1970's FL hard bags on a 2012 XLC
 

Hi Guys,

some pictures of the installation of 1970's FL hard bags on a 2012 XL 1200 C

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C...0/DSCN0047.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--...0/DSCN0046.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2...0/DSCN0045.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_...0/DSCN0051.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6...0/DSCN0053.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r...0/DSCN0052.JPG

Home made brackets, with a flat iron bar from the DIY store, I used the same raw material to relocate the signals. The interconnection between the two bags on the underside is made with a red copper tube. Bags are for now put in primer paint, I still have some scratches to fix. Test rode it for the last 200 miles, they rattle a little at idle, but no problem at 75 MPH on the highway, they're still hanging on the bike :icon_mrgreen:

I'd like to get them closer to the bike, but the only way to achieve this would be to cut away a little portion of the fibreglass around the chocks, the main problem being then the bags couldn't be opened fully as the seat is in the way. Moving them further after is another option, but this doesn't look good IMHO. Still looking to improve the brackets anyway once I've put another seat...

Comments welcome, even if some will tell me they don't fit on a Sportster...

On the original big twins they were mounted behind the shocks, as are the smaller version on Sporties of that era. They get in really tight without the shocks in the way! You've done a neat job, well done.

They definitely look better with the fat front tire, but I do agree they're too wide. Not sure how you'd be able to really fix that with the shocks in the way. How'd you bend the metal bars?

the iron has been cold bent, I've put a section into a big vice and just hammered the other end into shape. No torching needed for this.

the Sportster's bags from the same era are smaller in size, but really hard to find at a decent price, certainly here in Europe. The other problem is that earlier Sportsters had their rear shocks put more forward, it would have been easier to put them tighter to the bike if the newer models were built the same way.

Anyway, this is a work in progress, they'll get tighter to the bike, once I cut out the bags to round the schocks and change that seat, thinking to go the police solo seat way.

Pro,

Not bad, the bags might want to be brought closer to the frame & leaned outward a touch, the front hinges could be removed & replaced with latches, hinge from the side with leather or similar like HD dose currently.

I like this look and want to do something similar as the HD sportster bags are tooo smaLLL! Also I want to paint them something cool/interesting.

Show us how it comes out, good job.

Hi David,

I either thought about the side hinges and front & rear latches, but I'd like to let them "as is", even if I ditched the H-D system front separable hinge and put other more solid hinges.

Now thinking to put them closer to the bike, really close, and building a system that would allow the bags to swing out a little to fully open them...

i love these bags! good job!

I was thinking bout doin this but wasn't sure how it would look. They look simaler to street glide bags are they about the same size.

I can be wrong, but I think nowadays SG bags are bigger than those.

SG bags are similar in shape, but significantly bigger. I have an early Evo Glide and SG bags are even bigger than mine (I have a set of both). Harley made Sporty bags similar to those Proteus has, but smaller and neater. A feature of the early bags is that they are identical, left and right, while the later bags are handed, with indents so they fit closer round the shocks.