Front view of the forward rivets:
Leatherlyke / Pro-Tac One year Update
After riding on my altered LeatherLyke bags for a period of one year, I have recently noticed a tiny stress crack on both bags at the base of the cut-out that was made for the Pro-Tac bracket. This area is weakened a bit by the removal of plastic, and will flex during travel with the bags loaded, as there is no other support system for a loaded bag. Therefore I have beefed up the structural integrity of the bags by riveting a corner brace inside each bag, just below the cut-outs, and additionally have added some support "legs" to the lower rear area of the bags to help support heavier loads.
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3" Corner braces made from 1/8"x1" Aluminum Riveted to the inside of the bag at the inner corner, just below the Pro-Tac cut-out. |
Front view of the forward rivets: |
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Rear support legs created by installing a small bolt through the rear of the bag, using two large fender washers. The bolt extends approx .75" from the bag, and is covered with a 1.25" rubber vacumm hose. The hose is trimmed to where it does not touch the fender unless the bag is full, then it touches a small adhesive backed rubber bumper pad that is attached to the fender. (These are available from any electronic store, ans are sold as "feet" for stereo equipment.) |
This setup seems to add considerable strength to the Leatherlyke bag's mounting system, and now they don't flex at all when loaded.
