Hepco and Becker c-bow mounts and street bags

[oldgoat01_imp]

Those of you reading the luggage threads know about my quest for luggage. To summarize, I wanted something 1) big enough to hold my jacket 2) locked to the bike 3) top loading 4) looked good on the bike. My search led me to the Krauser Skyline bags (owned by H-B). Best looking bag in my opinion; however, it is very pricey and I got mixed info on the dimensions. I thought about the Xplorer topcase (also H-B) but I am not a fan of the look of topcases and just couldn't pull the trigger. So I decided on the c-bow mounts and street bags. The c-bow mounts work with a variety of other bags, including the Skyline so I figure I can always upgrade down the road.

Anyhow, I just installed them and have some initial impressions. As with all H-B products, they are well made. The bags snap and lock onto the mounts quickly and easily...removal is the same. My jacket (Olympia with back, shoulder, elbow armor) fits without any issue, especially if you expand the bag. Bags came with rain covers; although I think they are generally waterproof to begin with. Then again, given our weather in the Carolinas this summer, maybe they should have included several sets. As for the look, I'll let you be the judge. While not Skylines I think they fit the lines of the bike nicely.

c-bow mounts alone (they are chrome although hard to tell in one pic):







Street Bags mounted:

[HikerToo_imp]

Great! These were my favorites from what I've seen online so far. I think they look great.
Do you mind saying (linking) where you bought them and total price including mounts?
Also, were you thinking about getting the tail or tank bag?

Thanks

[the Ferret]

I like those a lot. They fit the bike well. Nice size. How hard was it to relocate the turn signals? I like them there better than down on the lic plate holder.

[Lambotte_imp]

I think those bags look great! I was all set to buy the krauser's but now I'm not so sure. I believe the Honda OEM rack will work with the chow mounts but I think it would be better to mount the turn signals lower with that combination. Thanks for posting these pictures. This was very helpful.


Kevin
2013 CB1100

[oldgoat01_imp]

Great! These were my favorites from what I've seen online so far. I think they look great.
Do you mind saying (linking) where you bought them and total price including mounts?
Also, were you thinking about getting the tail or tank bag?

Thanks

I got them at motomachines (http://www.motomachines.com/CB-1100_c_316.html); although I was looking at the UK distributor of Hepco-Becker as well since they were cheaper. Seems like US pricing is the same regardless of where you buy stuff. Cost was about $460 including the $20 for shipping. Shipping is free at $500 but I couldn't find anything I wanted for around $40. I'm not sure about tank or tail bag; although I do like a tank bag as they can be very convenient to hold a GPS, water, odds and ends. Hey, I got the panniers, you need to figure out the tank bag

I like those a lot. They fit the bike well. Nice size. How hard was it to relocate the turn signals? I like them there better than down on the lic plate holder.

Well... as I posted in another thread, I got the Corbin seat earlier that day. It was a very tight fit. The first step on the luggage mounts was to remove the seat. After struggling for a bit I said to myself 'I don't need to remove no stinking seat' Step 2 was to remove the handrails...no problem, then the blinkers. Hmm, I started full disassembly since the wire runs through the handrails hoping there was a connection in the blinker. I got to the point where I would have to cut wires when I decided to go back to step one and after a bit of prying and a lot of cussing, I removed the seat. From there you have to simply trace the wire and unclip it so you can feed it back out. The c-bow mounts include the brackets and hardware for the light relocation so it was very easy. The hardest part is snaking the wire back as there is very little slack left. I thought about doing something clever to reroute and gain some more slack, but as I thought about it, I realized I was being stupid. Unlike wires to your handlebars, both the end at the wiring harness and the end at the blinkers are stationary, There is no movement beyond a fraction of an inch if you bend the blinkers back. In fact, you really don't want much slack. So while the first one took a bit of time, I did the second in under five minutes. More info than you probably wanted to know

[dBuster_imp]

Do those bags lock?

[oldgoat01_imp]

Do those bags lock?

They lock to the mounts. They open and close via two zippers with holes in the end, so I'll just get a couple of luggage locks (like I use on my backpack when traveling). I'll get some decent brass combo locks so they hold up and I don't need a key.

[the Ferret]

So no TS wire splicing, thats good. You can always use a soft tail bag on the rear seat for extra storage. What are you going to do about a windshield, or are you not going to use one?

[Jwayne_imp]

Looks great OG! The bags also keeps the rear of the bike nice and compact.

[HikerToo_imp]

Oh...and how is the Corbin seat, a little better, some or a lot?