Well , if ya want hard (Lockable) bags on a Savage , then ya have to loose the turn signals.  

Really the old turn signal holes make a good place to bolt the bags on.

These are not big bags but they are a lot more useable than the soft bags I had.

The tail light is a standard 1157 bulb and the LED Blinkers are bright.   That "All in One" thing wasn't bright enough just like Dave thought it would be.

Glad you found a light that can be seen - it is sad that so many of the new LED lights from China use those tiny LED's that just can't be seen in daylight.  I have seen some of the sport bikes in my area that can barely be seen at night!

If your turn signals are not bright enough, you can use these LED bulbs to retrofit into the turn signal housings.  These LED units use the flat LED emitters and they make enough light to be visible!  I used 2 of them in each of my turn signal housings to replace the small bulbs that were originally inside.  The LED's are ready to wire and have an adhesive foam tape mounting - you just need to make a flat surface to stick them on.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-light-modules/1-round-wired-led-...

I wanna know about the wheels too,, NOt havin tubes would really take some of the pressure off of riding out in the boonies,, Bein able to plug it and hit it with some fixAflat or a little compressor would be grand

yea Zepp , I had soft bags for the last 10 years ... The hard bags on my other bikes have caused me to see the light , so to speak ?

Those two little Bullet-LED turn signals were only $20.oo , but they are bright .    The all in one LED I had planned wasn't bright at all.   So , I'm glad to have the 1157 regular bulb in the tail-brake light.
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Versey told me what rims to get for the tubeless stuff .   I remember them being off the 1980's GS450 ???   maybe ?  The rear rim is narrow and my next tire is 120/90-16 to fit the rim better .
At first I got a rear off a 1980's 550/500 four-cylinder and it was a lot wider , bigger dia. brake too , but the rear break support was the "ARM" type and my arm twisted one day ... the narrow 450 (???) fit like the original (thank you Versey)   .
It seems like the front rim required some modification .   Carl (Bad Wolf) from Florida sent me a rotor that was turned down to fit so mine was easy.  Don't let that brake roto slow anybody down from going tubeless the original rotor with some washers/spacers should be an easy thing to do.  

So the bags themselves , the metal guard fastens to the fender bar  --- 5/16 bolts with a piece of good gas line for spacer .  Then the bags just "Set into" the guards with three bolts .   The original soft bags support holds the bottom of the hard bags too.   I zip tied mine to the soft bag supports at the bottom to beat the rattling .   Just a turn of a key to find a dry place now !  
No , they don't "Turn-key" off the bike ... but that's OK , I can live with them like they are.
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If ya get one of the universal mufflers off ebay then your going to need one of these stuck in the end of it with some muffler packing in the middle too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1Pcs-Universal-Motorcycle-Exhaust-Can-Muffler-Baffle...

Yea ,just wrap some of this stuff around one of those DB Killers and your good with any "Can/Muffler" you want !  
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silencer-Packing-Exhaust-Muffler-for-Motorcycle-Dirt...

Heck , you could put one of these in a strait pipe w/packing around it !  
But :
Its been my experience that the more "Room for Expansion" inside the muffler - the easier it is to get it below the "Sure to get pulled over" level.


The Soft bags  .

zipidachimp wrote on 06/28/20 at 02:00:54:


Yep, MM and I have come to that same opinion.  I had a 110/80-18 on the back of my Cafe' bike for a while........looked a bit narrow as I was used to seeing more tire width but I never lacked for traction and it handled fine.

When MM went "narrow" he also found that handling was just as good as before......maybe even better.

The wide tires on cruiser are a fashion statement.....not a traction requirement.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/28/20 at 08:10:46:


Width may have something to do with it - but tire compound also plays a role.  Most of the narrow width tires are a sport touring type compound and a bit soft.....so life is in the 4,000 - 8,000 mile range.  The fatter tires tend to be more of a cruiser or touring compound and last 6,000 - 10,000 miles......unless you get the Michelin Commander and maybe 20,000 miles - but they are a bit slippery in the wet.

The fancy multi-compound tires with a harder center and softer edge rubber unfortunately are only available in the sizes that fit modern sport bikes......the Bridgestone Battlax BT45 is the only exception I found that came in a size that would fit my little 250 Ninja and also my Savage Cafe' - but still mileage was only 8,000 before they needed replacement.  I will likely get 12,000 miles out of the Michelin Road 5 on my F800GT........but they are twice the cost of the tires that fit my Savage.

Funny how we can switch from tail lights to tires in less than a page!

The wide tires on cruiser are a fashion statement.....not a traction requirement.

I helped a friend put a new tire on his old 1983 Goldwing .   Its not a little bike at all.   Well , the standard tire size for it is 130/90-16.  
By 1983 standards ... I should be putting a 100/90-16 on the rear of my little Savage !  

I've got a Duro 510-16 Rib tread on it now with 4000 miles on it that looks like it will run another 4000 miles.   It handles just fine too.  The flat profile puts a lot of rubber on the ground and those ribs hold the curves surprisingly well .     Its very smooth and predictable .

I believe 5.10" size is the same as 130mm and the 120mm size would = 4.60".  
130 divided by 25.4 = 5.118   -  120 divided by 25.4 = 4.724

I believe also that the 4.60" - 120mm will be a better fit for the 1980's rim.   For the next tire that is.

  old hot tub  



Yea Stew , I bought that in 1988 to cover the bed of my first truck , it was a Datsun 510 with a Diesel 2k liter , 5 speed manual.  
I should have kept , it probably still runs ?

It was averaging 47 mpg till I put that hot tub thingie on the bed then it dropped to 42 mpg.

After selling the 510 Datsun , I missed having one ... so I got a S-10 chevy and put the hot tubby thingie on it.   I thought I might want to re-use it again but now I might need to hall a motorbike in the bed and a wife in the cab --- so there it sits with trees growing up around it ...

I'd give it away if somebody wanted to come get it , its aluminum so a good cleaning should get it back into service ?   I can guarantee  it to be worth the price I'm charging for it !  
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I was expecting you to comment on the item in the second picture ?