BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Has anyone ever encountered a super hard to close saddlebag? It is very hard to lock down the medal handle portion of the saddlebag onto the motorcycle. It seems to me something must be binding up, but I am not sure what it is. Just thought I would ask for some advice before I pull out the dremel tool and start grinding away on the latch mechanism.

DON"T GRIND ANYTHING!!!!

You didn't say if it's a new or old case. If either the bike or the case is relatively new, it will be stiff until the plastic hooks on the case bed themselves in on the rails. What usually happens is that the bag doesn't quite seat properly.

I am assuming that you have the foot properly located. Make sure there is nothing jambing the lid. The support straps have a habit of folding the wrong way and jambing between the lid and case shell. Just push down on the bag to make sure that the hooks fully seat on the rail. That should make the latch work a little easier until it all wears in.

My full size left case was so tight when I fitted it I thought I would break the handle. After many thousands of kilometres, it is much looser, but still far tighter than the orginal right case. The big handle locks the case to the rail. I can close both latches together just fine, but it's easier if you have the lid closed first.

ewenn342 wrote:Has anyone ever encountered a super hard to close saddlebag? It is very hard to lock down the medal handle portion of the saddlebag onto the motorcycle. It seems to me something must be binding up, but I am not sure what it is. Just thought I would ask for some advice before I pull out the dremel tool and start grinding away on the latch mechanism.

The thinner, metal, inner handle doesn't lock down onto the bike...it is the latch for the case itself. It opens/latches the cover. The outer, thicker plastic handle locks the case onto the bike. Sooo...
If you are having problems latching the case shut, make sure the case is fully closed, no obstructions to latch mechanism.
Does the latch work smoothly w/ the case open? If so, it just may be that the hooks and slots are not perfectly aligned. You know what can happen when your hooks are not aligned with your slots, right??
They could just need to worn in...mine did not, tho, and the latch works as smoothly with the case open as with it shut....Whaddya expect for $700?
I always close the inner latch first, then the big handle that secures the case to the bike. I don't know if this the preferred way or not, but give it a try....

Make sure you've turned the key all the way round....

The case has straps inside, to secure gear. Be sure those straps are not hanging out the bottom.

riceburner wrote:Make sure you've turned the key all the way round....

Can't emphasize that enough!! I've tried locking down my cases and though the tab looks like its all the way in, if it is just a hair out of alignment the handle wont close properly. Keep working the key, open and close a few times and see if that frees up the closing mechanism.

rph802 wrote:
Can't emphasize that enough!! I've tried locking down my cases and though the tab looks like its all the way in, if it is just a hair out of alignment the handle wont close properly. Keep working the key, open and close a few times and see if that frees up the closing mechanism.

Also, if you're not careful, you can snap the arm that locks the case to the rail so make sure you see the bag carefully before locking it down. I've noticed it's pretty difficult to lock it down but after making sure it's seated properly, it locks in fine, but I do have to apply a fair amount of pressure.