Cortech sport saddlebag mounting

[ZonaMan]

I just got my new sport saddlebags. I was wondering if it OK to mount them on top of the seat cowl. They have a nice soft neoprene liner, so I'm not worried about the finish, but I am little worried about the cowl cracking. Am I supposed to be mounting these on the seat without the cowl?

Also, how high up on the sides should I adjust them to account for sag? Right now they are about 2" above the pipe and the tops of the bags are about level with the seat.

Help me out here experienced tourers!

[chesthing]

I'm sorry, but strapping them ontop of the cowl would be (ahem) very strange. Either put the straps over or under the seats.

[ZonaMan]

Well, I took off the cowl and put the bags over the seat. They seem to lay better that way anyway. Guess this was a dumb question to begin with.

[whiplash]

Not a dumb question! I put my Cortech (not sport) saddlebags over the cowl. This way, when I'm touring and get to my destination, I can take them off and still have my sporty look. To protect the finish on the cowl and fairing, I bought some of the clear plastic, static cling fairing protector sheets from coolcycle.com and cut them to fit over the bodywork. They're called the quik stik crystal body shield and they work fantastic! On and off in seconds and just use soap and water to clean and the static comes back.

[ZonaMan]

Hey whiplash, that's exactly what I was thinking. I am a little worried still about breaking the cowl though, so I think I am just going to leave it off when I use the bags. I think the vfr still looks pretty cool with the passenger handles on too!

[whiplash]

I agree with the handles as well. Don't worry about the cowl, it's tough! I've taken it to Americade since '01 and put on the saddlebages and a heavy tailbag with my cover strapped to the top of that and it's ciched down tight to prevent movement, which could cause damage. Never any damage.