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| bschwartz | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 31 Jul 2015 - 00:53 Post title : Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix | | | I bought my Storm last spring and I ordered the Triumph leather saddlebags to go with it. Over the course of the summer I noticed they started to get the dreaded sag. Not looking forward to buying another set of bags and having a hard time finding something I liked better I decided to look for a fix. I stumbled across a site that sells products to fix saggy Harley bags on their bikes and thought I'd give it a shot. For $65 it was worth giving it a go as that's a lot cheaper than buying new bags. I ordered a set that contained two hard plastic pieces for the lid, a solid piece that goes across the front portion of the bag and glue to hold the top in place. Over the winter I gave it a shot and I'm pretty happy with the result. I've had the bike in the sun a lot this summer and the bags haven't sagged at all. I could have done a better job with the glue as I got a bit outside of the plastic top piece but you can only see it when the bag is open so it's not a big deal. I cut the leather straps that run across the inside of the lid that are supposed to keep the bag from sagging in the first place and glued the new piece in place. Then I glued those straps onto the new lid piece. I could have just cut those straps as they don't really serve any purpose anymore but I was trying to be careful when I did it. If people are looking for a cheap way to save their Triumph bags you might want to think about this kit. You could go to a hardware store and buy some of this thicker plastic and create your own set but I was lazy and decided that my time was worth the $65 to just order the kit and have it ship to my house. Here's the kit I ordered: Link It fit fairly well and has really held its shape even after baking in the sun. Now granted I live in Wisconsin and not in Arizona where the sun is a lot stronger but I've been very happy with how things turned out. Here's some photos of the bags:
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| Dondi | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 16/06/2013 | | Posts | : | 2 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 00:08 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | Thanks for the info, I ordered a set last night.
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 01:03 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Dondi) | | | Quick tip for you, when you glue the top piece onto the lid make sure to have some heavy weights to leave on it overnight and evenly space out the weights. That will give you the flattest appearance to the top. Good luck! Hope you have as much success as I did.
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| bbv203 | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 04/05/2015 | | Posts | : | 423 | | Location | : | SAN LEANDRO, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 05:40 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | You bags must be newer than mine, I don't have those leather straps, and yours actually appear to have the plastic stitched on the outside edge.
I don't think anything is going to fix mine, aside from a complete lid rebuild 
| 2010 Blue & White 1600 Thunderbird-K&N Air Filter-BC Hogslayers-Power Commander V and AT-300-Corbin saddles
Thanks to PhotoBucket being extortionist a**hole$, the pictures you are looking for are no longer available in the post. The links below are to Imgur, click the one pertaining to what you were trying to see Link Suzuki TL1000S, Link Suzuki TL1000S-2, Link Triumph Thuderbird
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 12:25 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bbv203) | | | Agreed. You look like you have the first generation of these bags. Triumph created a second version of them, which is what I have, that tried to fix the issues of sagging but didn't make things much better. There is stitching on both sides plastic liner on my set which helps for me gluing in the stiffener. On your set it would probably just pull the two layers apart since there isn't anything reinforcing the outer edge.
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,849 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 14:41 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bbv203) | | | You have to cut plastic liner, remove it from lid and use something more stable.
Link
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| bbv203 | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 04/05/2015 | | Posts | : | 423 | | Location | : | SAN LEANDRO, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 15:47 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: MotorMac) | | | Thanks, I have seen your thread, personally i'm not that invested in these bags. They're only going to last long enough for the wife to ok the ordering of some hard bags. The worse they look, the sooner that will likely be 
| 2010 Blue & White 1600 Thunderbird-K&N Air Filter-BC Hogslayers-Power Commander V and AT-300-Corbin saddles
Thanks to PhotoBucket being extortionist a**hole$, the pictures you are looking for are no longer available in the post. The links below are to Imgur, click the one pertaining to what you were trying to see Link Suzuki TL1000S, Link Suzuki TL1000S-2, Link Triumph Thuderbird
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| Daycruiser | | Chaac | | | Reg. Date | : | 08/11/2011 | | Posts | : | 704 | | Location | : | Garner, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 21:18 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bbv203) | | | Yah, the best fix for those stock bags is a dumpster. Pure Triumph Garbage or Rubbish for our UK friends.
