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| ufothunderbird | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 18/02/2012 | | Posts | : | 220 | | Location | : | TBirdHills, NSW, Australia |
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| | Posted : 04 Dec 2014 - 10:41 Post title : Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags | | | Those bloody ugly sagging saddle bags..
First of all i cut the two leather straps underneath the lid of the bags - and then using my favourite hair dryer I heated the plastic lid liner to enable the re shaping of the plastic - and have to say after the first attempt it looked a lot better I used a metal cup while the plastic was hot - and reshaped it 
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| bschwartz | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 04 Dec 2014 - 20:27 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: ufothunderbird) | | | Well done! It looks great. I also did a little work on my bags. I cut the the leather straps as well under the lid but I glued in a much thicker support piece across the top. Granted I did this last month and I won't be getting the bike out of storage again until March so I can't say how well it will hold up once the weather gets warm but I used the same process several of my buddies used on their Harley bags and theirs are holding up nicely. I actually like the look of the Triumph bags, pre-sag of course, so I'm hoping they hold up. I would love to get some nice locking hard bags but I haven't found anything on the market that I actually like.
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| edmontonstorm | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 1,054 | | Location | : | Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 04 Dec 2014 - 21:06 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: bschwartz) | | | i thin kthat looks good too, i have a friend works at a dealer can get me a decent price on OEM set for my storm but i have been worries about this very issue, he claims triumph has sorted it out. Not sure.
| Gloss Black 2013 Storm ABS - K&N (seal removed) - Mustang Seat - Hogslayer pipes - PCV-AT300
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| tbirdrob | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 21/01/2014 | | Posts | : | 46 | | Location | : | Ottawa, Canada |
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| | Posted : 04 Dec 2014 - 22:06 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: edmontonstorm) | | | Bags from Leatherworks - no sags with these puppies - leather is almost three times as thick as Triumph bags 
| | Post edited by tbirdrob on 04 Dec 2014 - 22:06 |
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| kball1300 | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 05 Dec 2014 - 00:31 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: ufothunderbird) | | | Nicely done!
I have a really small pair of old Triumph bags on my '98 T-Bird that are sagging and twisting all over. I'm gonna tackle doin' those as soon as I can get a couple of warmer days in a row. They don't have plastic in them, but I'm gonna retro fit some in there. These are pretty hard to find/replace so I want to at least give it a go, before I write them off.
You'd think for the money you spend on those big Triumph bags they would hold up better structurally.
I saw some LTs at the dealer and damned if those bags were already starting to sag on the top!
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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| gwight | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 26/04/2011 | | Posts | : | 761 | | Location | : | Broken Hill, N.S.W., Australia |
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| | Posted : 05 Dec 2014 - 08:19 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: ufothunderbird) | | | That's exactly what I did, Scott, but I didn't use a hair drier ('cause I'm like Magpie, got no f....ing hair) I just used a hot air gun on the lower setting & it worked perfectly ! I always remove the bags when not in use, so they are in good 'nick.
Guido. 
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,869 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 05 Dec 2014 - 18:26 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: kball1300) | | | Yeah, the bags were among first things I looked at on the new 'Birds - same construction and same sagging starting from a few days out in the Nevada sun. Whatever type of plastic used to line 'em does not take heat well. After trying to fix it a few times, I finally cut the plastic out of lids and replaced it with stainless steel plates.
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| edmontonstorm | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 1,054 | | Location | : | Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 05 Dec 2014 - 23:32 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: tbirdrob) | | |
tbirdrob wrote:
Bags from Leatherworks - no sags with these puppies - leather is almost three times as thick as Triumph bags |
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those are nice bags for sure, shipping is pricey out west though, do you have the easy mounts on those? would be nice to see them a little bit lower, whish our piprs did not go up so high sometimes.
What part of Ottawa are you from? I was Born there, parents still there. Orleans, Hull, Gatineau and Carlton Place.
| Gloss Black 2013 Storm ABS - K&N (seal removed) - Mustang Seat - Hogslayer pipes - PCV-AT300
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| kball1300 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 25 Dec 2014 - 01:24 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: edmontonstorm) | | | Hey Mac. Hope all is well.
I just bought a pair of Triumph OEM bags at a stupid price (still like the Vikings, but at the price I got'em at, it was a no-brainer).
I'm in no huge hurry to swap out the others, and before I do, wanted to put some metal into these things so the desert weather doesn't kill 'em.
What gauge steel did you use? Did you "glue" it somehow to the leather (I think you said you took the plastic out?). Did you replace the entire perimeter and the sides as well? Did you put anything between the metal and inside of the bag?
If you have a pic, would love to see it.
Merry Christmas all, btw!
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,869 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 25 Dec 2014 - 18:08 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: kball1300) | | | Merry Christmas, Ken!
