One problem with our aging bikes is that the plastic and rubber parts get tired. Repeated use or flexing, ozone, heat cycling, cleaning chemicals all conspire to make them less effective than they used to be.
This was certainly the case with my saddlebag seals. They compressed too easily, allowing too much movement when the lid was latched to the bag itself. On two occasions, this allowed one to come off while riding.
So, I borrowed an idea from the Goldwing forums that makes the trunk seal more rigid and reduces rattle. In that case, you fish a piece of small-diameter hose through the hollow part of the seal, making it less compressible.
Here's what I did for my Valk saddlebags:
I removed the seal from the bag. It's got some factory adhesive that holds it in place, which separates pretty easily.
I bought some 1/8 inch diameter window screen spline. Twenty-five feet was less than $10.
Then, pushed the spline into the deepest channel of the seal.
Dabbed RTV silicone adhesive on the edge that the seal channel will mate with. (When you do this, make sure you get some on the corners. That is where the seal likes to lift.)
With the seal in place, I then put the lid on and locked in place until the adhesive cured.
Now the lid sits a little higher prior to latching and there is now positive tension against the latch with the lid locked in place. And no movement!
