FZPhil
Junior Member
So here's another do-it-yourself soft saddlebag support bar based on some of good ideas that others have posted. This one takes advantage of the 2 screws on the underside of the muffler on each side.
Each side consists of 18" of 1/4 threaded rod, 2 angle brackets, 18" of 1/4" ID 3/8" OD clear vinyl tubing and 4 hex nuts.
My bike is black, so I painted everything black, but some of the installation pictures were taken before I painted it.
View attachment 44968
First, slide the clear vinyl tubing over the threaded rod and mark off 6" from each end.
View attachment 44969
Bend the rod at the 6" marks to make a "U". It bends fairly easy. I used a piece of old pipe I had laying around.
From one end, cut off the vinyl tubing 5" from the base, and on the other side 6" from the base.
View attachment 44970
Install the brackets as shown. The rear is positioned out so that one side doesn't interfere with the other. The front is positioned in to hide it more. The front screws were a pain to remove and I stripped one, but got them eventually.
View attachment 44971
Install the support with the end that was cut at 6" at the rear bracket and secure with hex nuts on either side of the bracket. You may want to use a vinyl hex nut on the outside. I just used a lot of loc-tite.
View attachment 44972
And here's the final results after I painted the parts. It's not obtrusive, but should be sturdy enough to allow the saddlebags to keep their shape and easy enough to remove if desired.
View attachment 44973
View attachment 44974
View attachment 44975
View attachment 44976
Each side consists of 18" of 1/4 threaded rod, 2 angle brackets, 18" of 1/4" ID 3/8" OD clear vinyl tubing and 4 hex nuts.
My bike is black, so I painted everything black, but some of the installation pictures were taken before I painted it.
View attachment 44968
First, slide the clear vinyl tubing over the threaded rod and mark off 6" from each end.
View attachment 44969
Bend the rod at the 6" marks to make a "U". It bends fairly easy. I used a piece of old pipe I had laying around.
From one end, cut off the vinyl tubing 5" from the base, and on the other side 6" from the base.
View attachment 44970
Install the brackets as shown. The rear is positioned out so that one side doesn't interfere with the other. The front is positioned in to hide it more. The front screws were a pain to remove and I stripped one, but got them eventually.
View attachment 44971
Install the support with the end that was cut at 6" at the rear bracket and secure with hex nuts on either side of the bracket. You may want to use a vinyl hex nut on the outside. I just used a lot of loc-tite.
View attachment 44972
And here's the final results after I painted the parts. It's not obtrusive, but should be sturdy enough to allow the saddlebags to keep their shape and easy enough to remove if desired.
View attachment 44973
View attachment 44974
View attachment 44975
View attachment 44976
