect). However, if there's a chance that you'll ever want to use a set of saddlebag rails, you'll need to find and buy a set NOW and mount one side to the bike BEFORE you start to test fit your Mustang.
If your going to use a set of rails, mount your modified right hand bag mount to the right side and then mount the right hand section of the saddlebag rails. Then do your test fitting of the bag.
Mark your holes, then drill them. To match the left hand bag to the right side, clamp the bags together (take the lids off if they've already been installed) and mark your holes to the left bag. Drill the left bag and they should both then be ready to install.
Another note about saddlebag rails. You'll need to make a couple 3/4" spacers for the center section of the rails. This was the first attempt at making a set to the give you an idea of what it'll take to make a set.
You can find the round bar stock at Home Depot. I used some stainless tubing that I found somebody selling foot long sections on ebay for cheap. I don't remember the wall thickness, but you can measure that easy enough to find what you'll need. I might even have a short section of scrap left if I can find it.
The oem leather saddlebag mounts arn't exactly perpendicular to the bike's rear fender. They angle the bags out some at the bottom......
That's the reason you'll need to make a set of spacers.
Once installed, no one will ever notice the spacers.......
Good luck with your install.
And btw......once done, I expect plenty of pics.
