I've been tempted to change from the hard bags. What is your wisdom?

No Wisdom. I chose my bags on Vanity. LeatherPros. They don't look any better than any other bag when on the bike, but they come off in a jiffy leaving almost no hardware behind. Win/Win for me.

I have the original HD leather bags. After a couple modifications, they've worked for me. I had to redo snaps and put bolts through the metal logo plate when the original studs snapped. I wouldn't pay that price again for them since there are now many more options.

If you go with soft bags, the V doesn't have an easy way to keep them out of the rear wheel. On other bikes, I hung my soft bags over the shock. On the VROD they tend to ride behind the shock, guiding them into the wheel. Since I would have to add a frame to prevent this, it makes more sense for me to use hard bags.

I prefer leather bags with a rigid frame. Like RJ said, I'd lean towards removable bags that leave minimal hardware behind. That would be for the times when I want the bike to look like a work of art. (Ahem) Bags with rigid frames can be configured with additional D-rings to tie on additional gear for road trips. Bedrolls and small tents are easily packed on TOP of these types of saddlebags.

Because the stock pipes run on one side and are stacked, bags designed for the VROD tend to be very short in comparison to bikes like the Road King. With a 2-1 setup, you can use a deeper bag without cooking your gear.

That's my $.02 worth.

Cheers!

I chose mine on $$ and use. T-Bags. It was Cheap and black (matches my bike) and I beat the :stac: out of it. I'm not too concerned about looks. Plus, I use an AlpineStar backpack for short trips and for going to work!

Man that sucks I was going to link you to boss bags I have a set on my 03 and they are great. Sturdy and great craftsmanship BUT!!!! I see they quit making V-Rod bags

Man that sucks I was going to link you to boss bags I have a set on my 03 and they are great. Sturdy and great craftsmanship BUT!!!! I see they quit making V-Rod bags

leatherpros.com (sister company) still has them listed...

When I need bags I put on the FPOS ones, I don't really mind the way they look, but 99% they sit on the shelf in the garage, and I take off all hardware, can do in in about 15 min. If you clink my FPOS bad in my sig. there is a write up. This was prior to my BMW (4-sale) so the bags stay off now.

http://www.1130cc.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46557&d=1143055256

i use the cortech sport bag system on and off in a snap .. and look nice (i think ) and the tail bag is great for those times i only need a little.. they also expand.. i took them to MWTII and had no problems fitting all the things i needed in them .. on the way home i even got to zip them back to their compact state..

I have the leatherpros bags. I think the style of the bags doesn't match up to the v-rod in any way, but they hold a lot and come off in a hurry, which is what really matters to me.

The real advantage of the leather bags, whatever style, is that should the bike go down (even when not moving - see Okie's pics in another thread here), the bags will likely prevent significant damage. Anyone who has the HD FPOS bags should be sure to keep them oiled, and park out of the sun if possible.

i 'm using fatboy sadle bags , with some home made bracket, that i think is even looks better that original. and i can also use any softail bags .

I had the HD FPOS leather bags and they suck! No matter how much you oil/waterproof them, they just dont "age" well at all! I recently switched to the HD vinyl hard bags and so far I like them. The only negitive thing so far I've found is they scuff pretty easy. I really like being able to lock my stuff in by bags now too. I did get a chance to see the corbin bags (actually mounted on a V-rod) and man, great looking bags! They're probably the best looking overall, but man are they pricey!!!!

BTW, It's great having a place here to hang out with other "bagger" types :D

I had the HD FPOS leather bags and they suck! No matter how much you oil/waterproof them, they just dont "age" well at all! I recently switched to the HD vinyl hard bags and so far I like them. The only negitive thing so far I've found is they scuff pretty easy. I really like being able to lock my stuff in by bags now too. I did get a chance to see the corbin bags (actually mounted on a V-rod) and man, great looking bags! They're probably the best looking overall, but man are they pricey!!!!

BTW, It's great having a place here to hang out with other "bagger" types :D
It'll be interesting to see if the "second generation" FPOS bags last any better than the first generation. But I'm prepared to add the buckles like last time.

It'll be interesting to see if the "second generation" FPOS bags last any better than the first generation. But I'm prepared to add the buckles like last time.

I've been contemplating buckles as well. Did you put them front/rear or on the side?

I've been contemplating buckles as well. Did you put them front/rear or on the side?Val showed me the way, and put them in front. If you drill a small hole in the buckle, you can put a suitcase lock on it. It keeps the honest people honest is all. Val had hers sewed on by a local (to her) Amish saddlesmith. I pop riveted mine on.

Val showed me the way, and put them in front. If you drill a small hole in the buckle, you can put a suitcase lock on it. It keeps the honest people honest is all. Val had hers sewed on by a local (to her) Amish saddlesmith. I pop riveted mine on.

Okay.. I found the original thread where you reported this. I've had minor shrinkage on one bag and find the snaps don't always cooperate. Val's stitching job looks nice, but I'll probably opt for rivets as well in the spirit of DIY and because folks here don't charge Amish pricing. ;-)

I put allen bolts through the HD nameplates to replace the broken studs. They actually look pretty nice and go with the design.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Okay.. I found the original thread where you reported this. I've had minor shrinkage on one bag and find the snaps don't always cooperate. Val's stitching job looks nice, but I'll probably opt for rivets as well in the spirit of DIY and because folks here don't charge Amish pricing. ;-)

I put allen bolts through the HD nameplates to replace the broken studs. They actually look pretty nice and go with the design.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.Yup, I used phillips head bolts. So far, however, my new ones are holding up.

I've been tempted to change from the hard bags. What is your wisdom?
PM Me if you decide to dump your "hards"!!! I like them the best, but one Okie...er... I MEANT "woopsie" and they are off to the paint shop!

i use the cortech sport bag system on and off in a snap .. and look nice (i think ) and the tail bag is great for those times i only need a little.. they also expand.. i took them to MWTII and had no problems fitting all the things i needed in them .. on the way home i even got to zip them back to their compact state..

Olive..any pics of your bike with the Cortechs on? I am thinking about Cortech 07 throwovers, they are not the sport but the touring kind. Thanks.
Kristi

Went with the HD VROD sport bags since none of the aftermarket ones I saw really appealed to me. Haven't had any of the problems others have experienced with them and even overstuffed them on occassion without incident. Been working great for me so I'm just going to stick with them until they fall apart (which they probably will since they are a HD product).

Went with the HD VROD sport bags since none of the aftermarket ones I saw really appealed to me. Haven't had any of the problems others have experienced with them and even overstuffed them on occassion without incident. Been working great for me so I'm just going to stick with them until they fall apart (which they probably will since they are a HD product).

I have the HD VROD Sport Bags also. Haven't really had a chance to test on any sort of a trip. I am a little skittish on the one push to release bag mount setup. Added 2 zipties to each bag as a backup to the stock system. Lost a bag off my old FXRS years ago and the memory still hurts (and that had multiple knobs in order to release bag).

Oops, just for clarification, by "lost" I mean the bag fell off the bike at about 65mph versus stolen. The friction melted the ballistic nylon into a hard glob like a piece of lava.

I have the Corbin Beetle Bags. I had the FPOS bags first and like the Corbins MUCH better.

Went with the HD VROD sport bags ... and even overstuffed them on occassion without incident.
I found that if you do it just right, the dual zippers kinda act like a compression system! :D

I found that if you do it just right, the dual zippers kinda act like a compression system! :D

That's exactly right...noticed that very same thing! :thumb:

LeatherPros are the best looking bags IMHO. Once you get them installed they are simple to take on and off! What more could you want?