Affordable Solo Bag

[Huladog_imp]

First of all credit for this setup goes to @vfrpaul who did this to his first CB1100 back in 2013. I had talked with him about his setup but since I didn't have the fabrication skills he had I didn't get around to figuring out small saddlebag mounts.

Yes, now you can find some very nice ones from Japan but of course I just had to find something CHEAPER and free shipping doesn't hurt either.

So off to eBay like usual and found some generic adjustable saddlebag mounts (about $38.00/pair with free shipping) that I could attach to the outside of the grab handles under the seat. Used a pair of spacers from my unused Puig wind screen mounting hardware, some replacement stainless steel bolts from the hardware store and reused the stock nuts.





For the solo bag (I only need a small one to carry water, etc.) I followed @vfrpaul's advice and got a Willie & Max sissy bar bag (again about $38.00 with free shipping) which would seem to be kind of small but when to put it on our bikes they're pretty good sized.

Bag is mounted using black cable ties, not glamorous but pure function.

It's sagging a bit on the test ride so I later added more cable ties to cinch it up higher and keep it from getting too close to the muffler.



Convenient enough to use, just a little too small for my usual insulated water bottle filled with ice and water. Wasn't a problem on my previous bikes with huge hard bags (CTX1300, R1200RT, Street Glide)! Guess I'll cram the bottle in there or use a smaller one.

That weather flap is one reason the bag doesn't work well on the left side which is where I first tried mounting it. Plus when I thought back on how I used hard bags before I always put things in the right side or high side bag since the covers always seemed to work better on the high side of the bike.



The saddlebag mount and bag are offset from the seat grab handle, rear shock but the back of the bag snugs up against the turn signal. The mounting bolt heads for the saddlebag mounts do poke the back side of the bag so later I found some nylon caps that I popped onto the bolt head to save the backside of the bag from wearing through.



Overall shot to give you a better perspective of the size of the bag. Figuring the whole setup totaled $80.00 that's a lot cheaper than fancy leather designer solo bags! Also should have more muffler clearance once my long awaited Staintune shows up from Australia.



Aloha,
Huladog

[Honda Lover_imp]

Love your solo bag. Worked with a company in CA called LearherWorks. They custom made 2 saddle bags similar in size to the your Solo bag. I also used the same mounting bracket. The bags were made with red stitching to match the K&H seat.

[EarsOnWheels_imp]

Nice! Thank you for sharing.

[4 Paws_imp]

Lookin good.