Whether you’re planning a road trip or commuting to work, you almost always need to carry some form of equipment. Some of these items could be essential to your motorcycle, like documentation or inflation pumps. On the other hand, you may need equipment for the place you’re traveling to. Saddlebags allow you to carry these essential items safely and easily.
It’s alright if you don’t know what kind of saddlebags to purchase for your Harley-Davidson. We’ve created this guide to help you understand the ins and outs of this product, and offer you a variety of the best saddlebags on the market right now.
Table of Contents
1. TCMT – Hard Saddlebags For Harley Davidson
Established in 1989, TCMT has dedicated itself to crafting saddlebags with extreme durability and safety. This 5 inch stretched saddlebag is long enough to cover the muffler from the front to back – giving your ride a signature ‘slammed’ look. While this slick, subtle effect usually needs a bit of suspension tweaking and ride height adjustments to pull off, TCMT allows you to accomplish this without impacting the performance of your Harley.
Smooth and strong, this saddlebag has been built to carry a significant amount of weight. You can pack items ranging from clothes to office equipment without worrying about tearing or breakage.
This saddlebag can fit most Harleys including the Touring, Softail, Dyna, and Sportster models.
Main Feature: Easy Installation
One of the trickiest parts of purchasing saddlebags or any component of your bike is the installation process. These saddlebags are easy to install in their original position and don’t require the hassle of accumulating extra tools or getting your hands dirty.
Your Harley-Davidson should have a mounting bracket. All you have to do is fit the saddlebags in their positions and you’re good to go!
Pros
- Abrasion-resistant
- Extremely durable and safe
- Fits a variety of Harley models
- Easy Installation
Cons
- Varying saddlebag measurements
2. Milwaukee Leather Motorcycle Saddlebags For Harley
If you’re looking for a versatile, stylish set of saddlebags with great storage size, then consider the Milwaukee Saddlebags – built right out of where Harley-Davidson themselves are headquartered.
Now, these saddlebags weren’t designed specifically for long-distance use. However, these bags come in handy for taking items to your office or bringing groceries back home. If you’re planning a light day trip to the mountains, you can use this saddlebag to pack your basic amenities and protect them from the elements.
These bags aren’t mounted, meaning you don’t need to shift your turn signals or modify your bike in any way. With the saddlebag’s throw-over style, you can easily place the bags around these areas and fit them in their designated spots. If you need to clean the bags, don’t worry because this won’t take much time. All you need to do is take a wet cloth and wipe it down, and you’re good to go.
Main Feature: Good Storage
Although this isn’t a heavy-duty saddlebag, you can pretty much fill any day-to-day items you want. You can store shoes, pants, jackets, lunch boxes, and even laptops. Therefore, these saddlebags are perfect if you’re traveling to the office or any other place of work. Just make sure not to overburden them, to keep them well-fitted on your motorcycle.
Pros
- Easy-use click in straps
- Side pouches make it easier to store smaller items
- Extremely easy to clean
Cons
- The distance between the straps and buckles are too long
- Bags tend to slip on both sides due to inadequate traction under their lacing section
3. Kemimoto Synthetic Leather Saddlebags For Sportster
If you’re looking for a saddlebag that can help you with your daily needs, then you should consider purchasing the Kemimoto synthetic leather saddlebags. Designed to store smaller items such as raincoats, jackets, laptops, and smaller tools, Kemimoto’s products are compact, tastefully made, and a great option for Harley riders looking for something pragmatic and easy-to-use.
Most saddlebags have a slightly challenging installation process. However, the Kemimoto saddlebags are extremely easy to install – all you need to do is tie the saddlebag around the rear of the bike, ensure that it’s well-fastened and you’re ready to go.
Along with easy installation, the bags are easy to access as well. These saddlebags can open from 2 different buckles: the quick-release buckle and the pin buckle. The former makes the bag easier to open and close, whereas the latter secures the bag better and ensures nothing falls out – great for when you’re carrying delicate items across long distances.
