2013 Saddlebag problem

[Bogus]

Again we are talking about the latch that holds the lid shut.....Not the latch that holds the bag on the bike. My question again to eddie...Will the latch operate normally if you push the latch down without having the lid closed? If you haven't tried that yet, give it a shot when you get home and let us know. That would let us know which part of the bag to look at, the shell or the lid.

Iggie, I was only referring to the disassembling of the bag. Gotta learn how to quote just sections of a post!

 

[eddie]

Still at work but no matter what the latch for the lid feels like crap. You have to push hard for it to latch. Its on the bike secure. Well at least till the plastice part under the latch finishes pulling off the bag. If ya look when you pull up on the latch to open the bag you will see that the latch is latching to a plastic part that is under that release handle and to the handle that releases the bag from the bike. The key lock tab when turned goes under this plastic piece and into the handle that releases it from the bike. The concern I have is to be able to turn the key you have to press down on the latch. There is so much tension that where te key locking tab goes under this plastic part it is pulling up that part. This causes the handle to stick up higher then normal. That doesnt bother me that much. Im just worried that when this plastic part pulls off the bag there will be nothing to keep the release handle that secures the bag to the bike from opening and the contents and bag goes sliding down the hiway. And yes I really wish I would of bought the extended warranty. It just slipped my mind and I thought I would buy it before the 12 months factory warranty expired.

ed

ed

 

[Bogus]

Much better description of the problem. Still very curious if this will do the same thing if you push down on the latch when the lid is open. Make sure you try that when you get home and let us know. If it works ok when the lid is open, it would suggest that the interface between the latches in the shell, and the hooks on the lid are somehow misaligned. If it is still stubborn with the lid open, there is probably a problem with the latch handle.

 

[eddie]

Okay Ignacio was right on the money. The latch has jumped a tooth. With both latches open and measuring with a tape measure the right bag fully open the latch handle measures 3.5 inches. The left bag measures 3.0 inches. Ugh. Okay anybody got a crashed saddlebag I can take apart? What about replacing the painted cover? I see covers for sale that say factory yamaha part. Could I just purchase another saddle bag from any gen and transfer my cover?

ed

 

[bluesdog]

On another thread here somewhere, iirc, someone fixed the jumped tooth issue by clamping some vicegrips to the locking tab to hold it in place whilst manipulating the latch appropriately, forcing it in the opposite direction to that which initially caused the tooth skip.

Edit: Already referenced, here Thanks, Ionbeam!

 

[ionbeam]

On another thread here somewhere, iirc, someone fixed the jumped tooth issue by clamping some vicegrips to the locking tab to hold it in place whilst manipulating the latch appropriately, forcing it in the opposite direction to that which initially caused the tooth skip.

A previous thread with that information was linked earlier in this thread.

 

[eddie]

Great info in that linked post. Mine has problem with the lid latch and not the one that holds the bag to the bike. Im gonna try to not worry about it for a while. If Im not careful I can let stuff drive me crazy. The latch that holds the bag to the bag is fine so as long as it stays latched Im good. If I knew I could fix it I would try put I dont wanna really screw it up.

ed

Thanks tons for all the help.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

You can buy the bottom part of the saddlebag for $261 and you can transfer your cover on it.I believe that the bottom part of the saddlebag is the same for all the years 03/-2014.

https://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/yamaha/YP-5JW-W9341-0L-00.html

 

[Mudslide Miller]

Just curious. Can you still buy a YES warranty after the factory warranty expires? You may want to consider it, if you can, even though it won't help you on this problem.

 

[SkooterG]

Just curious. Can you still buy a YES warranty after the factory warranty expires?

Nope.

FWIW, I have owned several FJRs and not all sidebags are created equal. Some take more effort to close the lid latch, and some take more effort to close the sidebag securing latch. And some work easy-peasy. Other than some being more 'stiff' than others, I've never had any kind of issue where something needed to be repaired or replaced.

 

[eddie]

Think Im gonna just ride it Scooter. Not really sure what the deal with it is. Im very careful with stuff so I honestly dont think I broke anything. If I did I didnt notice it for weeks so its not like something popped and I said oh crap I broke something. I used the bags weekly and have just noticed that the left one feels different. I really didnt see how the lid latch functions in those pictures. Im not sure it has teethed gears for it. Oh well If it falls off the bike I will call my insurance company otherwise Im not gonna worry much more about it.

ed

 

[Niehart]

Eddie, I had a Givi top box lock problem and messed with it for a couple of weeks. Just could not make it work so I took it to a locksmith. Ten minutes later, he had it opened, lubed with Tri-Flow and no problems since.

