A while back I posted about a guy I met through the wonders of the cyber world named Shaun Oneal. He makes custom leather products like seats, tool rolls and swingarm bags. I'd had my eye on a swingarm bag for awhile and after reading some reviews on Shaun's work and visiting with him a little via email, I decided I wanted an SO Kustom swingarm bag.
So that's where the blog came in. I introduced Shaun in a previous post, and now, after receiving my bag and trying it out, here's the review.
First off, the bag is heavy 8-9 oz. leather, which make it rigid and sturdy. This is something I was a bit concerned about. No one likes saggy bags, LOL! Second, the twist clasps are both functional and not a headache to get into like comparable bags with buckles. And lastly, the bag is ample size for a tool kit, sun glasses, gloves, some bandannas, and a bottle of water, or whatever.
When it came time to mount the bag, I was concerned that the zip tie method of securing the bag to the swingarm would damage the powdercoat over time. So, I employed a little ingenuity and came up with a mounting system that utilizes the existing belt guard holes.
PARTS LIST:
1 - piece of 1/8" Diamond Plate
2 - 15/16" Coupler Nuts
2 - 15/16" Bolts
4 - Chrome 15/16" Button Head Bolts
4 - Large 15/16" Washers
5 - Small 15/16" Washers
Red Loctite
Blue Loctite
First I started by cutting a piece of cardboard to make a template of the back of the bag in order to transfer the shape on to the diamond plate. Next, I didn't have a way to cut any heavy steel or metal so the aluminum diamond plate was great for me. I used an $80 tile saw I already had and it ate through the diamond plate nicely. I took a flat metal file and cleaned up the edges. To wrap it up, I used a wire wheel on my bench grinder and really put a smooth finish on the piece. Here's a pic of the plate and the method I used to get the dimensions correct:
I wanted the bag to look like it was floating, no brackets visible from the side. By using the existing belt guard mounting holes, I took avoided any alteration of the frame and was able to achieve the look I wanted. I used two 5/16" coupling nuts. I installed the front one using the OEM beltguard bolt. I had to use 5 washers to bring the front coupling nut flush with the rear due to the mounting tabs being mounting at different depths on the tubing of the swingarm.
The rear coupling nut posed a bit of a challenge. The rear mounting hole on the belt guard is actually a threaded hole, so I had to use my coupling nut with some threaded rod that I cut to length and fashioned a bolt for this application. I used Red Loctite to secure the threaded rod in the coupling nut. See below:
Now it was time to mount the plate to the bag. I drilled 4 holes (one on each corner) of the plate to align with the holes Shaun had already put in the bag. I used 4 5/16" chrome button head screws and inserted them through the plate, and the bag and used a secured it with a large washer and 5/16" nut.
Once the bag and plate were joined, I simply put all the pieces together and added some Blue Loctite for good measure. I had previously drilled holes in the plate that aligned with the coupling nuts. The finished plate looked like this:
As you can see, clearance was perfect.
After putting it all together the finished product was exactly what I wanted. A clean, strong mounting system that won't damage the powdercoat and helps me get the most out of the bag.
Ride Safe and Happy New Year!!!
TRT
