Saddle Bags for a 1985 H-D FXR

[MoRoadglide11]

Hey All!,

I've been quiet for a little while because of a project I've been working on for a friend of mine. He has a 1985 Harley Davidson FXR that he bought from a friend some years ago before his friend past away. The bike came new from H-D with these bags installed. The photo of the older bag is all that's left of the pair because I used the other one as a pattern after I disassembled it. I made one change from the original set...I installed a H-D concho in place of the original because it didn't have what it took to be re-used. Some of the work I did on my machine using size 346 bonded nylon thread. I hand stitched the front and back panel, of each bag, by hand...then closed the corners of each lid with hand stitching. Fit the hand stitching, I used a waxed Nyltex thread and a couple of harness needles. T re-used all of the original hardware except for the conchos This is the first set of saddle bags I've built...my hands are sore. Any comments and critiques are welcome.

 

Mark

 

[MoRoadglide11]

Hey All!,

Sorry about all the misspells....I fat-fingered the latest posting above.

 

Mark

[Dave Richardson]

Great looking bags. I am a big fan of black and nickle, these bags have the right look in my humble opinion. Good job.

[RegisD]

Great looking saddle bags.  

[MoRoadglide11]

Thank you Dave and Regis....my buddy really liked them too. I just delivered them to him and he couldn't say enough about them. Here is his Harley with his new bags installed.

[bikermutt07]

Looks like they grew there. Great job.

[KingsCountyLeather]

Great job with the bags! If you were make them again knowing what you’ve learned... how long do you think it would take you?

Did you use the same leather as the original? Do you think it will hold its shape? Are there any pockets inside?

Well done!

[MoRoadglide11]

Hey Biker!...thank you....these bags should last him for another 25 years.

 

Hey KingsCountyLeather...I used a veg tanned 10 oz. black dyed hide that appeared to be water repellent. I'm not sure if it was the exact hide used on the original bags. After what I learned...I could make this set within a week. I added a strip of leather to the inside top edge of the bag opening (front panel) to help hold it's shape and did not add similar marine trim piping like the original had. There are no pockets inside each bag...they're just open. I heard from him today and he tells me that all of his friends (other Harley owners) made a big fuss over them and he received a lot of compliments...so I guess I did good....he's happy.