Saddle Bag Half-Moon Plates

[billpedalino]

I am mounting the 5-hole saddlebag plates on my '47 and am having problems finding the correct location of the plate on the fender valance. As I do not have saddlebags, this has become a little confusing. The positioning that I am using is as follows:

1. The center of the rear mounting hole is located approximately 7/8" behind the fender flap seam.
2. The bottom edge of the plate is horizontal (parallel to the floor) with the bike on the floor and straight-up .

As you can see from the attached picture ( I hope it inserted correctly), the smaller radius of the plate is eccentric to the radius of the fender trim. In order to make the two radii coincident, I must rotate the plate about the top hole, which would turn the bottom edge counterclockwise and therefore, not parallel to the floor. Otherwise, I must move the plate forward which will cause fender brace/mounting hole interference.

Does anyone have the correct measurements for this mounting?

Left Reaar Fender.jpg

Thanks...

[Jerry Wieland]

Bill

FYI 5 hole mounting plates are early. 1947 used four hole spacing.

Jerry

[Rubone]

Bill,
No mounting hole is EVER in the rear section of the fender. That defeats the entire purpose of the hinge. The plates need to be further forward and the last hole in the main fender. What is the VIN on your '47? According to Michael Paquette some early '47s have 5 hole plates but most original examples have 4 as Jerry says.
Robbie

[TimR]

Bill,
The saddle bags are not parallel to the ground, they are angled slightly downward toward the front of the bike.

DSCN8443.jpg

[Chris Haynes]

[55tmm]

1947 Knucklehead 073.jpg
Mine is an early '47

[Chris Haynes]

This is a prototype or very early production. Sadly engine number is washed out by the light.

[billpedalino]

Excellent !! Thank you also much. That certainly clears this up!

[Sidehacker]

So everything from late thirties to 46 is five hole?

[billpedalino]

I knew that '48 and later is 4-hole, but I was unaware of the change-over in '47. Luckily mine is an early motor number so my 5-hole is most likely correct for this machine.

[Rubone]

So everything from late thirties to 46 is five hole?

No, not quite like that. Many of the early bags hung by straps, not plates. And most of the deluxe bags were attached by leather panels (5 hole), not metal plates. The earliest metal plates were just overlay trim and were not physically attached to the bags, just fit over the flaps. More than one variation were available in the same era.

[billpedalino]

Chris,
The picture that you posted has absolutely amazing detail and great resolution! I zoomed way in and was able to view many details that are usually difficult, if not impossible to see using a magnifying glass on paper photos. Even tough its a picture of a flathead, I was able to confirm many of the placement locations that I thought were correct when assembling my knucklehead. Do you have the corresponding factory picture of the right side? Even better, maybe the factory studio shots of side views of a 1947 Knucklehead that you can post?
Thanks...

[NiteOwl]

5 hole leather panels. Was it most common to use the jewels to attach these bags or something else. I was also wondering if its still correct to use the half moon plates for the early 40's ?

[billpedalino]

It was very common to use the jewels to dress up the saddle bag plates, but I believe that the actual fasteners were chrome plated acorn nuts - but somebody here would have better information about the standard mounting hardware than I.

[Rubone]

As stated the early bags are all hung on a leather flap or straps. The dress up chrome plates appear in the '40 accessory catalog as well as the Glo-Brite jewels. the first style plates are a decorative overlay only. They sandwich the mounting flaps but do not physically attach to the bags.