Stainless was drilled and riveted first time, thru plastic and leather. Plastic warped anyway, so second time I cut plastic from lids and screwed stainless to leather with spikes (I also found round-head screws that match rivets and considered four chrome rails on top). Only plastic removed was from lids and no adhesives were used.
Thread is here: Link Brackets on ends sandwich the plastic in place and provide a little tension across top. Was 24 gauge stainless with about 1/4" bent at 90-degrees along outer edge for rigidity.
Will probably go to Coners eventually Link as RH bag took a hit (top is still flat tho ;-).
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| kball1300 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 26 Dec 2014 - 03:36 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: MotorMac) | | | Wow, I completely missed that first thread.
Didn't know you had to rivet it all.
I would like, if I can, to keep the clean look on the top.
I found a "glue" that is supposed to bond leather to metal. The only issue with that is you don't have much leeway on your shape or bend. You HAVE to have virtually all of the metal in contact with the leather, or you risk no glue there and therefore an inevitable sag. I would also have to cut that metal to the exact size of the shape, for pretty much the same reason.
Good news is I have time.
I paid just over $200 for damn near new bags (haven't started to warp yet?) and QR (yeah right) mounting kit. For that kind of money, it was too good to pass up.
There's a half decent leather worker in town, I can talk to as well.
I'll let you know how it goes!
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,869 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 26 Dec 2014 - 23:16 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: kball1300) | | | Used rivets because I wanted to be DONE with it. If I'd had my druthers, I would have used some rails on top. Could do it yet.....
Contact cement will positively adhere to the leather (once plastic is out of the way), but sheet metal is another story. I'd be tempted to put a thin layer of 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive (08011) to the metal and allow it to dry before using contact cement to glue metal to leather. If you can find an adhesive that will bond to stainless, you're home free.
BTW: People seem obsessed with having to touch tips of those spikes, it's pretty funny sometimes.
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| kball1300 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Dec 2014 - 18:59 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: MotorMac) | | | I use this site occasionally called "this to that" Link which tells you if and how you can glue two types of material together. So far the two things I tried there worked nicely.
Leather and sheet metal, they say this: Link Yeah, I bet. Jeez, that looks sharp, let me touch it to make sure.
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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| theSandyBear | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 09/10/2012 | | Posts | : | 20 | | Location | : | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
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| | Posted : 27 Dec 2014 - 19:58 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: ufothunderbird) | | | Thanks, great idea and write up. Will try this on my saggy bags...
Cheers!
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| tbirdrob | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 21/01/2014 | | Posts | : | 46 | | Location | : | Ottawa, Canada |
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| | Posted : 27 Dec 2014 - 23:15 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: edmontonstorm) | | | We are very near the Champlain Bridge (over to Hull-Gatineau) - Island Park Drive area of Ottawa
Shipping should be cheaper to you than me as these bags come from California.. yes easy mounts... a tad high perhaps but no contact possible with pipes... we use them only on longer trips - they are of very high quality and do not sag... custom colours (see ours) are available as are many different styles
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,869 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 28 Dec 2014 - 00:33 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: kball1300) | | | "Not for sale on Catalina Island" - that's a new one, gotta love it. Somebody glue some boats together?
"Goop" is a transparent adhesive that gloms on to just about anything, true. I put some 3M 08011 on a scrap of stainless and it has a pretty good grip, too - but - would never adhere leather like contact cement does, and is bound to come loose from the metal eventually. If you use stainless to reinforce the tops, you may have no choice but to use a physical fastener (rivets or screws). Maybe another super thick/stiff layer of leather? Fiberglass? All I know is, the plastic Triumph used - and still uses on the new bags - warps with a little heat and takes the leather with it. All it takes is a few hot, sunny days.
Those bags from Leatherworks will never sag due to design and materials used. Look to be top-quality, no need for plastic reinforcements, that's f'sure. Link
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| kball1300 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 29 Dec 2014 - 01:30 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: MotorMac) | | | Or an unusually large number of Goop sniffers.
When I lived in Canada, I had a guy up in Canada lived in the middle of nowhere, who was a genius with leather working. Used to make bags and other things with 1/8-1/4" oil soaked leather. Bought bags (and a couple of other things from him) and used to put ice and beer in both of them. Damned things never leaked.
I think I mentioned in another thread that while in the dealer recently they had a couple of LTs in there, and the bags had already started to sag a little on the top. Shame-full actually.
May check into the fiberglass option. A good idea though to see how the steel would bond to leather first, with test patches as well.
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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| kball1300 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 99 | | Location | : | Lake Elsinore, California, United States |
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| | Posted : 29 Dec 2014 - 02:10 Post title : Re: Re Shaping sagging TBird Saddle Bags (Re: MotorMac) | | | Damn! Those are some nice bags!
| "Life sucks. Get a F#&!in' helmet."
2012 Thunderbird 1600 ABS, 1998 Thunderbird 900
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