[jwinker]

I have considered it....

What are you existing skills & equipment?

My mother was a professional seamstress & has a professional grade sewing machine. She has the skills and equipment to manufacture such a project. My best estimate, it would take her about 30 hours of work and about $100 in material to make saddlebags equivalent to the $150 Saddleman bags I purchased from JP Cycles.

If you have the skills and equipment to do it, you can make your own. But just to forewarn you, her sewing machine was about $600 used and about $2000 new. It will sew canvas & light leather. If you want heavy leather, you're going to be limited to very expensive equipment or hand-stitching which will be VERY expensive or VERY time consuming.

If you're going for a specific design, it might be worthwhile. For most of us, standard production products are unbelievably cheaper. Ultimately, even with the skills and equipment available I chose to buy an inexpensive set of production saddlebags and forget the idea of custom bags.

 

[jwinker]

i was thinking about doing something with some surplus ammo cans, using some kind of a metal bracket from hobby lobby to attach to both the can and the body. since the cans are waterproof, i wouldn't have to worry about sealing them. and I can easily add on a padlock. just didn't know if anyone had every done anything DIY before.


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Solid saddlebags, you're going to face the same issues, just replace "sewing machine" with "welder".

How are your welding skills?

You're going to want some sort of support bracket from the mount to the bottom of the ammo can. If you simply drill some holes and bolt it to the fender, you're going to tear the crap out of the can. The mount will not only help to support the weight, but will also diminish the vibration as you ride - both of which will destroy the ammo can if you bolt it directly.

Additionally, your solid cans may have interference issues with the signals, seat, or other mechanical functions. You will have to work around these as you install.

It can be incredibly rewarding, but you will need to know what you're doing before starting. Otherwise it will be frustrating and expensive.

So, how confident are you in this venture?