the price of stuff...

[Dogg]

 I have been thinking of getting a set of hardbags for a valk I am in the process of purchasing. I have looked all around, turned up every stone, been to many many websites just to find out that a set of friggin hard bags are gonna cost me more than I paid for my fat tire!!!

  What I cant believe is watching the stuff on e-bay, how prices have been jacked. I guess this is all my own fault since I never got educated enough to make any REAL money like the people bidding on these bags, putting a realistic price out of my price range.

  I guess this is ALSO my fault for buying my wife the house of her dreams, her own scooter and building the monster I have lurking in my garage.

  What I cant understand is why, A few with LOTS of money(and less sense in my book) would want to pay outragious amounts of money that should cost less than half what they will pay?? What is wrong with people that, well, since they make so much money, they can "afford" to pay stupid numbers for such items while us poor folk, who REALLY do have to work(bleeding knuckles, 120F temps all day in the summer), cant afford to fork out all that cash because momma has to go to the food store or you pregnant daughter needs a tune up on the car she is driving...


Ok, I know, I am not complaing about anyone person, I am just stating what I see. If you think its ok the get 1500$ for a set of hard bags, or 750$ for leather bags, 1000$ for luggage, go for it.

 The value of anything is determined by how stupid the rest of the world is to pay for it....

 Me? I wish I would have seen Robins bags sooner than I did. I would have driven up there to get them...lol

[chip]

When I wrecked the Interstate I found out about the price of parts new and used. Go to Bikebandit ,click on a set of OEM pipes or a new Tank, And yes the hard bags and mounts. Those three things totaled my bike .  :'(I feel your pain !                                                             

[DFragn]

When I wrecked the Interstate I found out about the price of parts new and used. Go to Bikebandit ,click on a set of OEM pipes or a new Tank, And yes the hard bags and mounts. Those three things totaled my bike .  :'(I feel your pain !                                                            

Other then the tank. Those ABS repairs could be made by a DIY'r for less then $300.00. Of course some of the chrome trim may need to be replaced and Pinwall is a good resource for that, even bent bag mounts. Although, if reported to an Insurance Co., the buy back could be $4k + putting DIY repairs beyond reason.

Davred is currently refinishing his fairings and bags (Tech Board) http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,6772.0.html and it sure looks like it's going to turn out well as did my aftermarket fairing painting. I know it's all relative, but sometimes it's worthy.

Example: I painted my fairng & pods, inside & out, for about $200.00. It was my first time and I also thoroughly enjoyed it. But then again, I love to Zen in the garage with the Valk.

Insurance Companies, with their "too quick to total" attitude and "used parts" buying public drive the costs well too high. The Ins. Co. never seems as willing to repair (as with cars) either. They just TOTAL it.

Here's my fairing & pods. "You can do it" too.
BTW the pods came from a wrecked I/S. The gouges needed to be filled and primed. It was no big deal.

Dogg. It could well be worth buying damaged bags and refinishing them.

[robin]

Hey David sorry ya missed out on the ones i had but i waited almost 2 1/2 years before i got the break that i did on the ones i just bought off of craigslist with a little tip from someone here on the board keep looking they are out there. 

[robin]

Only 8 hours to go 1 bidder.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hard-Saddlebag-N1101-VTX-1300-1800-R-S-N-C-Valkyrie-new_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem48372c3230QQitemZ310163288624QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[DavRed]

Both the Fairing and Saddle bag can be repaired. I can tell you that from experance
http://s479.photobucket.com/albums/rr159/davred_photo/Fairing%20paint/?albumview=slideshow

[andym]

