Worried about the paint

[Adirondack Jack]

I'm wondering if attaching my new tail bag is going to ruin my paint. It has the typical nylon straps with snap buckles, and in order to get it secure I have to wind the straps around the passenger handles. It doesn't appear that this would rub on the paint but I'm wondering if anybody else has run in to this. If indeed it will damage the paint I'm wondering if anybody has any suggestions. The bike's too pretty to mar up!

 

[RJ2112]

The vibration will cause the straps to rub the paint, and it will wear. Buy some of the 3M clear film and stick it on the places the attachements will touch..... The film will last quite a while before it wears through.

I'll post up some photos of why this is a good idea.....

 

[MarinaFazer]

wear is good. It means you USE the bike. It's not like you're going to sell it anytime soon right? You'll probably bump/break a blinker before your paint gives out

*I have Nelson Rigg saddlebags that hang/rub the rear pods for the past year. No indication yet. The only scratches are those I've done myself. oooops!

 

[Adirondack Jack]

Very good point! Thanks. I was thinking the clear coat might be pretty durable. Sounds like it is. And NO...I'm not selling anytime soon.

 

[buckeyethunder]

They got sleeves @ dennis kirk that you can put over straps.Kind of look like long wristbands,hope this helps.

 

[geetarhero]

Yamaha clearcoat is notoriously thin. As with almost any japanese car/moto. There is no way around it... your going to get rock chips and your going to get scratches, some people get way too bent out of shape over little things like paint and "its going to rub"
I get comments like that all the time about the way ive rigged my saddlebags on with bungee cords.

The fact of the matter is; even if you ARE worried about your bike being pristine at all times, those 2 side pieces near the tail are held in with one bolt, and then just pull.

your looking at about $12 in paint materials for a proffessional auto painter to paint those pieces with a premium paint such as sikkens or glasurit.
I do pieces like this for free, as they only take about 15 mins start to finish (plus a half hour to bake the clear coat)
make friends with a painter or bring a 12 pack of beer to your local shop, head in the back door and look for the painter and ask for a favour

 

[Kriswithak]

Putting the clear stickers on is almost as ugly as the damage done
Personally I just prefer to get those small areas repainted every year or two to get rid of the damage, also if you get it repainted ask about them putting something a bit harder over the top if they can keep the paint the same colour while doing it

 

[RyanK]

The vibration will cause the straps to rub the paint, and it will wear. Buy some of the 3M clear film and stick it on the places the attachements will touch..... The film will last quite a while before it wears through.

I'll post up some photos of why this is a good idea.....

That's what I did, and it works great!

In a pinch, you could just used a couple layers of high-quality 3M packaging tape too...

 

[Adirondack Jack]

Thanks for all the great POV's. The FZ6 Forum is the best!:thumbup:

 

[AIrey1507]

How does the tail bag attach? I just bought a Cortech tail bag that has 4 bungee mounting points. The cords barely touch the paint just in front of the exhaust, but I doubt it will mark anything. I have an 06 though so I have the black/unpainted grab rails.

 

[Adirondack Jack]

The bag is a Saddlemen TS3200. It straddles the rear seat and it extends down a bit on either side like short saddlebags. It's a universal type of attachment. Lots of clips and straps. I had to play around with it to come up with a sturdy setup. Mostly it involves wrapping the strap around the passenger grips locking it toward the rear of the bike. Then I added 2 straps to the passenger foot peg bracket. Snug them all up and it can't slide forward or back. I think it'll work and I probably could accomplish the same thing with just bungees. But I paid for the straps and dammit I'm gonna use them!

 

[FZ1inNH]

I use the Cortech Sport Tail bag. I bought the FZ1 on 06/06/09 and I've already worn through the paint on the tail in several areas. I run the bungies through the grab bars and back up to meet each other toward the rider and in the back, through the grab bar and up to the clasps on the bag for the shoulder straps. I have 4 distinctly worn areas.

But I really don't care about it. As MarinaFazer said, I USE the bike. MY bike is a tool, not a toy. I bought it to ride, not be a street queen (Please, no offense to those that do keep their's pristine as I am not trying to slam anyone.)

When and if I am ready to sell it, I'll take the parts off, sand them flat and have a pro shoot them. While it is mine, she's going to take the bumps and bruises associated with my desire to ride.

That said, there aren't really any bags out there that won't do damage to the finish to a certain extent. You can get creative and find ways to prevent it, or, yau can strap the bag on, say screw it, and go for a ride! :thumbup:

 

[Adirondack Jack]

Yeah. I'm not gonna be too OCD about the paint. Let it rub.

 

[Adirondack Jack]

On a side note: Here's a couple of pics (I hope) of what I use for a day bag. I confiscated my daughter's old Nike book bag and waterproofed it as much as I could with a tent sealer. I got the idea on how to attach it to the bars from the Forum (of course) and it's bombproof. Perfect for rain gear and some essentials. I can easily get enough in for an over night trip but not much more than that. Hence the need for the tail bag.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Actually a pretty darned good idea! Hey, it worked for what you needed it to do! :thumbup: