Conely’s Retro Saddlebag Install
We had been lusting after a set of these bags since we first saw them, and after playing phone tag with the Conely’s team for what seemed liked forever, some finally ended up on our 1997 Dyna. Here’s how it all happened.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- The heart of the system lies in Conely’s bag frames that come with the proper mounts to secure them to a myriad of H-D models.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- Since we were putting new bags on an old bike, we bought some new hardware to replace the crusty old OEM hardware. We suggest you always do the same as well.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- The bag frame simply goes right on in the stock location where the fender is bolted to the rear frame horns.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- On the right side of the bike you can see that we had to rotate our Progressive Suspension piggyback shocks as not to interfere with the bag mounts. We also had to bend the bag frame slightly so the bag would clear the rear brake caliper.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- On the left side of the bike we also rotated the shock but had no other clearance issues with the mounting of the bag frame.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- On the back of the bag the Spin-Lock mounts can be seen.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- When installing the bag it first snaps onto the bottom rail of the bag frame.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- Then the bag is opened and the Spin-Lock mounts are screwed into the bag frame. And just like that they were mounted on the bike!
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- The bag on the left is in its regular guise, but the bag on the right is in its expanded state. Yes, there is room for a ton of items both large and small in these bags.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
- And there you have it. In less than 20 minutes we had the new Retro bags on the bike and we were ready to go bomin’ and baggin’ down the highway carrying anything we please.
Words and Photos: Jeff G. Holt
There are just some people in this world who don’t want a bagger. That doesn’t mean that people who don’t ride touring bikes don’t want bags on their bikes from time to time. It seems like forever that there was only the choice of adapting some hard bags to the bike in some sort of hokey fashion or to use some throw-over leather bags that looked more accustom on a horse than a motorcycle.
That was until Conely’s Customs hit the scene with its saddlebags. The Conely’s Retro saddlebags ($699) are reminiscent of the coveted Harley-Davidson’s T-Sport bags found on a few Dyna models back in the 1990s, but the Retro bags have been reworked, upgraded, and will now fit on Dynas, Sportsters, Softails, and even (gasp) Baggers. The Retro bags are constructed from 1680D ballistic nylon and top-grain leather, have stout zippers, and even come with shoulder straps for easy carrying when off the bike. These saddlebags can also expand to almost 13 inches wide when needed, so you can carry anything those guys with hard bags can. The bags come complete with mounting hardware, an ingenious Spin-Lock bag attachment design, and stout steel-constructed bag frames that can hold even the most loaded bags securely.
We had been lusting after a set of these bags since we first saw them, and after playing phone tag with the Conely’s team for what seemed liked forever, some finally ended up on our 1997 Dyna. Here’s how it all happened.
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