White Fiberglass Bags

[rbenash]

Were they gel coat? If so when did they move from gel coat to painted? Wondering about white fiberglass bags on a '65. Should they be paint or gel coat?

Don't know how much it matters in the end. Curious for now. Palmers book has good description of the different bags but can't find anything that talks about what coating was used.

[chibobber]

Ray, When building a boat or saddle bag a mold is made.The gel coat is sprayed into the mold(what ever the color you want).Then either glass matt and resin are applied or a chopper gun and resin are used.when the part is unmolded you can sand and buff the gell coat and run it or you can scuff it and paint it.If you sand to far with gel coat you will break into the under lying glass requiring a filler.I'm no expert but that is how I understand it.Hope this helps.H-D had a real problem with glass on some models,very grainy and you could see the glass strands.
Bob

[bmh]

My 70-78 1/2 service book gives repair instructions for gel coated fiberglass bags and fairings, guess they weren't painted till after that. When they did start painting them they were painted to match the rest of the bike, not white. Unless of course the bike was white.

[rbenash]

Good info - thanks!

[D.A.Bagin]

Check with a marina or fiberglass bathroom fixture repair shop. Maybe they can help with the repairs.

[gmarakas]

Hi Ray,

We began by painting out bags with a birch white to match the bike. We found they scratched and chipped too easily. We then went to gel coat and found the surface to be far more durable. We have had no problem matching the birch in gel coat.

Hope this helps.

[rbenash]

Hi Ray,

We began by painting out bags with a birch white to match the bike. We found they scratched and chipped too easily. We then went to gel coat and found the surface to be far more durable. We have had no problem matching the birch in gel coat.

Hope this helps.

Excellent! That's good news. I think I am going to go with gel coat. Getting close to the accessory work now. Sheet metal is all but done. I'll be talking to Paul Friebus (American Cycle Fabrication) about doing gel coat on the bags.

[T. Cotten]

Another question...

George and All!

I have a question about '65 bags:
Were they all an ugly orange inside?

Thanks in advance,

...Cotten

[gmarakas]

Hi Cotten,

I don't think the ugly orange was a standard thing. Most of the original bags I have found were either birch or gray inside. From a judging perspective it doesn't matter but it does add a new question to my list of "I need the truth" issues ;-)

[T. Cotten]

George!

My orange-inside bags in question were only ten years old when I got them on a relatively unmolested KCPD Police Special.

They have the proper "curly hair" texture of course.

I had another set that were what I would call "raw",
but a thief named Dan Clark of Creve Coeur ILL, doing business for a minute as "TMC" in the south end of Peoria ILL, took them to repaint in trade for a set of '64 bags, which he also kept without making good.

After hounding him for a few years, he finally told me to "get F**k'd".

Just wanted the World to know, in case anyone thinks of doing business with him at Davenport,


....Cotten

[rbenash]

The pair on my '65 were originals, they have the rough texture inside and are white inside not orange. Haven't looked at too many others to tell what's common.

[jorrow]

As I recall, there were 2 designs of the early fiberglass bag. The first was used on 1963 and maybe early 1964. They are thinner and have a curve along the outside bottom edge tapering to the rear. They also have a "stepped" inner wall by the wheel. They have no lip on the top where you would normally see a lip for the lid seal. Most but not all had a rubber seal stapled to the top of the bag edge with large staples. But I have seen those with no holes from the staples...which were large enough to leave holes on the ones that had them. The second version was the design you see on the 1965. It is thicker walled, squared off design with a top lip and no step to the inside wall. The early bags also use a different bottom clip than the later 1965 design. As far as paint I have always painted mine birch white but have black bags that were also an option.

[T. Cotten]

To my total amazement,

Mr. Dan Clark just dropped off one set of the aforementioned saddlebags at my front door.

So after a decade, he is no longer a thief, and I retract my previous alert.

Thanks to the AMCA for this valuable forum!

....Cotten

[Underdoggie]

George!

but a thief named Dan Clark of Creve Coeur ILL,

....Cotten

Didnt you tell me yesterday on the phone that Dan Clark had just walked into your shop? Well, I see just as I posted this, why Dan was there.

[T. Cotten]

Yes, Underdoggie,

If I hadn't been distracted on the phone at the moment (my hearing is impaired),
I would have invited him to share a beverage and bury the hatchet.

But he hurried in the front door with the bags and hurried out.

So much grief over so much garbage. (Not that garbage is not good!)

But at least I shall not feel the need to flip him the finger again this year at D-port.

....Cotten
PS to the Forum at large: This forum supports complaints against vendors, but not the other way around. Is that right?