Motochick
XS650 Member
Hey everyone! Looking for a suggestion for a smallish leather bag for my xs650. Any suggestions?
-
Enjoy XS650.com? Consider making a donation to help support the site.
XS650.com receives a small share of sales from some links on this page, but direct donations have a much greater impact on keeping this site going.
Leather bags
- Thread starter Motochick
- Start date
Hi Motochick,
lotsa decisions to make on that.
Location:- Tank? Luggage rack? Drape-over side bags? Permanent side bags?
Material:- Gotta be real leather or will heavy-duty fabric or pseudo-leather be OK?
Capacity:- Just a purse or kit for a weekend?
Attachment:- Magnets, strap-on, clip on or bolt on?
FWIW a magnetic tank bag is the easiest to use.
I have quintesenntial (too) "smallish leather bags". Notice it's too full. The one on the other side has a front strap that's twice as long so you can really cram stuff in there and still retain it. They don't have anything to identify them except "Made in USA" though. The leather is about 1/4" thick all over and it's good quality. Something you might look into -- there are leather shops who do custom work for not as much as you might expect. So if you could walk in and discuss it.
Motochick
XS650 Member
Motochick
XS650 Member
I got them at a pawn shop for $35 when I was probably looking for tools. No identification on them. The main thing is the leather is thick and the sewing be heavy duty, if you want to keep them.
Just had a thought, I remember some people here use horse saddle bags from a farm supply store. They are small and leather.
Just had a thought, I remember some people here use horse saddle bags from a farm supply store. They are small and leather.
Jmann8686
XS650 Addict
is your bike stock.
Royboy
many roads, little time
- Messages
- 1,079
- Reaction score
- 199
- Points
- 63
What XJWMX said! Check out saddlery shops and farm stores. Lots of options up that alley!
roy
roy
TimeMachine
SeventyEighte
These are "All American Rider" brand, USA. Very thick leather. They hold their shape under load well. These were designed to sit over the seat facing the other direction but on an XS, I turn them around so they but up against the rear turn signals nice and the easy access small pockets are forward , right where you can reach them while sitting... I've seen em in a "Cycle Gear" chain store.. -RT
Last edited:
TimeMachine
SeventyEighte
Note, I did cut & narrow the center to fit better and used the cut piece to make a handle in the middle.. zip ties lol 
Hi Motochick,
that'd be "bags", like one each side?
I was given a set of "Willie & Max" bags mebbe 15 years ago, they've been on my XS650 ever since and are still in good shape.
http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=saddlebags+willie+&+max
They look like the first set on the link give or take a few small detail design changes.
Note the price, when I open the link it sez Cdn$54. When you open the link it'll give you the US price.
That cost tells you they ain't leather but the pseudoleather they use stands up OK.
Scroll down and you'll see real leather bags in the same style at twice the price.
I'd say the way I installed my set was semi-permanent.
The bags are marketed as "Throw-overs".
What I did was remove the seat, cut holes in the bag's center web for the bike's seat mounts
to pass through, throw the bags over the frame tubes and put the seat back on.
The small Willie & Max slant bags fit. Each one will hold an entire sandwich. Good quality man made material lasts a very long time it you don't rest them on hot mufflers.
Hi Marty,
nice XS11 you have there even if I can't agree that the rototiller bars are comfortable.
If you'd draped those bags atop of the grabrail instead of underneath they'd have cleared the mufflers, eh?
And besides the sandwich one of the bags should also hold the 14mm extended socket & ratchet handle
the XS11 needs to remove it's seat.
Bob Kelly III
Ranch Kid from way back,.... that got Old !
Hay there Motochick ! I came across a set of Luggage type saddle bags and a top box ages ago and put them on every bike I had sense
they could unlock (with a key) and be taken into the motel room with you on trips, I installed turn signals in them as well and had a very nice cruiser when I was done. I had them on my 1100 when it melted in the house fire so that was the end of them .
so check out the Hard saddle bags as well , their a bit more expensive but waterproof and super easy to get into .
I had a pare of leather saddle bags as well, they were tough to get into and leaked , that I gave to my brother in law after I got the hard bags as they were superior in everyway.
Oh... I did have to make up a frame for them to attach them to the bike though but it was easy to transfer from bike to bike .... the frame was fairly easy to construct actually
and never did brake under heavy loads I could load that puppy down with anything and
i could probably stuff 150lbs of stuff on the bike if I wanted .... including tools and wet weather gear !
Bob......
they could unlock (with a key) and be taken into the motel room with you on trips, I installed turn signals in them as well and had a very nice cruiser when I was done. I had them on my 1100 when it melted in the house fire so that was the end of them .
so check out the Hard saddle bags as well , their a bit more expensive but waterproof and super easy to get into .
I had a pare of leather saddle bags as well, they were tough to get into and leaked , that I gave to my brother in law after I got the hard bags as they were superior in everyway.
Oh... I did have to make up a frame for them to attach them to the bike though but it was easy to transfer from bike to bike .... the frame was fairly easy to construct actually
and never did brake under heavy loads I could load that puppy down with anything and
i could probably stuff 150lbs of stuff on the bike if I wanted .... including tools and wet weather gear !
Bob......
Those bags fit either over or under the aluminum rail without resting on the exhaust.
