Mounting soft bags on your bike, a/k/a the Closet Rod Mod

Woodswoman

Member
This is a great mod — not mine; I take no credit for it — that I think should be shared far and wide.

Let’s say you purchase soft saddle bags, and you’d like to mount them on your CTX700. Now, if you had a more typical cruiser, you’d be able to buy rectangular metal brackets of this sort …



... that would make the soft bags stand away from the wheel for safety, and would give you a place to tie the bags down. But nobody makes such a thing for the CTX.

Enter an ingenious CTX owner (whose name, I think, is Bill). He realized that a piece of metal running across the rear wheel well from the tie-down loop to the reflector would be keep his soft bags off his wheel.

He headed to a hardware store and found the right thing was made by Rubbermaid, as part of a modular closet organizing system. The component is a 25-inch-long black metal shelf bracket that has holes in it in which baskets and whatnot are mounted. (Hence I have dubbed this "the closet rod mod.")

Here (blurrily) is what the brackets/rods look like.



Here’s a picture of a receipt for the rods’ purchase, showing part numbers.



Installing them is dead simple.

One end is bolted under the rear fender reflector. The other end can be attached to the OEM bungee loop however you please. I attached mine with a couple of black zip ties on each side.







That’s it! Now you throw saddlebags under or over your pillion seat, and they won’t contact your rear tire. Naturally, these brackets also give you a place to which the bags can be strapped so they don’t flap around.





Two additional bits of info from my own experience with this:

(1) If you try to run the soft saddlebags under your seat, be prepared for the seat to be quite difficult to reinstall.

(2) Whether you throw the soft bags over your seat or under it, put something on your CTX’s painted panels to prevent scratching. The bags *will* move enough to mar whatever plastic finish they come in contact with. And don’t believe any manufacturer’s assurance that their bags won’t leave marks.
 
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Merlin III

New member
This is a great mod — not mine; I take no credit for it — that I think should be shared far and wide.

Let’s say you purchase soft saddle bags, and you’d like to mount them on your CTX700. Now, if you had a more typical cruiser, you’d be able to buy rectangular metal brackets of this sort …



... that would make the soft bags stand away from the wheel for safety, and would give you a place to tie the bags down. But nobody makes such a thing for the CTX.

Enter an ingenious CTX owner (whose name, I think, is Bill). He realized that a piece of metal running across the rear wheel well from the tie-down loop to the reflector would be keep his soft bags off his wheel.

He headed to a hardware store and found the right thing was made by Rubbermaid, as part of a modular closet organizing system. The component is a 25-inch-long black metal shelf bracket that has holes in it in which baskets and whatnot are mounted. (Hence I have dubbed this "the closet rod mod.")

Here (blurrily) is what the brackets/rods look like.



Here’s a picture of a receipt for the rods’ purchase, showing part numbers.



Installing them is dead simple.

One end is bolted under the rear fender reflector. The other end can be attached to the OEM bungee loop however you please. I attached mine with a couple of black zip ties on each side.







That’s it! Now you throw saddlebags under or over your pillion seat, and they won’t contact your rear tire. Naturally, these brackets also give you a place to which the bags can be strapped so they don’t flap around.





Two additional bits of info from my own experience with this:

(1) If you try to run the soft saddlebags under your seat, be prepared for the seat to be quite difficult to reinstall.

(2) Whether you throw the soft bags over your seat or under it, put something on your CTX’s painted panels to prevent scratching. The bags *will* move enough to mar whatever plastic finish they come in contact with. And don’t believe any manufacturer’s assurance that their bags won’t leave marks.
Woodswoman, thank you so much. I tried to look at that post , but could not without re-joining. That is a good alternative. This Winter I will have to do some pondering.
 

Woodswoman

Member
This option was a useful alternative to me my first season with the CTX. I wasn't in love with Honda's hard bags, and I was waiting for Shad to release its setup, so I could see if I wanted it ... but I needed carrying capacity for a rally I was going to attend. I got a set of soft bags for a song, picked up the Rubbermaid shelf materials and a some rubberized material to help prevent scratching of my bike's plastic, and was in business.

Since then I have gone the route of JFC's brackets, to which I have added locking hard bags. But I still admire the heck out of the ingenuity of the "closet rod mod." Man, I wish I'd thought of it.
 

casper

New member
That was Effem tee's mod. I put that on mine, plus I have the jfc brackets in case I wanted the hard bag option. The rubbermaid brackets are great. I have my bags mounted under the seat as I found I lose the grabber usefulness since there's no easy fitment. I ended up merely cutting a square out from one of the straps under the seat, and the seat lock just slips through it.
 

Woodswoman

Member
Couldn't remember if Effemtee created this one, or Billnoroville ... but it was genius, whomever thought it up!

I left my Rubbermaid brackets in place, too. Figured they might be useful for strapping stuff across my passenger seat.
 
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burdicda

Member
I am sitting waiting for a hurricane to strike in Melbourne Florida
but afterwards if I survive and all my things make it through...
I will have a soft set of BILT soft bags and the complete rod set
but not made from rubbermaid but rather made from solid aluminum
angle..

If anyone is interested I would let the bars and the bags go for $25.00
plus whatever it cost to ship them to you...
This is a great deal for someone waiting and saving up to get the
better bags...

http://www.greenknights36.com/gallery3/index.php/My-Bags/DSC_6268
 
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Merlin III

New member
I will take it. Sorry to say, but from what I am seeing in the computer models, you could be hit twice by the same storm. Good luck, I also live on the coast and not too many days ago they were saying that there was a good chance of that SOB storm hitting us. Keep in touch.
 
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Woodswoman

Member
I am sitting waiting for a hurricane to strike in Melbourne Florida
but afterwards if I survive and all my things make it through...

Take care, friend. My Godmom is hunkered down not far from you, in Palm Bay. I'll have you both in my prayers.

Check in when you can, please?
 

burdicda

Member
So far so good
The hurricane remained off shore and only about 65mph wind gust
Have to wait it out....

Will get specifics later Merlin III no problem...
 

Steven

Member
It's good to see it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I have a question... I have a package being held up in Florida by the USPS, whatever happened to rain sleet and snow??? :)
 

ofdave

Member
It's good to see it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I have a question... I have a package being held up in Florida by the USPS, whatever happened to rain sleet and snow??? :)

They've been replaced by downed power lines and flooded streets.
Hope it's in a waterproof bag.
 

casper

New member
I ended up with a set of motocentric-touring-saddlebags for like 50 bucks. They replaced my cortech soft bags. Semi rigid, loads of space. Mounted them over the seat and man they fit well. Love them.
 
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