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Aug 2015 - 22:01 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Daycruiser) | | | Ha, true, but for what I paid for them spending $65 to make them last a few more years was a no brainer. I actually like the looks and size of the bags but the quality isn't there. And while I agree I wish that Triumph had hard, lockable bags for the Thunderbird when I was at the dealer yesterday and checked out the hard bags on a Rocket 3 touring I was disappointed at how small they were inside. They really didn't seem like they would hold very much. Same problem with the Hardstreet bags that I know are popular around here. They really don't hold that much. Still searching for a better solution that I like. There's one of the Viking bags that I like that are a hard, lockable bag but I've heard such mixed reviews about the company I'm a little gun-shy to give them a try. So for now my cheap solution is a very acceptable one.
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| Francois_uk | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 19/03/2016 | | Posts | : | 7 | | Location | : | United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 08 May 2016 - 22:58 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | Thanks for this, exactly what I was looking for!
Edit: I was set to buy this, but postage to the UK adds an incredible $65. That would mean $65 + $65 + 20% UK customs on top, plus $15 clearance fee from the post office. Too much for a bit of plastic and metal.
Still, it's pointed me towards the right direction.
| | Post edited by Francois_uk on 08 May 2016 - 23:43 |
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 09 May 2016 - 00:37 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Francois_uk) | | | Mine are still holding up quite well. I'm sure you could have someone fabricate something like this for you. I've heard of guys getting the raw supplies at a hardware store and just creating a template of their own and making them. I agree they aren't worth the extra cost it would take you to get them to the UK. But they have been a great solution for me. Good luck with your sourcing.
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| Spudo769 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 08/12/2015 | | Posts | : | 22 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 12:55 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | How did this hold up over time? I attempted this fix, using the same kit. I ironed the existing stiffener first to try and relax it. I doubled the weights to 80lbs, used all the glue, and let it sit weighted for 24 hours. About 3 hours after removing the weights the wavy stiffener overpowered the glue and popped it loose. Now I have a mess of dried glue, partially attached plastic, cut straps and once again wavy lid. I plan on calling the company today for advice, but thought I would look for feedback here. The second bag is still sitting with the weights on it. I am thinking the next step is to carefully cut the nylon liner and try to cut out the deformed portion of the plastic stiffener and try to reglue.
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 13:03 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | Still holding up great. When I put mine on I put a ton of glue down and left weights on overnight. Not sure if the glue on yours just didn't have enough time to set. But mine are still holding strong. I'm going to cut those stupid little straps off of one side though as they keep coming undone but they really don't serve any purpose anyhow. Here's a photo from a couple weekends ago.
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| Spudo769 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 08/12/2015 | | Posts | : | 22 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 15:20 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | Did you leave the original stiffener in there or did you cut it out prior to gluing the new one? How distorted were your when you did this? I am thinking I waited too long until the original was really curved.
| | Post edited by Spudo769 on 04 May 2018 - 15:21 |
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 17:15 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | I did leave the original stiffener in there I just glued over the top. You may have something with how far your bags were gone before you started. Mine weren't bad at all they were just starting to sag a bit so I got right on it. I saw on the other site that someone recommended using aluminum. That might work. You might need something stronger if yours were really warped to start with.
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| Spudo769 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 08/12/2015 | | Posts | : | 22 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 18:12 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | Yes, I did see the aluminum suggestion on the other site, but doubting it would be much different of a result, as the new plastic is staying rigid, the issue is that the glue isn't strong enough to hold it flush to the fabric due to the force of the distorted stiffener. I may take them to a local upholstery vendor here who can skillfully remove the old plastic, install new plastic or aluminum, whichever would stay rigid and not be affected by heat, and replace fabric. Might cost some money but would be done right. So many pluses to these bags, the quick on/off, the look, and the capacity are all good.
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| bschwartz | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/03/2014 | | Posts | : | 336 | | Location | : | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 18:31 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | Good luck. I wish they would be of higher quality but they never mastered how to make the lid keep its shape. I do think they are some of the better looking bags for the Bird. Wish there were more hard bag options but that's not going to happen now that the Bird is retired.
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| davetac1 | | Thunderbird | | | Reg. Date | : | 06/09/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,379 | | Location | : | Haverhill, Ma., United States |
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| | Posted : 04 May 2018 - 19:00 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: bschwartz) | | | The bags on my Tbird were also sagging from day one.So I tried alittle experiment to see if it would work,and IT DID!! First,I found something that I could place on the bottom of the bag,with the top of it in the middle of the cover to push the saddle bag lid up alittle and as close as possible to the original shape.Then I used a heat gun,but not too much cause you'll melt it,and heated that cover up real good with that trig I made up still in place under the center of it,then closed the lid and let it cool.And guess what?? The cover actually kept its' shape.Not bad for a DUMB POLOCK,whadaya think???
