Hi,

I'm curious if anyone has put more modern bars on these bikes? I tweaked one the other day, and looking around the aftermarket the right side bar is part no... 49176-93

These don't appear to exist in the aftermarket, and are no-longer available from the dealer.

I'm wondering how much the frame changed in 97 back there, as those are easy to come by...

Thanks!

Zach

 

The simple answer is no. The frame lowered about 1.5" in 1997 and up models and the tabs changed position

I have a '96 frame with original saddle bag guards, and I have had a set of 97 and up guards that I hoped would fit. I wanted to upgrade to the double protector bars. The bottomline is, they did not match up straight out of the box.

Could they have been heated and bent to fit? Possibly ... but it would have messed the chrome up, and then the protectors did not line up.

What about using the short BAGGER WERX SADDLEBAG SUPPORTS?

Make a custom search on Ebay and one will turn up. Funny but there's at least 3 left handers up there at the moment for around $20 each.

Yes, your bike is official obsolete and many of the parts moved on to Vintage Parts, Inc who sell them via dealers. Dealers have an 'inter-dealer' search function and if you have a helpful one they can see if it is available elsewhere.

You're bound to be able to find one second hand eventually.

 

Those would be an option for sure.

Can the saddle bags take a bit of load without cracking up? I'm thinking more a wet grass up hill, tip over than I am sliding down the street...

Thanks,

Zach

 

Ok I gotta ask!!!!
Why would you be riding your Harley up hill on wet grass???????????

 

Cause I've done it...

Girlfriend has a house up in Maine that doesn't have a driveway or street parking. Grass doesn't dry out in Maine... I just park down by the front porch on a rock and call it good.

I tipped her over just as pretty heading back up to the street. Curious if I would have been down a saddle bag, or if they are tough enough to take some weight.

Cheers,

Zach

 

I've got to get mine up a grass hill to get it up to the driveway. It's fallen over once, glad I have the bag guards! My yard will be getting sidewalk stones after the first of the year...

 

Funny thing is, in the event of a crash, the bars won't save your bags either. They might save them in the case of a parking lot tip over, and I've seen pictures of them saving rider's legs when t-boned by an driver from the side, but in anything over say 30 mph, they fold back into the bags and crush them. It's a bad design the later ones remedied I think. The top rail in particulary folds back into the lid and crushes it.

If you are wondering about using those supports above, I'd lay a piece of carpet down and do a controlled experiment to see if the front bar would save them along. Falling onto wet grass, like the bars would just dig in anyway.

Jardine appear to list sets for Softails, e.g. 1" Rear-Blk FL,FLX 86-99 (black) and chrome but no FLHTs. May be someone should ask them to do so for the 1994 to 1996. They sell some for the earlier models.

What was the brand that made heavy duty ones? Like 1-1/2" or something?

 

I know what you mean about them folding back in a crash. My right side one is tweaked back a few inches, didn't get into the bag.

I just lucked out that she slid right down the road and didn't do any flips. Guy pulled out in front of me while I was doing around 50. Locked up the front wheel and just missed his bumper.

Me and the bike are relatively OK, just working on finding the fiddly bits to get her back looking right.

Thanks,

Zach

 

The newer ones are improved. They are lower, I guess to avoid this problem.