Hello everyone! New forum user and new Fatboy owner here hoping for some advice! I recently bought my first Harley - a 2005 Fatboy. From what I can see the only modifications done to it are the Stage 1 kit and V&H Big Radius pipes (please see attached picture). Oh, getting it inspected and the mechanic is going to mount a small plate on the bike for the sticker but I am not sure where. I am not quite ready to purchase what I want as far as accessories just yet but I am hoping to get things lined up and ready.

I am looking for four things at the moment - grips, saddlebags, sissy bar and license plate relocator. I'm hoping to get a plan laid out that will allow everything to go on and not interfere with anything else...not a real big fan of studs which limits my options a bit.

Grips & the sissy bar are easy though some recommendations would be nice. I don't THINK the pipes will get in the way of the saddlebags but was hoping for verification from someone that has tried/done this already. The Harley Davidson Locking Leather Covered Rigid Saddlebags (P/N 53061-00B) seem to be perfect but I had a question; they open outward but on the pics I couldn't tell about the overlap. Is there any sort of leak problem associated with the bags? And with those bags will a turn signal relocation kit be required?

With the license plate side mount...is that even possible with the bags on there? If not then I will need to come up with something else for the license plate...possible even a rear mount. The side is preferred but just the practical use of the bags has to overrule that.

There will be more to come later on but this is my "first cut" on things I want done to the bike. Any and all advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!

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You got yourself a very nice looking bike for your first Harley. It's nice that the previous owner didn't go through and change everything, so you still pretty much have a clean slate to work with. I don't have a Fatboy, so I can't really answer all your questions or concerns. I'll just lend my thoughts and opinions, so you can take them for what they're worth, which isn't very much. It doesn't look like the pipes would get in the way of the saddlebags, but I can't be certain. You're right about the grips and sissy bar being the easy part. My recommendation is to stay away from the Harley Parts Catalog. There's a couple reasons for this. First reason, most Harley owners shop for their bikes out of that catalog. That's because it's convenient and you know the stuff will fit right because it came from Harley to go on their bikes. That's a good thing in a sense, but a bad thing if you're wanting a bike that looks different from everyone elses. Most of the parts on my bike are out of the Harley catalog and after seeing so many bikes with the same parts I have, I'm looking to change stuff out again to make it more custom. The second reason I would recommend looking for parts elsewhere is the pricing. Aftermarket parts tend to be cheaper for the same quality most of the time. For instance, the mirrors I have on my bike are $207 from Harley. The same mirrors from another company are $80 for the pair. The only difference is the aftermarket set don't have the Harley emblem on the back. There are a lot of parts out there like that. So for your grips and sissy bar, even your saddle bags, I would suggest looking at aftermarket products before you decide to go with the Harley stuff. In regards to a side mount license plate, you should look into the laws in your state. Some states require the license plate to be horizontal. I have a police officer that lives next door to me and I asked him about this. He said that here (South Carolina) the law states that the plate has to be horizontal. He said, though, that if a cop pulls you over for a vertical plate, they're just being a ***** and they should focus their time on other things. You should also take into consideration neighboring states if you plan to cross state lines at all. Just something to think about before you get a vertical plate. I did see a pretty cool license plate that doubled as a rear peg. When the peg was folded up, the plate was vertical, and when the peg was folded down to be used, it was horizontal. I think I've gone on long enough. I hope I was able to help you out some. Others will probably be able to give you better advice than I could since I don't ride a Fatboy. Enjoy your new bike and ride safe!

 

Buy a inspection plate at HARLEY shop,mine is level with bike or you can buy a bent one but then you walk by it or scrap your ladys legs on it.

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Notice plate by back tire and I ordered a Kurakyn frame mount license plate with L.E.D. lights above plate it is on with running lights and is extra brake light and that is handy!! And you can not see a wire or bolt it blends with frame. PURPLE HAZE.

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cover holes

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