Fully Dressed!

Equipment Modifications complete:

So after much grief for spending hours upon hours searching the Internet for the best quality at the best price from “S” I finally settled on saddlebags. I purchased the Ameritex Futura bags from JC Whitney (photo from JCWhitney website). They are synthetic which is good for clean up and won’t rot like leather. I purchased the XX size so they are fairly large. Although the XXX bags have a cell phone pocket on each side, I thought they might hit the exhaust on the right side of the bike, which in itself is another issue. The XX are wide and deep enough to hold plenty of stuff to keep us going on a pretty decent trip.

They are detachable and have three quick release buckles for each side allowing for easy removal while traveling. Next on the list were Saddle bag supports to keep them from rubbing the rear swing arm and tire. It also gives you a place to tie the bags off so they don’t flap around in the wind.

Other modifications included passenger peg extensions and floorboards. The C50 passenger pegs are up high and "S's" legs were folded back at an awkward, uncomfortable angle. This cuts off blood flow to her lower legs and causes cramping on longer rides. It also causes the tailbone to support most of the passenger’s weight which fatigues the back. The extensions lower the passenger’s feet by about 3 inches and moves them forward about 2 inches. The floorboards will give her more room to move her feet around in different positions helping to eliminate the onset of cramps and fatigue. Which translates to less stops along the way.

“S” was on a solo adventure to Anaheim, CA when I installed these items so I hope the extensions and the backrest make her more comfortable. I’m really excited to have her test them out on our next ride. She’ll have to give her report after we get back from vacation.

Where I purchased the parts

Ameritex Futura Saddlebags – JC Whitney
Saddlebag Supports – JC Whitney
Floorboards (note the floorboards are actually for a 1981 Honda - Gold Wing) – JC Whitney $64.99
Peg Extensions – Waynesville Cycle
Backrest – Cruiserbackrest.com
Sissybar Bag (this was a great deal) – Wal-Mart $35.00.

A note about these stores: I’m always leery of sending money to online stores and I suggest that if you are going to make a purchase do some research on many of the online motorcycle forums. Caveat Emptor!

That said, I can’t say enough about JC Whitney, Cruiser Backrest, and Waynesville Cycle. All three of these vendors were quick to ship and I had parts in hand within 3 days of ordering.

Installation wasn’t too bad, everything lined up fairly well. I also took this opportunity to adjust the rear suspension. I noticed on our last 2-up ride that the rear end kind of wallowed around turns and just felt mushy in general. I purchased a 63mm suspension wrench. I had to remove the side panel from beneath the seat then both seats. That was not a problem because I had to remove the pillion in order to install the saddlebag mounting system anyway. Then I had to remove the batter box. I didn’t disconnect it I just removed the screws and pulled the box up high enough to clear the shock wrench. The factory ships the bike with the rear shock at mid- position #4 and I moved it up two notches to six. That should give us plenty of spring pre-load to carry the two of us plus luggage.

I can’t wait for the next trip! Which there is still debate over. We don't know if we should go on our hunt for BBQ or search for ghosts.