Main Feature: Sag-Resistant Hardware
Sagging bags can sometimes crease the surface of the product and damage it in the long run. Fortunately, Kemimoto’s products are known to stay in shape even if they’re empty. This is because these saddlebags are made from high-quality synthetic leather and include a hard backing frame underneath the stitching.
Also, you don’t need saddle mounts to fit these bags on your bike. As I said, all you have to do is tie the bags around the rear of the bike and you’re good to go!
Pros
- Suitable for a variety of Harley-Davidson bikes
- Large storage space
- Easy to install and access
- Sag-resistant
Cons
- Known to have stitch leaks
4. Brooks Autosports – Harley Davidson Saddlebags for Softail, Dyna, Touring
Made from high-quality plastic, the Brooks Autosports saddlebags ensure the safety of the items you store inside. While these bags are not meant for heavy-duty use, they are more than enough for fulfilling your day-to-day requirements.
Unfortunately, while the product itself is quite solid, the installation process can be painful – a problem made worse by the lack of an instruction manual. You need mounting brackets to be able to fit these saddlebags in, which might not be fitted on your stock motorcycle. Also, top brackets for leather saddlebags won’t work for these bags.
Installing these bags is a little tricky but once you get them in you won’t have to worry about them for a long time because of their extreme durability.
Main Feature: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Polymer
ABS polymers have high tensile strength. This means that they’re extremely resistant to corrosion and physical impact – making for a great saddlebag material.
Pros
- High-quality plastic
- Sag-resistant
- Good storage space
- Great value for money
Cons
- Buckles keep opening while riding
- Difficult installation process compared to competitors
5. Bestem Harley Davidson Saddlebag Inserts
If you’re looking for extremely durable and stylish saddlebag liners for your Harley, then the Bestem is your best option. The company has been in the business of making saddlebag goods for over 3 decades and has continued to create products that are unique, stylish, and practical. These are crafted with supreme quality 1680D nylon and leather. This makes them sturdy and weather-resistant – exactly what you need for long-term use.
These bags come with liner edges that eliminate the chances of the bag sagging even when they’re empty. The padded walls ensure that the items you fill in the bags remain protected. A feature we particularly like is the bright orange interior lining – this helps with item visibility inside your bags and ensures that you don’t leave any smaller items behind.
If you’re going to be traveling in harsh weather conditions and need your equipment to be safe, then consider purchasing a Bestem Saddlebag liner.
Main Feature: Supreme Quality Hardware
Each liner in the bag has supreme quality handles and most of them have shoulder straps to make sure that you’re able to carry the bag easily. With water-proof zippers, you’ll be able to ensure smooth operation even during heavy rainfall.
Pros
- Crafted from 1680D Nylon
- Easy to install
- Water-proof
- Each bag has padded walls that ensure the safety of items
- Comfortable and smooth outer material that doesn’t chafe your skin while carrying
Cons
- Some products don’t come with the inner piping as described
Buyer’s Guide
There are quite a lot of things to consider before biting the bullet and purchasing saddlebags for your Harley-Davidson.
First of all, you should understand what you need a saddlebag for. If you’re a passionate biker and like going on long road trips, then you need a heavy-duty saddlebag. Otherwise, for day-to-day use, standard saddlebags will fit your needs the best – giving you a good balance between rideability and daily storage space.
You will also need to ensure that the saddlebag you’re going to purchase will fit your bike. Buying a high-quality saddlebag that doesn’t fit on your bike is a waste of money. Additionally, you should always take into consideration the material used for making saddlebags. High-quality leather and plastic saddlebags are always a good buy.
We’ve created a buyer’s guide to help you understand everything you need to know about saddlebags for your Harley-Davidson. Before we get into purchase points, however, let’s take a look at why saddlebags are an important investment for a rider.
