Fred
M em b er e d
Maybe it's just my V35's, or maybe other people have this problem too.
Sometimes the latch would not want to release the bag from the bike no matter what. The right one especially would hang on and I would have to pull on it so hard that I thought I was going to tip the bike over.
So, the fix? Two parts.
First of all, if you cannot get your bags off the bike, open them and undo the two philips head screws that are going up into the top of the bag. Now you can take the latching mechanism off and operate the three releases by hand.
If that doesn't work, undo the six outermost screws inside the bag (three on each side of center) to release the hook clamp assembly. There are two springs and two black plastic widgets that may fall out at this point, so be mindful of them.
With that assembly unhooked, you just have to push down on the center latch to release the bag.
On to the fix.
Part 1. My bags were not releasing because the hook style latches wouldn't let go. When you take the bags apart, you'll see how they latch. There's a sliding black plastic bit on a spring. When you press the button, this slides towards the button and releases the hook. But it doesn't always release.
The solution is to slightly, very slightly sand the end of this piece where it comes to a chisel point. Now the hook can hit that rounded end and slide over instead of hanging up.
(I really should have taken pictures of this, shouldn't I?)
Part 2. And really, this should probably be part 1, because this alone may fix the problems on your bags. LUBRICATE THEM! The geniuses that assembled the bags at GIVI decided that these mechanisms will work fine without any lubrication whatsoever. And they do, on the showroom floor. In the real world there is dirt and dust and wear. Use white grease on the various sliding surfaces (anywhere that the plastic is scuffed) and the latch will work nice and smooth again.
Sometimes the latch would not want to release the bag from the bike no matter what. The right one especially would hang on and I would have to pull on it so hard that I thought I was going to tip the bike over.
So, the fix? Two parts.
First of all, if you cannot get your bags off the bike, open them and undo the two philips head screws that are going up into the top of the bag. Now you can take the latching mechanism off and operate the three releases by hand.
If that doesn't work, undo the six outermost screws inside the bag (three on each side of center) to release the hook clamp assembly. There are two springs and two black plastic widgets that may fall out at this point, so be mindful of them.
With that assembly unhooked, you just have to push down on the center latch to release the bag.
On to the fix.
Part 1. My bags were not releasing because the hook style latches wouldn't let go. When you take the bags apart, you'll see how they latch. There's a sliding black plastic bit on a spring. When you press the button, this slides towards the button and releases the hook. But it doesn't always release.
The solution is to slightly, very slightly sand the end of this piece where it comes to a chisel point. Now the hook can hit that rounded end and slide over instead of hanging up.
(I really should have taken pictures of this, shouldn't I?)
Part 2. And really, this should probably be part 1, because this alone may fix the problems on your bags. LUBRICATE THEM! The geniuses that assembled the bags at GIVI decided that these mechanisms will work fine without any lubrication whatsoever. And they do, on the showroom floor. In the real world there is dirt and dust and wear. Use white grease on the various sliding surfaces (anywhere that the plastic is scuffed) and the latch will work nice and smooth again.