Dave
I feel your pain...
I work for NJ Transit ..Im 53 and Im now getting hit with pay freezes and furloughs. I wanted to give up my side business but I cant afford to. I just hope that when I retire from Transit, my pension is there and the politicians dont find a way to piss it away on their special interest buddies. I took a $35,000 pay cut to get back into my old pension plan (and yes I know Im one of the lucky ones to have a pension).  Everytime I walk into the food store Im amazed at how they screw the general public. Sure they price of cars and some luxury items are down, but walk into the Honda Dealer and buy a chrome hearder nut here in NJ  ..$5 for a nut. I walked into a WAWA to get a 9 Volt Battery.. $5.50. Real estate taxes on my 4 BR 2.5 bath house are $8400. My wife had shoulder surgery and they ordered a Igloo cooler that has a pump to chill her shoulder. The insurance wont pay for it and we just got a bill for $850. I wont even discuss car insurance here in NJ. Lets not forget the $450 electric bill last month. At least you were smart enough to leave NJ.
You are right about money..most of us dont focus on money until we dont have it. Im going to buy a condo with the price of real estate being low and hope that I can rent it. Real Estate still remains the only way for the average guy to make money but you need to be careful when you buy and sell. I had a condo in Freehold (Stonehurst) that I sold 3 years ago before the market crashed and made some good $, so I guess I need to do that again. What fun being a landlod, LOL ....Oh well thank God for the forum or I would be paying lots of $ for a shrink .......

[robin]

Hey Andy what part of NJTransit do you work i've been on the Rail side for 34 yrs now work out of Port Morris Yrd?

[fudgie]

Hang in there Dogg! What you could do is get a nice set of leather ones. Watch the web for a set of hard ones. By then you may have enough cash to get them. I wanted a HD tour pak back in 06. Took months to find one. It was cracked but was a real easy fit. Got the bottom and lid for $200. Ended up getting the lights with inside liner, new, for $100. Ended up selling it to my HD bud for $700. Wish I still had it, cause I have know idea where the the $$ went. 
I'm always looking for extra parts but it takes me 6 months to find some that I think is worth paying for it. Best thing I can tell ya is try to set aside $20 a week or so for your 'bag' fund. Thats what we do for our Sturgis trips.

[junior]

dogg, if your looking for a set of temp bags for the new bike? give these guys call or e-mail nationalpowersports.net they have take offs and are pretty reasonable

[paul]

I hear you...........its crazy.......I would put H/D hard bags on it.........they look good....IMHO.

[Robert]

Not to say anything negative about what you posted but it sounds like Obamaism in action. Yes I do feel your pain but there are always options out there. I wanted a set of hard bags for my bike and I had the soft k drives on it. Well went to ebay and found a set called the guy and we agreed on a price well got the money was just about to send it and he backed out. So I went to Champion and bought a set there for 1500. new. There were less choices than now for hard bags so I really didn't want to take second for my own personal preference. I have listed below another choice for 250 that you should look at and if you Google the bags I found so many choices and not expensive. Well like you said everyone makes choices so maybe one of the ones you made should have been for hard bags instead of some of the other items listed. As for the prices on Ebay if your stupid enough not to know the price that something should be when you buy it then ,to bad.  How about this buy 2 sets of hard bags put one one Ebay at a high price and be like the rest.

http://www.vikingbags.com/saddle-bags-motorcycle-hard51-installation-921-prd1.html

http://www.championsidecars.com/hardbags.asp?FSL11Page=2

[Ghillie]

just keep a close eye on craigslist, there are national search engines. Part of what drives the high cost of the used stuff is the incredibly outrageous price of the stuff new. I got my OEM leathers with the mounting hardware for $250 shipped. I paid $450 for my OEM interstate bags with the luggage racks on them but no mounting hardware. I am in the process of working out a  fabrication for my own mounting hardware.

[Bob E.]

Dogg.....From the looks of your awesome bike, you seem pretty crafty.  I was in the same boat and couldn't justify spending that kind of cash for bags.  So I built my own out of hand-laid fiberglass.  It wasn't that difficult and I would think that someone like you with your mechanical abilities could handle a project like this.  Hell...if I could do it, just about anyone could.  They aren't perfect, but nobody else has bags like them.  And for what I have in them...about $600 or so including paint and the brackets that also serve as a trailer hitch...I'm pretty happy with how they came out.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Keep a eye on Flea-Bay...Buy one here another there and paint to match...The saddlebag stay will get in your pocket also but I've seen decent deals.

[Dogg]

I appriciate the advice and also the links. I did find a nice set of bags with taillights for 249.00 I might be able to swing it...