Damaged Side Bag

[eventfully]

My husband just bought a 2004 VFR this morning in Salt Lake City and is driving it back to Arizona as I type this. I just spoke to him on the phone and he's had a disaster with one of his new side bags. Apparently, it fell off the side of the bike and hit the road while he was driving. He didn't realize it was gone until he stopped and he drove back to try to find it. Luckily, someone was cool enough to find him and give him back the bag with all his stuff in it. The only problem is that the bag is now totally trashed and he is really upset because it was pristine when he picked it up this morning. Does anyone know how to go about getting one of these hard side bags repaired? It was painted bright red to match the bike. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[benjammer]

Hello, and welcome. Sorry to hear about that. If he's like me, I'm sure he's upset. On the bright side, better one bag than the whole bike.
If I were him, I would take it to a body shop and see what the damage ($) is going to be. He may be better off just ordering a replacement or used one off of E-bay and have painted to match. Be warned though....new OEM hard bags are not cheap.
Keep us posted, and good luck.

[eddievalleytrailer]

As I was reading your orig post, I was ready to read that he'd crashed. You describe it as a "disaster". I know it seems like a disaster, but it is FAR from it. I'm just glad that he only had a bag fall off. A good body shop can work magic with paint and a little body filler. Tell him to relax and find a good body shop. Glad he's not hurt.

[eventfully]

Yes, I am thrilled that he didn't crash and that it IS just the side bag and not the whole bike and that it is FAR from a disaster. He is just so upset to have just bought this perfect bike this morning and that he hasn't even gotten it home and that it's already banged up. He was so upset when I talked to him. I will give hime the suggestions about the body shop and we will see what happens. Thanks for the great advice and kind thoughts and wishes. Will kepp you posted as to how it all turns out.

[drewl]

Welcome aboard, regardless. Here's to a safe remainder of the trip. I would be sad too. We all love our bikes. Hope to see you guys around after all this clears.

[winaje]

If it's of any consolation, you'll often find bags listed for sale here in the classifieds, on VFRD in their classifieds, and also on eBay. I spent about 9 months collecting the bits for a full luggage set from all over the world. I'm in Australia, and bought the right bag locally, left bag in the US, and the mounting brackets in Japan. Also, I am having the lids painted for the sidebags, and it's costing me about $150AUD all up. so you should get out of it fairly cheaply...

[azpnshr]

From a fellow Phoenician, welcome to the site; what part of Arizona are you all located in? I'm up in Peoria and there's a few others around here also.

Sorry to hear about the mishap but it's minor in comparison. If a body shop isn't sure on the paint code or able to match it, check this link to obtain the paint yourself:
Honda R157 Italian Red - ColorRite
If it's beyond saving, as others have mentioned already, check ebay and craigslist for possible replacement.

I understand the pain your husband's going through.....I ordered the OEM bags and when they arrived, I installed them that afternoon. The next a.m., I went for a ride and filled up the bike with gas. I got close to the pumps and forgot about the extra 'width' of the back end with the bags on. Upon leaving, I scuffed the left side against a cement pillar, next to the pump. Less than 24 hrs old and already dinged up!

[Michael D]

I'm the @#% who dropped the bag! Feel sick about it but there's a saint out there who stopped and picked it up and followed me for God knows how many miles as I retraced my steps before we could connect. Would not only have lost the bag, but also my Aerostitch Darien pants and jacket liner, and an expensive pair of cold-weather gloves.

Spent the rest of the trip home in a state of paranoia because obviously there is something missing in my understanding of ensuring that the bags are properly secured.

Thanks to all who have replied -- makes me feel that there is some hope for getting out of this at a reasonable price.

Just to share the misery attached is a pic of the bag -- those scratches are deep!!

[derstuka]

I understand your concern and disappointment sir. I would feel the same, but these things unfortunately happen. I would just probably take both bags to a paint/body shop and have them both repainted, because who knows if the new paint will be slighty lighter/darker.

You have a great bike, and this is a disappointment, but small beans in the grand scheme of things.

Just check the latch points to ensure that nothing is broken, and what caused the bag to fall off. Maybe you might not have "clicked" it all the way in. I have not heard of this failure before, so I do not see it as a trend, just an isolated incident.

[ewryly]

Welcome, Michael. That does suck, but I'll bet you are up and running with as-good-as-new bags in a short order. I checked my bags to see if there was any obvious way they could appear to be fastened properly without actually being locked in place. It is not easy to see how that could happen where the bag locks in at the top, but it is possible that the bottom of the bag was not attached properly. However, I would think that some part of the top of the bag--handle or lock--would get damaged when the bag finally came off. Is the mechanism that locks the bag to the bracket all rignt?

[Michael D]

Don't think that there is anything wrong with the mechanism -- think it was just user error. Now that I have a better understanding of the principles of how they go on and off (i.e. when you lift the handle) I don't think that this (hopefully) happen again.

The bright side of things is that I have a beautiful red bike in my garage that wasn't there yesterday.

[NOOB2VFRS]

Its fixable.....Dont even sweat it....If you cant find someone local to you to fix i would be more than willing to do it for you at a great price

[ewryly]

Originally Posted by Michael D

The bright side of things is that I have a beautiful red bike in my garage that wasn't there yesterday.

And that is a mighty bright side.

[Michael D]

Originally Posted by azpnshr

From a fellow Phoenician, welcome to the site; what part of Arizona are you all located in? I'm up in Peoria and there's a few others around here also.

:

Forgot to answer this -- I'm down in Ahwatukee -- glad to know that there are others around here.

[drewl]

My folks live in Ahwatukee, back behind the library. They have been there since before the library and even Safeway were there. I was one of the first courtesy clerks at that store back in '89. Figures they would open a hooters at the end of my street after I move away.
When I lived in Phx, I left all my vehicles all junked up, that way no one wanted to steal them.

[Michael D]

[quote=drewl;116745]Figures they would open a hooters at the end of my street after I move away.
QUOTE]

Still trying to convince the wife that we should go there because the food is good.