If you know a good locksmith, take both bags in so that he can see how the good one works.

And, yes I do have a can of Tri-Flow in my garage now.

 

[BigOgre]

Still at work but no matter what the latch for the lid feels like crap. You have to push hard for it to latch. Its on the bike secure. Well at least till the plastice part under the latch finishes pulling off the bag. If ya look when you pull up on the latch to open the bag you will see that the latch is latching to a plastic part that is under that release handle and to the handle that releases the bag from the bike. The key lock tab when turned goes under this plastic piece and into the handle that releases it from the bike. The concern I have is to be able to turn the key you have to press down on the latch. There is so much tension that where te key locking tab goes under this plastic part it is pulling up that part. This causes the handle to stick up higher then normal. That doesnt bother me that much. Im just worried that when this plastic part pulls off the bag there will be nothing to keep the release handle that secures the bag to the bike from opening and the contents and bag goes sliding down the hiway.

If it helps in some way one of mine has been like this ever since I can remember. In order to fully seat the lid latch handle (not the larger bag attachment handle) I have to slightly push down on it while turning the key. Once locked the handle then sticks up a bit from the case itself and even if I try to push it flush at this point it won't go. Other side is easier and flush. And after reading this thread, went out and tried locking the latch handle with the lid open, something I never had the occasion to do before. Yup, sits flush that way. Guess it's something in the way the lid contacts the case.

As I said, it's been this way for years and I can't see any deformities/weakness in the plastic tang you're worried about. I also went a few years regularly stuffing that side bag with some weight, squeezing everything in so I could close the lid. Pretty sure the latch was like that beforehand though. For a little peace of mind, make sure you use the soft bags along with the cross straps to keep them in the case. Also pinning the bottom of the hard bag will keep it attached even if your fear does come true.

And you know the damn thing is probably gonna break on me now right?

 

[Bustanut joker]

My left side latch never went fully down either.. you could always see about 3/16 of the orange sticker.
Never popped open on me.

 

[Allen_C]

My left side latch never went fully down either.. you could always see about 3/16 of the orange sticker.Never popped open on me.

This has only happened to me when something was blocking the lid from closing completely - like the soft bag or a strap is in the way where the lid meets the stationary case. It never happens when the case is emply.

 

[Bogus]

Well at first I was confused, and now I am again. eddie, if you are indeed talking about the handle that latches the lid and NOT the one that holds it onto your bike, it ain't gonna fall off. Looks like the general consensus is that it just is what it is and shouldn't be a problem.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Bogus, you're correct, but Eddie is concerned that the metal tab is pulling on its stop so hard that when the stop fails, the handle may release. That's a valid point as both the handle and the latch are secured by the one metal tab.

Eddie, honestly, I'd look for a used, good bag from any year and just change out the cover. It'll be significantly cheaper than buying new, and you'll have a bag that works.

 

[stealth1]

This thread had me so confused it made me go look at my bags.

The mechanism that locks the lid closed has 4 slotted tabs on the lid that fit into 4 slots in the case body.

When you move the lever up and down, there are pins in the slots of the case that move side to side to engage the slots in the tabs.

If everything is not working smooth as butter you might have either a bent or loose tab on the cover or a bent pin in the case.

Maybe a foreign substance in the slots where the pins are located. Dead bug, scrap of cloth or whatever.

All 4 pins are easily visible when the case is open and you should be able to watch them travel back and forth as you manipulate the lever.

I don't know if that helped anybody else but it cleared my mind.

 

[Harald]

If it helps in some way one of mine has been like this ever since I can remember. In order to fully seat the lid latch handle (not the larger bag attachment handle) I have to slightly push down on it while turning the key. Once locked the handle then sticks up a bit from the case itself and even if I try to push it flush at this point it won't go. Other side is easier and flush.

Ditto on mine. The left side bag latch never sits flush enough to cover the orange sticker that presumably lets you know the bag isn't latched. I've had my 07 since new in late 07 and have put 90,000 miles on it with no lid popping open or loss of bags. I use my bags daily and the left one more-so. I do make it a habit to push in on the bag lid with my leg while pushing the latch down before turning the key to lock it. I don't think you have a problem or anything to worry about.