Posts Tagged ‘Saddlebags’

Why You Should Shop at a Motorcycle Superstore

December 26th, 2009

Just as the name suggests, a motorcycle superstore has everything you could possibly want your your motorcycle, including well, a motorcycle. A motorcycle superstore is not just one dealership or manufacturer. A Motorcycle superstore has many advantages.

Many manufacturers

A motorcycle superstore has the advantage of offering a wide variety of manufacturers. The best thing about a motorcycle superstore is that if you are unsure of what motorcycle you want to buy, you have the advantage of being able to try out many different motorcycles until you find the one that is perfect for you. With a wide variety, that means if you try a bike and don’t like it, try another one. Keep trying the motorcycles at a motorcycle superstore until you find the one that just makes you feel like you are flying while you are riding it. With traditional manufacturers and dealerships, you may get to test three motorcycle manufacturers if you are lucky, but a motorcycle superstore will have many more major manufacturers.



Accessories and Customizations

Once you have chosen a motorcycle from the motorcycle superstore, you can customize and accessorize your new motorcycle. With a motorcycle superstore, you have the options of choosing the perfect saddlebags, and sissy bar bags, and grips and anything else you can think of to make your motorcycle the best motorcycle ever. With a traditional motorcycle dealership and accessories store, there is a limited amount of accessories to choose from, but a motorcycle superstore has a wide selection and many choices.

Everything under one roof

Dealerships usually have a few motorcycles to choose from, but very limited when it comes to accessories that do not go directly on the bike. Accessories such as motorcycle pants and boots usually have to be purchased somewhere else. With a motorcycle superstore, you can generally purchase everything under the same roof. This includes any motorcycle parts, accessories, maintenance, and even design decals to personalize our motorcycle. A motorcycle superstore has the convenience of having many stores in one.

Great Deals

Motorcycle superstore is like the discount store for motorcycles. They can have great deals. They can offer some of the best prices and sales. They offer something for someone without draining the checking account. Some motorcycle superstore locations have only accessories, or only motorcycle parts, but the one thing in common is that they carry items for just about every motorcycle there is, making a motorcycle superstore literally a one stop shop.

Location, location, location

The best thing about a motorcycle superstore is that you can find an actual physical location, or if you are no where near a physical motorcycle superstore, you can always find one on the Internet. This allows you to shop for everything you need for your motorcycle to be done from the comfort of your own home. There are many different motorcycle superstore locations, if you can’t find what you are looking for, check another motorcycle superstore. A motorcycle superstore is known for convenience, not only in merchandise, but also in location.




By: Justin Stewart

Motorcycle Saddlebags History

December 19th, 2009

Saddlebags are most commonly used to carry luggage on a motorcycle. There are 2 major kinds of motorcycle saddlebags. Throw over saddlebags and hard mount saddlebags. The concept of hard mount saddlebags originated from throw over saddlebags which were used in early 1950 for the first time.
As the motorcycle industry experienced a big boom in 1960 especially after the Vietnam War the motorcycle luggage also evolved. As major motorcycle companies launched bigger and better motorcycle people started traveling farther on there motorcycles. Many riders formed groups and rode cross country and from city to city. The throw over style of saddlebags was soon replaced by a better and more reliable way of carrying luggage.
A group of riders drilled several holes in the back fender of their motorcycles in order to permanently bolt the saddlebags to the motorcycle. This permanent installation resulted in the saddlebags being more reliable and sturdy. This step also contributed towards the aesthetic appeal of the motorcycle. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the riders.
Motorcycle companies like Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company noticed this trend and soon started producing motorcycles with struts. The struts enabled motorcycle riders to bolt the motorcycle saddlebags without making any permanent changes to the motorcycle such as drilling holes in the back fender. Later the same strut enables other accessories to be securely mounted on a motorcycle such as motorcycle carrier and sissy bars.
As the Asian motorcycle manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha made their way into North American market they also made sure that the riders get enough room for the luggage. Yamaha motorcycles are a classic example of this as they manufacture most of their bikes with most room for the saddlebags. They also make sure that the turn signal does not interfere with the saddlebags, a common problem with smaller motorcycles.
In 1980 the motorcycle companies realized that most 1000 cc and above motorcycles are used for long rides. To further add value to their motorcycles they started selling motorcycles with fiber glass saddlebags. These motorcycles did well as most of these came with the motorcycle specific luggage. This also saved the motorcycle rider a lot of time and headache.
Despite the popularity of factory installed saddlebags motorcycle riders still prefer leather saddlebags in most cases. This is due to the fact that motorcycles leather saddlebags can be customized to a greater degree as opposed to motorcycle specific fiber glass bags.
Most early motorcycle saddlebag companies used studs, spots and conchs to decorate the saddlebags. Recently the more advanced motorcycle saddlebag companies have started manufacturing and offering saddlebags that are not only motorcycle specific but also match the color of the motorcycle. Another approach is to design the leather motorcycle saddle bags in such a way that it blends in with the overall design of the motorcycle. These advancements have resulted in more and more people willing to install saddlebags on their motorcycles.

Hard Mounted or Throw Over Motorcycle Saddlebags

December 18th, 2009

Motorcycle saddlebags have been around for more then 50 years. They are great for storing supplies for long trips. From everything like purses, tools, first aid kits, drinks and snacks, to spare helmets and cleaning supplies for your bike. There are so many uses for motorcycle saddlebags, as very few of the necessary items for long trips or even trips to the local supermarket actually fit in the pockets of bikers. In addition, there are a few items that should always be carried by bikers, and the pockets won’t accommodate them all, but motorcycle saddlebags will. With all the motorcycle saddlebags out there, what sets them apart? There are two main types of motorcycle saddlebags. There are hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags, and there are throw over motorcycle saddlebags.
Hard Mounted Motorcycle Saddlebags
For more stability, these hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags are definitely in the lead in this area. In the 1950’s a group of bikers drilled holes in their fenders to attach the motorcycle saddlebags. This prevented them from flying off and flapping around. After some major motorcycle manufacturers got wind of the new trend, they saw how popular it was among the bikers. Instead of having the bikers drill holes into their fenders, they made mounting for motorcycle saddlebags. These hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags are now custom on many bikes, and can be added to many more. If you add these hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags to a package with a new motorcycle, you might end up paying more then you would if you added them yourself. The dealer marks it up when they are adding it to the accessories. Now the question is whether you want hard leather or soft leather. Hard leather provides better protection for your items then the soft leather motorcycle saddlebags because the hard leather would resist any objects bumping into them better then the soft leather motorcycle saddlebags. These generally have mounting brackets to keep them off the wheels and other vital motorcycle parts.
Throw Over Motorcycle Saddlebags
The advantage of throw over motorcycle saddlebags is that it is not necessary to make any modifications to the motorcycle, whereas hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags required modifications that have quickly been included by most manufacturers. Throw over motorcycle saddlebags are like the name says attached by throwing them over the seat of the motorcycle. Generally they go in front of the signal flasher and over the stocks. Many times these types of motorcycle saddlebags require removing the seat to install the throw over motorcycle saddlebags. These types of motorcycle saddlebags are generally harder to install, but they are traditional types of motorcycle saddlebags. While the hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags are easier and more sturdy, the throw over motorcycle saddlebags are the motorcycle saddlebags of the original bikers, before the hard mounted motorcycle saddlebags were designed. While some bikers or motorcycle enthusiasts may be daunted at the thought of the work involved in installing throw over motorcycle saddlebags, some true bikers revel in the ability to work with their hands to make something all their own.