Being that they are right on top of the exhaust,I'm curious as to how certain items fare inside the saddlebags while traveling.For instance,would it be too warm for the wife's cosmetics ?Also,I use and need to carry a Victoza pen (pre-filled and used to inject medication) for type 2 diabetis and it can not be stored at above 80 deg's.

 

Cannot speak to Harley bags, but just think about leaving a piece of Tupperware in the sun for hours on end. It will get hot. For anything needing to be cooler, your needs for instance, I'd suggest a large zip lock bag with ice, then wrap the pen in another zip lock and insert it into this first. W rap with a towel to act as insulation and that should keep it cooler. Change ice as needed.

 

Anything near the bottom of the bag will get fairly warm. Your wife's cosmetics and your medicine would not fare well without some form of protection. Soak a sponge in water, freeze it and throw it in a plastic bag. Acts like ice...soaks up its own mess.

My bike is black, so the stuff on the top doesn't do a whole heck of a lot better. I am going to line the outer bottom of the bag with some sound deadener with the built in heatshield from a previous car audio buildup.

 

Can you keep your pen in one of those storage pouches for insulin with a mini ice pack, or is the pen too big? I'd also try to keep everything like that at the top of the bag and let things like clothing insulate the bottom. Worst case scenario why not just a small soft sided lunch box with a small ice pack in it. I can't imagine the inside of the bags will be much cooler if at all compared to the ambient temperature outside. Maybe try riding with a little digital thermometer one time to test it out.

 

At the end of a long day the Wild Turkey in your saddle bag is going to taste like diesel.

That is how hot it is.

 

I use a soft-sided insulated lunch bag with a cold pak. Awhile back on a weekend trip, the wife was not happy when she opened some of the jars of makeup and everything was melted onto the lids.

 

you brought up a good point. I'm gonna get one of those small back pack thermometers at a camping equipment store and put it in the saddle bag one day and check it when I stop for gas n eats.

 

Just this past weekend i was re-arranging my saddle bag stuff and pulled out my registration paper which i keep in a zip lock bag and it had been melted. I do have the leather bags so im not sure if that makes a big difference. so i put a small towel along the bottom inside to prevent it from happening again. Maybe some sound deadener as posted above would work, very good idea.

 

Maybe you can find a thermos type bottle to keep your pen in; maybe with a small price of frozen sponge in it?

I'm in Orlando, and forgot my lunch in the saddlebag; a can of soup, and a chunk of bread inside a Rubbermaid bowl. The bread was nice and warm, and I didn't have to heat the soup much! That was only for four hours...

 

it get hot! very hot.....

I like the sponge idea I will try that my next trip with a cool drink, even in my tourpack in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack stuff gets warm by the end of the day.