Why Having a Saddlebag is Important
Traveling long distances or even for just a few hours can be exhilarating for bikers. And the journey can be much more enjoyable if you have the right storage space on your Harley. With the right saddlebag, you won’t have a problem with packing your luggage for a weekend getaway or a longer trip.
Saddlebags are Convenient
Having a saddlebag on your Harley eliminates the task of carrying a backpack or a much larger bag on your shoulders when you head out to travel. This can weigh down your body and eventually hurt your shoulders and back. While this issue doesn’t matter much for short rides, you’ll definitely feel a lot of pain when crossing the 1-hour mark on your ride – an unacceptable situation for long-distance tours.
With a saddlebag, you don’t have to worry about carrying your luggage around with you. Simply store your luggage in the bag and go where you want to.
Saddlebags come in handy especially when you go on long vacations. Carrying multiple bags on your shoulder or attaching them somewhere on your bike is extremely dangerous. Saddlebags make your life much easier.
Safety
Now, any individual would never leave their saddlebags unattended. That’s why the best saddlebags are always crafted with safety in mind. Mostly every saddlebag on the market features a locking system that allows you to safely store your luggage without having to worry about it.
There are various kinds of locks used on saddlebags. And if you think the default lock on your bag is not safe enough, you can always upgrade your locking system to a better one.
Saddlebags are a Necessity
As I said earlier, if you’re someone who loves going on long vacations on your bike, you need to have the ideal storage space. Taking just one backpack will simply not do the trick. You need an adequate amount of space to store a variety of items. For example, tents, jackets, multiple clothes, cameras, shoes, etc.
Now, some rucksacks allow you to store a lot of the items you require. But, it simply doesn’t offer the variety of storage space a heavy-duty saddlebag does. Therefore, it’s always a better option to purchase good-quality saddlebags to ensure the safety of your luggage and yourself.
Things to Look for in a Saddlebag
Materials Used
As we’ve stated before, saddlebags are made with various materials. And some of these materials are more durable than the rest. The most common materials used in crafting saddlebags are leather, plastic, and nylon.
Leather saddlebags are one of the most stylish products out there but they aren’t as durable as their competitors. On the other hand, plastic saddlebags are quite durable but they tend to crack and break with time. However, they are more weatherproof and safe than leather bags.
Size
The entire purpose of buying a saddlebag is to store the luggage you have in it. Now, the size of the saddlebag should mostly be purchased by keeping the size of your Harley in mind. You shouldn’t purchase big saddlebags for smaller Harleys and vice versa – also keep in mind what your general usage will look like. It’s always better to get a little more room than you think you might need.
The Lock System
One of the most important things to look for in a saddlebag is its locking system. Ensure that you purchase saddlebags that have good locks. You don’t want your luggage getting stolen from your bike. Unfortunately, most leather saddlebags don’t feature locking systems, unlike their plastic counterparts – so if security is important, go for a hard case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Between hard and soft saddlebags, the former is more secure primarily because these bags are made from plastic, metal, or a combination of both. Whereas soft saddlebags are usually made from nylon or leather making them easier to cut into. Also, hard saddlebags feature safer locking systems, unlike soft bags.
If you’re on a budget, then soft saddlebags are a great choice. They are much cheaper than hard saddlebags. Also, you can fit in more stuff in soft saddlebags because they aren’t as rigid as hard bags. Additionally, if your bike falls over, soft saddlebags won’t take as much damage as hard ones would.
No, they don’t. Saddlebags come in different shapes and sizes. Some saddlebags are designed specifically for some bike models. You must ensure that the saddlebag you purchase is meant to fit on your bike otherwise that would just end up being a waste of money. However, there are brands out there that make saddlebags to fit a variety of bike models.
Conclusion
Saddlebags play a huge role while traveling. They essentially store and keep your luggage safe. That is why you must ensure that the saddlebags you purchase meet your needs, and most importantly, fit your bike.