Quick question- I see there are endless opions for soft saddle bags. Do they require support brackets or do I just buy the bags? Any suggestions for inexpensive ones that will work without hundreds of dollars worth of bracketry? Maybe someone has some old ones they want to part with cheap?

I have the 3 pc set from JC Whitney, and so far(1 month) I love them. Very easy to put
on, just velcro and tie downs, holds a lot plus the top bag has a helmet bag. A full coverage helmet won't fit, but conventional one will. The cool thing is, it is like the material is a perfect match to the stock seat; I've been asked if they are made for the
Versys, but they fit any sport bike. Down side, passenger has to put up with two velcro straps to sit on and you can't use the tail bag then. Otherwise, 5 stars from me. The brand I don't recall right now, but they have the "Fastrax" logo on the back.

Element: The straps fit under the seat. Remove the seat and install the bags. Takes some fitting but it works. Just not fun to remove the seat. Like my soft bags but been looking hard at the Givi hard bags but not real crazy about how the trunk looks.

Now I feel like a tard. I actually thought about doing that(instructions
were an afterthought) I have enough trouble attaching the seat in the
past that I didn't think it would catch. Thanks for the info, I will try it
now. BYW, I don't take the wife riding much, so it is not an issue. I agree,
the soft bags look best IMHO.

We had a good saying in the Airforce: "If all else fails, READ the instructions!"

Ed

Not cheap, but....

I really am a big fan of the Wolfman gear. Currently I only have one piece, but its some really high quality stuff. And if it is your primary luggage system, why not spend a little more on it?

Thanks for setting me straight cyclesurf-it is a much more attractive
package now(that's what she said)

No prob dude. I don't read those things either. That's what the wifes for. (don't tell her I said that)

You can run soft bags without braketry, but rig them carefully and check them often. They tend to sag some when overloaded, and can rub on the rear tire causing problems.
If you're going to be using the luggage a lot, I'd recommend going with hard bags.

I'm a big fan of cheap and lightweight. These are my Dowco soft bags, loaded with no supports. They stay away from the wheel. They were about $60.00 and I've put about 12k miles on them with no issues.



Machog

thanks for the info guys!
Machog - like those bags and that price. I hope to see some like that on my bike in the future!

I also have Wolfman brand softbags. Love 'em! I made a bracket out of flat stock, but now that I know the under-the-seat-trick for the straps, I think I'll just try that! I'll try to post a pic later tonight.

I would highly recomend the Cortech set of bags. I have 17000 miles in the last year, almost every mile with the bags on for camping trips. The total for all three bags is @ $200 and its really a great system. no need for any brackets. Mine never move and that includes hundreds of miles on rough gravel roads and some two track roads with the straps under the seat. I can get everything for a week inside the bags with some room left over.

X2, and JC Whitney did have them on sale, I think I paid 136 bucks.

I bought the 3-piece Cortech system a few months ago and love it. I always keep the side bags on (straps under the seat) and only use the top piece when camping. I like the big reflective backs these have.

I had purchased the Cortech tailbag for my klx250 and kept it when I traded up for the V. I just got my Cortech tailbags yesterday 116.95 no tax or shipping but haven't had a chance to put them on the bike yet. The quality of these are great!! They are also available in red and blue for you red and blue V owners.

Just put my saddlebags on, and for some reason the straps on my tailbag seem to be too short to connect up with my saddlebags. Tenover have you run into this? I have my saddlebags tapered end forward due to the width of the one connecting strap not allowing it to go under seat catch in middle. I have sent an email to tourmaster asking if extension straps are available. Also wondering where you ran your straps in the rear on your saddlebags. I just fastened them across the rear fender for now. Would like to see them more supported straight out, now wondering if a panneir frame is available that would help hold these bags better.

Randy49,
Did you work out how to get the cortech bags installed so you were happy?
I just bought a set and would love to see how you have them installed. Would you mind posting a few pictures of how they're routed under the seat, and where you connected the straps underneath? If you could I'd really appreciate it.
If anyone else has the cortech sportbags, I'd love to see pictures of how they are installed correctly.
Thanks in advance.

I have the Nelson-Rigg CL850s, and they look like they might interfere with the rear wheel when mounted and loaded (maybe it's just in my head, but it's a distraction). Since there isn't a bracket option available to keep soft bags away from the rear wheel other than a DIY method, which I don't really have skills for, I'll probably get the Givi PL447 side racks (have the top rack already) and use those. And if I want to get hard bags later on, the option will be there.

Dave