Saddlebag mounting question with stock exhaust

[blcrider]

I just bought a set of cheaper saddlebags and they touch the heat shield slightly towards the back. Does anybody have experience with how hot the shield gets and if it gets hot enough to melt the saddlebag or gear inside of the bag? This is my first time dealing with underseat exhaust and it makes me nervous, about to leave on a 2500 mile trip. I see that some people use a support, but will they be ok without a support? Any input would be greatly appreciated. thanks for your time.

 

[The Dude]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. I have stock pipes, but no saddlebags yet. The heat shield should keep them cool. I don't know how hot you'd have to get to melt them, but I've touched the heat shields and haven't been burned. Even with the bags restricting airflow, I don't think they'll get hot enough. Keep in mind, the heat shield is plastic, so it's not like it's going to get super hot itself w/o melting.

What kind of bags did you get? And do they have a pad that goes between the bike and the bag? A lot of them have those pads to prevent scratching the paint. I think the pad alone would be enough to protect the bag from heat. Even without it, I've seen plenty of pictures on here of guys running bags with no supports (even fully loaded and sagging down on the heat shields with quite a bit of pressure).

I'm planning to get bags in the next few months and will probably just stick pvc pipe on the passenger pegs as supports. If you're concerned, and traveling solo, I'd recommend going that route. I think it's 3/4" pvc pipe that fits. You can probably find some details searching the forum. Just keep it classy and spray paint them black. We don't want other motorist to think FZ6 owners are uncivilized.:thumbup:

 

[Fishwiz4]

i have a set of saddlebags for a snowmobile that fit pretty well on the back of the bike (other than touching the exhaust a little). I just need to figure out how to secure the bags so they dont move around. a bracket would make that much simpler I'm sure.

Post pictures of your bag set-up

 

[Fishwiz4]

Edit: double post

 

[blcrider]

They are Bilt brand, from Cyclegear. they are on sale for $45. The backside of the bags that touch the plastic under the seat and heatshield is supposed to be scratch resistant, it is a sort of rubberized plastic, but I donno. Would like to have bought some nice Cortech bags, but on a budget, you know?

 

[The Dude]

They are Bilt brand, from Cyclegear. they are on sale for $45. The backside of the bags that touch the plastic under the seat and heatshield is supposed to be scratch resistant, it is a sort of rubberized plastic, but I donno. Would like to have bought some nice Cortech bags, but on a budget, you know?

I hear ya. I like the Cortech sport saddlebags, but I'm leaning toward the MotoCentric Mototrek Sport Saddlebags. They're a little cheaper and I like the look better. I think they're almost identical to the Cortech bags though. As for yours, I would feel pretty confident about the rubberized material holding up well. If you want to test it, why not put the bike up on the center stand and warm her up with the bags on. Give it a few minutes to get up to temp. Then check the temp on the bags and heat shield. If everything's okay, go for a spin around town and stop to check periodically. Your bike is going to run hottest around town and have the least ventilation, so that would be a good test. If you don't experience any problems, I wouldn't worry about the open road. Especially if they're just touching at the rear of the bags. That should mean that some air can still flow in from the front to keep things cooler. Make sure you put some gear in the bags to test them, that way they'll hang realistically. Just put a folded newspaper up against the hot wall of the bag if you want to be certain not to damage the contents. And drop a thermometer in there if you have one handy. Then you could call it a scientific test.

 

[racebrooks]

I like the Cortech sport saddlebags, but I'm leaning toward the MotoCentric Mototrek Sport Saddlebags. They're a little cheaper and I like the look better. I think they're almost identical to the Cortech bags though.

I bought the Motocentric Sport Saddlebags and the matching large tailbag and they were fantastic. Easy to set up, and easy to remove after a ride. The held very tight and I couldn't tell they were there when riding.

As far as the exhaust is concerned, I have 2 Bro's alum coated black and was concerned about the same thing. Mine do get verrrry warm and I didn't want it melt. I found some Nelson Rigg shields that worked well in between the bag and the exhaust.

We rode 1525 miles a few weekend ago did not have any bag related issues.

 

[blcrider]

Does the Dude abide?