Replica Indian Hard Saddle Bags Indian Motorcycle Reviews & Impressions >
Full Member 355 posts Cloud Full Member 355 posts
Cloud
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Painted-Saddle-Bag-Trunk-W-Electronic-Latch-Key-For-Indian-Chieftain-Roadmaster/232600972108?hash=item3628192b4c:gIMAAOSwubFaenoL

The tale begins over xmas 2017, looking through ebay I comes across this ad for Indian Hard Bags, so what does one do but goes over the ad left right up and bloody down, convinces himself that these should be awesome and orders them, keeping in mind that the shop has quoted between $8k - $10k for the bags and associated hardware to install right... but there is a catch, no spools and no bloody latches, ffs, any hoo, the seller, we will call him Fred, happens to carry the spools but not the latches.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Quick-Release-Accessory-Spools-Mounting-Kit-For-Indian-Chief-Dark-Horse-2016-18/322940486183?hash=item4b30c0c227:g:21oAAOSwvD5aMkbu

Ok, I can live with that, where to get the latches, we gets them from Partshark Indianapolis, sweet right?  About a week later stuff starts to arrive, you beauty, open the box admire the goods, turn ‘em round upside down inside out and bugga me, this is very strange...

20180111_161639.jpg 

the bloody left box is wrong, turns out that just the lid was wrong. An email set things straight.  Also I couldn’t workout why it wouldn’t open, cause they had jammed the incorrect lid on.  The spools couldn’t be mucked up aye, nah, they were...

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Ok, on with it, lid arrives, bloody beauty


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time to try em on the Dark Horse and somewhere in the thick of things the Latches turned up, yehaa!

20180102_180238.jpg 
sorry about the stink pic, was in a hurry to fit em, lolol, look even the sisy bar fits, yeah!

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just gotta put this in there...

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and Bob’s your aunt.  I had to compare with the old bags though aye...

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cool aye?

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Ok, enough of that, back to the bags.  Fred, you remember Fred, well these bags came with the main box and lid, locks with keys and the electrics to hook said bags to the bike, as per pic

20180120_101534.jpg 

unfortunately, the wiring on the left bag was exactly the same.  hmm me thinks something be awry, well it took me long enough to work out what the spare wires on the right bag were for, you guessed it 12v aux, which inside the bag is a place for a lighter socket or USB, which i fitted the latter, so back to the left bag, as this bag had no place for a socket of any kind, those wires got the snip, as for the other plug, well that just wasnt gunna work, no how, right side 4 pin plug, left side 2 pin plug, left bag 4pin plug, geez, give me strength.

More emails to Fred, by this time emails getting hostile, off to Repco, found some wateproof plugs and wired, now there have been posts on this forum about the no button fobs, so me being the curious little thing i am, tried it, well, blow me down with a feather, it bloody worked, sorta, locked em but wouldn’t unlock em, had to use the keys to unlock em.

What to do, didn’t put anything of value in them or used the keys, until i got a fob when the bike went in for its service, couple of hundred later we have a fob with lock/unlock functions and able to set the alarm, also tank switch for bags are not necesary, still having emails with Fred but that has little to do with whether or not you buy them.

Summary:

These bags came to me much sooner than I had thought, presentation and packaging great
the replacement lid came in no time at all either, the spools were also packaged nicely

The Latches from the states also came in a timely fashion

Setup was as easy as expected

On the bike, they are the bees knees, they look the part and function very well,

The hinges, have a bit of slop, a but once closed awsum

The bags themselves, to me feel thinner somehow, cant put my finger on it, I have had loaners and the bags just feel a bit more robust

The absolute let down of these bags are, probably because they are a knock off, is that the molding wasn't formed properly with my bags so, no seals, as the lip that holds the seal, wasn't  formed properly, so I ground down what was left of the lip and added stick on seals from Clarke Rubber

Well that just about wraps it up, except that you get what you pay for and keeping in mind the $8-$10k price tag on OEM I think I did well, and if I had to do it again, u bet

From go to woah, maybe a month/ month and a half of mucking about


Bags and Spools = $1370.00
Latches              = $140.00
Clarke Rubber     = $50.00
Repco                 = $15.00
Fob                     = $280                 

                         = $1855

Have an awsum day
Ride Safe, Ride Often
2016 Chief Dark Horse
with a few modest mods
NOR Perth WA

IMRG AU - 101381
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
Cloud wrote:
20180120_101534.jpg 
Great write up Cloud.  Thanks for all the photos too.  Your story really gave everyone what it must be like to buy these bags.  Hopefully Fred got his act together.  

By the way, love this photo for an obvious reason! 🙈😀 By the way, your bike looks much better with these bags than the original hard bags you had on.
Melbourne, Victoria
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Frumpy Full Member 106 posts
Frumpy
Great write up Cloud.
Do you have a mounting bracket at the bottom of the bags to you exhausts?

You did an awesome job, they look fantastic. 
2014 Red Chief Classic Stage 1 Pipes and AC
2017 Victory Octane
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Matt01 Full Member 247 posts
Matt01
Fantastic review Cloud.
I had also spotted these bags on ebay (purchased sissybar from "Fred" previously) thought bargain, but didn't take the plunge.
BTW do you have a link for latches  ("Partshark")?
Did they come as a set?
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Cloud Full Member 355 posts
Cloud
thanx guyz, actually had fun putting that together,

V-Twin, I like the look of them better too, even with the issues, but to tell the truth the inside is much the same, capacity wise

Frumpy, yes mate the bags are complete, 2 brackets per bag, which really did surprise me, the hinges even have Indian on them

Matt01, just type partshark.com/indian and u shud end up in the rite place, these are OEM parts at cheaper prices

even though Fred and I arent real gud at the moment, I may need to get the rack that goes on the sissybar, $150 is better than $300 +

I noticed a newer ad by Fred, that were cheaper (not by much, hoping my emails helped with that)  and also showed a pic of seals and a part of the latch system (just a piece), honestly I dont know wat the next person mite have to deal with, IF ANYTHING, all I can say is fingers crossed
Ride Safe, Ride Often
2016 Chief Dark Horse
with a few modest mods
NOR Perth WA

IMRG AU - 101381
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dutch Full Member 394 posts
dutch
Great writing love it, but what baffled me was the price given to you 8-10k see this is what makes me angry I'm in Adelaide but rung the new castle dealer the get a price for a set up as yours not even close to your given price and that is the same (I posted this as well about the big bore kit ) a dealership in the USA close to the factory did one of these in 11 hours with 1 mechanic (Indian states 10 working hours ) I got a price incl 15 hours labour???? Hang on that is a lot of beer 🍻 4 hours that's around the 450 and then I picked up on a question /story (can't remember if it was on this forum) they wanted to quote this poor man 30 hours of labour seriously there are some cowboys out there and then they complain the we shop in our own comfort with a beer (that's from the savings ) in the internet.
If I'm still going to get the hard bags for my Vintage I go the same path 
I hope you can enjoy them for a long time
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Cloud Full Member 355 posts
Cloud
thanx Dutch, they're definitely not in it to make friends
Ride Safe, Ride Often
2016 Chief Dark Horse
with a few modest mods
NOR Perth WA

IMRG AU - 101381
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stevenlb21 Senior Member 928 posts
stevenlb21
Thanks Cloud for your tutorial, I'm going to use your links to "Fred" as  I need some bits and bobs for my scooter
Cheers......Steve
Penrith, NSW

2015 Indian Chieftain (Indian Motorcycle Red)
"TECUMSEH"
IMRG Membership No.  AU101486

Meanwhile back at the Ranch, Tonto disguised as a door gets his knob shot off !!!.
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