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| AZCactus | | Taranis | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 01/05/2013 | | Posts | : | 4,502 | | Location | : | AZ |
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| | Posted : 06 May 2018 - 15:15 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | MotorMac (forum member) used aluminum on his Triumph bags...results were outstanding!
| 2009 Thunderbird 1700 Big Bore
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| MotorMac | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 29/08/2010 | | Posts | : | 1,849 | | Location | : | Nor Cal, United States |
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| | Posted : 06 May 2018 - 16:54 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: AZCactus) | | | Thanks AZ! Yes, they're still flat, still in use, but that wasn't aluminum - it was stainless steel.
And I still wish I'd opted for locking hard bags instead. Someday... maybe...
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| rayglo | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 27/10/2012 | | Posts | : | 1,746 | | Location | : | east brunswick, nj, United States |
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| | Posted : 06 May 2018 - 21:36 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: MotorMac) | | | All those in California, there are implants available
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| Spudo769 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 08/12/2015 | | Posts | : | 22 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 10 May 2018 - 18:43 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: davetac1) | | | My experience with saggybags.com left a little to be desired. I tried the fix by gluing the plastic pieces over the original plastic and weighted it with 80 LBS for 24 hours. It took but just a few hours for the wavy original plastic to overcome the glue. The new plastic started letting loose and the wavy lid reappeared. There was a phone number on the instructions for technical support. I called and left a VM, to their credit they called me back the same day. However the call didn't go well. He lectured me that the kit was only meant for specific Harley models. I told him that at least one Triumph rider had success but he didn't want to believe it. I then asked him how to remove the glue. He said it had to be done 'surgically'. His goal was to avoid any talk of a potential refund or to criticize his product. My goal was to get advice, I wasn't asking for a refund anyway. He began asking about what I used on the surface of the bags, I indicated I had used F-11 protectant, he didn't know what that was but was sure it was wrong. He then starting talking about the real problem being shrinkage, blah blah, and that's when I pulled the plug, politely thanked him for calling me back and hung up.
Plan B was originally to leave everything be and bring them to a local upholstery shop at the end of the year for lid rebuilds. Then I decided to see how hard it would be to pull the new plastic pieces off. They came off pretty easily. That left a glue mess on both the new plastic and the original plastic in the lid. I started trying to pull off the glue on the new pieces, and surprisingly it was peeling off. It was a slow and tedious process, about an hour for each piece, but I found I could get it off with my thumbs (no surgeon needed). I then wiped them down with Goo Gone to remove any glue remnants, cleaned them up with soapy water and sanded the backs again. My next step was to cut away the wavy plastic on the lids. They had separated from the leather (if they were ever glued in the first place), so easy to get a tin snips in there to cut the plastic away without damaging the leather. I left enough of the original plastic to retain the curvature at the front and back of the lids. I also wanted enough room to tuck the new plastic underneath the old. I cleaned everything again, put new glue on, tucked the new piece in there and weighted it again with 80 lbs, this time for 2 days. Once it dried, I glued the 2 straps back down and weighted that for a day. Then a little more trimming and some additional glue for leather and plastic that looked like it needed it. I do believe this will work. Waviness mostly gone, lids look flat, glue seems to be holding. I am going to use some good leather cleaner, dressing and oil to try and keep the outside of the leather from shrinking or deteriorating further. Hopefully this fix will last 4-5 years, not sure what will happen if the leather shrinks with the more rigid plastic piece glued to it.
Bottom line, the gotsaggybags product may end up helping me, and I won't discourage folks from trying it, but don't call in for customer service if you aren't using it on a Harley, unless you want lectures.
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| rayglo | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 27/10/2012 | | Posts | : | 1,746 | | Location | : | east brunswick, nj, United States |
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| | Posted : 11 May 2018 - 03:02 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | For 'harleys' only. That's bullshit from a so called authority that has to make you feel like an arse, tell you that its your fault it didn't work. He didn't believe you so add your a liar. An expert on
F-11, What a dic, let him go home to his saggy tit.com wife and surgically remove his balls from her fist
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| pohat | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/08/2020 | | Posts | : | 1 | | Location | : | Belmont, NH, United States |
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| | Posted : 25 Aug 2020 - 02:46 Post title : Re: Triumph saddlebag saggy lid fix (Re: Spudo769) | | | I am new to this site and have the saggy saddlebag issue. Can you tell me what the other site you are referring to is? I am thinking of trying the metal like motormac did on his.
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