i got the vinyl covered saddle bags from Harley and i am not a happy camper - after spending so much money on it they leak! when i had the bike parked and it was raining for more then an hour heavily the saddle bags slowly filled up with water - i am not sure where it came in! it seems that the rubber gasket that runs around does not get enough compression to seal - and the other problem is that then the water just sits in the bottom and has no drainage.
the dealership says that i cannot order the rubber strips individually - so does anybody have any suggestions? do i drill a hole in the bottom?

i have the same issue with the same bags...i am going to drill a couple small drain holes in the bottom

I have the now discontinued "color-matched" molded saddlebags and I think the seal, hinge, and latch are the same. If so, the hinge and latch can be adjusted to improve the closing pressure. I had problems with one bag and was able to get a better seal with some "tweaking". I usually don't trust them and "plastic bag" anything that needs to stay dry. The worst problem I have in "all day rain" is the crap that gets thrown off the back tire and all over the latch mechanism. The VRSC fenders (front and rear) aren't much good in heavy rain.

Okie's leak all the time goin' down the road.

I do get a bit of water but I haven't done anything about it. I only seem to get water in when I wash the bike or when it's sitting overnight in the rain, but not when I ride in the rain. I think it may be getting in where the foamy weather stripping joins along the edge closest to the bike. Perhaps filling that open seam with silicone will stop it. If that doesn't do it I'd play with the forward facing weather stripping since they don't appear to get depressed by the closing lid....ie. add some extra stripping to the lid side along the forward edge. This may also be resolved by adjusting the hinges as suggested by stever975.

I have had 2 sets of these bags and never had a problem with leaking.... Check to make sure that everything is tightened in the hinges and also make sure that your latches are lining up properly, and that everything is straight. If you just bought them, can you take them back under warranty, and get a new set?

Did you forget to put the plug in?

plug???

Just funnin'.
I use my bags as ice chests alot and have live well plugs in them.

i actually thought about doing that... good idea..

They leak. I think that adding the vinyl to the hard bags made the seals even less effective.