[Topgun61]

Looking to see if any people have any of these brackets and what are your opinions.

I have looked at both websites and understand what they offer.

I have also looked at the thread regarding them. Just looking to see if anyone else uses them and what the pro's / con's are?

Also, does anyone know where you can find them cheaper than $155?


Thanks,
Nate

 

[Raven]

I have the Ghost brackets. Here is my run down after a five day 2200km trip

Pros:

-Easy to remove the bags for cleaning the bike and for riding with out the bags
-lockable on the bike, and easily removed with just the turn of a key

Cons:

-make the bags stick way to far off the bike
-after a little while the coating wears away where the brackets fit over the slotted pegs and the bags are loose and move around if they have nothing in them (makes a rattling when riding)



I guess my pros and cons could be applied to either of the brackets because of the nature of the beast. I am going to used them this season and over the winter I may try to come up with a better way of mounting them.

 

[Raven]

Just to add to my dislikes of the Ghost brackets. After I got back from this last road trip I wanted to pull the bags off to clean the bike. Well the left side came off with some difficulty but the right side would not budge. I had to remove the fender bolt and wiggle the bolt out to the bracket. Once I had it off I looked and the mounting pegs had not only worn through the coating on the brackets but also started to wear throughout the metal. So now I'm stuck with bags that I can't mount and a set of brackets that I paid good money for that are crap.....

 

[bekohlko]

I have a set of the Easy Brackets. I agree with Raven's pros about them, and also dislike how far they make the bags stick out. I haven't had any problems with removing them or re-installing them though. They go on and off perfectly every time. They also don't rattle at all at higher speeds, whether they're full or empty. I usually leave them on unless I'm just going for a short ride, or if I'm going somewhere that I want the bike to look better. I got the bracket for free from Easy Brackets for helping develop them for the Stryker with a backrest. But to me they would still be well worth the $150 investment.

 

[Raven]

Hey bekohlko. I found that mine rattled a lot when they were empty. It was like the front slots were too wide for the brackets and after rattling around so much this is what I was left with.

It not only wore through the coating but started on the metal now too.

 

[ojhendrix]

Can someone confirm as to weather or not any set of bags will be able to work with the easy bracket. Im about to make the purchase on these brackets and id like to know what saddle bags they will and will not work with.

 

[otrp]

I have Easy Brackets on another bike. They are really nice. However, one thing to keep in mind is, when you sell your bike, you will most likely have to sell the brackets.

If you want to transfer your brackets to another bike someday, get the Ghost Brackets (Gen III, Edge, or whatever they call them now). They are adjustable and will fit other bikes.

Example: Fender bolts on my old bike are 5 1/2 inches apart, center to center. The Stryker bolts center to center are 6 1/2 inches apart. I would have to have the brackets on my other bike fabricated to fit the Stryker, due to the mounting holes not being aligned the same for both bikes.

I could have fabricated the brackets to fit the Stryker and had the lock mechanism moved so it would work, but I might as well have bought a new set of brackets for the cost and trouble.

I spoke to Easy Brackets about this issue. The only remedy they had for me was to sell me a new set for the Stryker at a 10% discount because I was a repeat customer.. This can get expensive for me since I get a new bike every three or four years.

If I ever go the removable route again, I will use Ghost Brackets, Edge. They will fit a large variety of bikes.

My two cents

 

[bekohlko]

Can someone confirm as to weather or not any set of bags will be able to work with the easy bracket. Im about to make the purchase on these brackets and id like to know what saddle bags they will and will not work with.

To answer your question, yes they will fit pretty much any saddle bags.

 

[jmules]

Can someone confirm as to weather or not any set of bags will be able to work with the easy bracket. Im about to make the purchase on these brackets and id like to know what saddle bags they will and will not work with.

Yeah the easy brackets drill into whatever bags you have. They are a square-ish bracket that you can put on the bag at a variety of different angles. They literally screw/bolt onto the bag so you can take the bags on/off the mounting posts as desired. Just need to make sure the bags fit you bike (Exhaust clearance, etc).