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So as all of you know how the bag lids on '13 and before is the two-hand operation and I never have liked that.
Have any of you guys used any of the kits out there to convert them to opening more like the later models? If so which did you use and how did it work? Thanks
I have a '13 King and have looked into that as well a while back. Don't think anyone makes such a conversion. I finally got the set of the '14+ H-D CVO-style bags for a good price from my Indy, as some may trade them in for stretched bags.
amazon has lots of the 14 up bags. i am not sure how well their hinges are made but there is generally nothing wrong with the bag itself. and a real bonus if your bike is vivid black
I've never heard of aanyoneswapping to the newer style lids on older bags. However, I have seen in person, guys swapping to the newer bag with little modification to the bag mount system. The pins that hold the bags are slightly off from the 13 to the 14, and can be adjusted enough to allow the newer style bag to fit on the older frame.
I have a 97 RK, OEM bags.
I bought a set of the Amazon bags for my 01 RKC, they have the one hand operation.
I much prefer the oem bags, they are a bit larger. The one hand latches have fixed rings inside that the tops latch to, they take up a lot of room inside the bags.
The after market tops do not lay out 180° when opened, more like 90 - 100°. I use the fabric tether like a mini table on the oem bags.
The aftermarket bags are made of thinner material. They rattle a bit when not fully loaded my bags are usually fully loaded, so this is a minor gripe.
The locks are cheesy and dont operate as smoothly as the oem locks.
The finish had a couple blemishes, I complained and they issued a $110 refund so for < $100 I have hard bags.
THE AFTERMARKET HARD BAGS ARE A HUGE UPGRADE OVER THE OEM LEATHER BAGS THAT COME ON THE RK CLASSIC!!
The black aftermarket bags dont look bad on the blue 01
I picked up a set of older style oem bags to replace the Amazon bags I just need to paint them to match.
Last edited by GOGOBECK; Apr 24, 2023 at 10:05 AM.
I have the HD bag liners I had on my stock saddlebags, when I got my SGS I just put all the tools and what not in the "stretched" part of the bags under the liner.
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Before '13 bag lids
