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Fatboy saddlebags

FatBoyElroy

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I have a pair of Auburn leather bags called "Mighty Legend" by the company I bought them from measuring 18.75"W x 12.5"H x 8"D.
I had them mounted with easy brackets at a height that was just below bottom of the passenger seat. When riding with my wife and when we hit a large enough bump the rigid plastic back of the bag hit the axle nut on the driver side .. causing the bag to eventually fall off due to a bent lock, which has happened twice, the second time an 18 wheeler locked 'em up on top of it.(I must say the bag has survived both instances remarkably well) I am now on my second pair of brackets(thanks Easy Brackets) and another new set of locks (thanks again Easy Brackets)I have installed the bags higher, just about even with the top of the passenger seat and put a washer/lockwasher to the bottom of the brackets to increase the angle of the bags, but there is so much play with the brackets that I could see they might still come in contact. So I put some shoe polish on the bottom of the bags and me and the Mrs. went out on a bump finding mission and sure enough ... it hit again. Does anybody have a miracle cure so that I don't have to mount these things higher than the seat. I have seen these same bags on other Harleys, but I just can't seem to get mine to not hit that darn nut.

Leaving for week log road trip to Maine in 4 days !!!!
 
Not familiar with those bags but you say they have a hard plastic back on them. How about using a heat gun and softening up the area where they hit the axle nut and using something like a rounded screwdriver handle so you don't burn your hand, make a depression where the axle hits the bag for additional clearance while the plastic is pliable..
 
Another great suggestion. Thanks. It seems as though I am going to use a variety of slight modifications to achieve the result I am looking for. For all the trouble I have been going through with this, I am sort of glad it happened so quick. If the contact had been lighter and less frequent, this situation would be looming until "who knows when" and could have resulted it much more damage or danger to me and my passenger. I would suggest to anyone who has installed a similar setup to check that plastic backing right where you estimate that axle nut would hit. If it is, you'll notice an ever so slight indentation ... and you can bet the arm inside the lock is bending a little bit at a time.
 
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