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What To Look for When Choosing the Right Saddlebag

Posted by chippywarren on Mar 8th 2011

So you’re looking for some saddlebags for your bike, and you’re finding it a bit overwhelming. Not a problem, let’s see if I can help. As with all decisions, one needs to start with oneself. What kind of biker are you, and what do you ride? Next ask yourself what you are going to carry, how much, and how often. Let’s consider some scenarios. Your bike is chopped or bobbed, you live in an urban environment, on the most part you bar hop to pick up dates, and when you go long distance it’s with a crew, and a crash truck. In this case you may only need a solo bag, and some bungee cords. On the other end of the spectrum is someone who has a Road Glide, lives in the boondocks, rides by themselves, uses their bike for errands, and finds themselves in all kinds of weather. Then you definitely need big bags like the Mighty Legend Studded Bolt-on Bags.

I ride a hard tail chopper that I built. On the most part she is my everyday ride. For long trips, and errands I have a pair of Fox Creek Leather Fatboy Saddlebags that can carry an amazing amount of cargo. They have served me well for over 70,000 miles in all kinds of weather, and still look good. That’s because they have been engineered using the best leather, and crafted by Americans with pride. Trust me, I’ve owned cheap bags, and in no time at all I regretted it. When a cheap bag gets wet, they start to smell and then fall apart. I’ve loaded my  Fatboy Saddlebags down with everything from clothes and necessities for a month long trip, to a case of iced down beer. Change is good, and recently I decided to give my trusty bags a break, and use a solo bag for my everyday adventures. With the solo bag I can carry my full size SLR camera, or any number of needed items.

Now you’re going to have to decide on the style. Do you want throw over, or bolt on? Throw over bags are versatile, adjustable, and need no hardware installation. With bolt on you will have a cleaner look, and the option of using lockable Easy Brackets.  With only a little mechanical aptitude, a few basic tools, and the help from the installation video you can easily install them yourself. Depending on your bike, Fox Creek has everything you need in design options, from small to large, slanted, straight, plain, fringed, and studded. On Fox Creek’s website you will find complete specifications including measurements. If that wasn’t enough they have detailed photos from all angles, along with bags on bikes photos sent in by their fans. If you are still having a hard time deciding, print out some of the photos, trim them down to just the profile of the bag, and hold it up in front of where it goes on your bike. If by chance you order bags and they still don’t suit you, the fine folks at Fox Creek will exchange them without a hassle.

As far as quality and guarantee, you have nothing to worry about with any of the products sold by Fox Creek Leather. That’s because they sell nothing but the best Made in the USA products. They have been in the business for a long time, and they have a legion of satisfied customers. See for yourself by reading the many customer testimonials accompanying all Fox Creek products.

There are a lot of choices out there, not all of them are good. Fortunately when it comes to motorcycle products Fox Creek Leather helps narrow it down to just good choices. That’s because Fox Creek only sells the best, their website contains all the information to help find products that fits your needs. To see why their customers love them, just give the Fox Creek Crew a call. They are down home friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to please.

Long May You Ride,

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