Broken saddlebag lid latch

coaster · Jul 23, 2012

The saddlebag latch system has to be without a doubt the weakest link on the NT, not worthy of HONDA.

The plastic portion of the left saddlebag lid latch, cracked and broke off last week making it impossible to close the left saddlebag.
I managed to epoxy it all back together with J B Weld.
After it had cured overnight I reinforced root area on both lids with tough fabric saturated with J B Weld, making it much stronger than the original flimsy half assed arrangement.
It is my hope that it will never fail again.

I have learned a few things during this process.
Be gentle, treat the saddlebags with Kidd gloves.
Never slam the lid.
Never overstuff the saddlebag and force the lid close, this puts unnecessary stress on and already weak latch.
When opening the saddlebag, first press on the lid to relive pressure before pulling on the latch release lever.

The latch failed at home, had the failure happened 200 miles from it would have been a real PITA.
I have since discovered that using a length of nylon cord wrapped around one of the saddlebag hinges and tied to the passenger grab rail will hold the lid in the closed position. I now carry a small amount of nylon cord in my tool kit in case this happens again.

Has anyone identified a presentable external latch to replace the existing latch system?

1TRAK · Jul 24, 2012

The right side bag on mine was a PITA like both of yours.

I used my bags for travel and after the latches aggravated/disappointed one time to many I upgraded to the VSTROM 650 with factory bags and topbox.
They work fine and have a simple and effective key latch for each one.

I agree with coaster that they're not up to HONDA standards and am surprised they weren't fixed when the European market started complaining about them.

androu · Jul 24, 2012

My left side lid broke around the latch as well. The lid was replaced under warranty, and now I'm just a lot more careful about keeping the mechanism clean and I try to be very gentle when opening and closing. It's one thing on this bike that really isn't made too well, it should be simpler and more robust IMO.

Madmax · Jul 24, 2012

This is not a first for Honda. The trunk latch on the Goldwing has had problems also.

tawilke46 · Jul 24, 2012

This is an earlier post I made in January concerning my left saddlebag broken latch.

Re: Broken Latch Left Saddlebag
I went out into the garage this morning and did the epoxy fix. I completely filled the void at the top end of the latch connection. Will let it cure for 24 hours, put it back together and see if the holes line up properly. Will be anxious to see if there is any binding between the latch on the side cover and the catch inside the bag. Hoping it will work smoothly. This is just a temporary fix anyway. Pics below:

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h417/tawilke46/IMG_0420.jpg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h417/tawilke46/IMG_0418.jpg

As you can see the plastic was cracked all over the place, like it was real brittle. Cracks had migrated into the flange area and were propagating out to the edges.
I had 4 little pieces to try to line up before the epoxy set too hard to move them. Hard to do when the pieces are sticking to your fingers!

Will be taking bike to the dealer next week to file a warranty claim and get a new lid ordered. Maybe I will epoxy fill all four of the voids on both lids to reinforce the latch area.

EDIT 4:51pm: I installed the metal latch after chasing the screw holes with a drill. Attached the latch and so far everything is working just as it should. HOORAY!!
The epoxy worked better than I imagined it would. Should have used epoxy on the first fix.
So now I can concentrate on riding and eventually getting a new lid!

Warren · Jul 24, 2012

I have had very little sucess is glueing things. Eventually it seems all the glue joints fail. Epoxy on the other hand has always worked well for me and I can't think of a time I have had an epoxy joint fail and I have used it for some faily extensive repairs on motorcycles including areas that see some gas, oil and heat. Fortunately my latches have worked well for me so far.

coaster · Jul 24, 2012

tawilke46 said:
This is an earlier post I made in January concerning my left saddlebag broken latch.

Re: Broken Latch Left Saddlebag
I went out into the garage this morning and did the epoxy fix. I completely filled the void at the top end of the latch connection. Will let it cure for 24 hours, put it back together and see if the holes line up properly. Will be anxious to see if there is any binding between the latch on the side cover and the catch inside the bag. Hoping it will work smoothly. This is just a temporary fix anyway. Pics below:

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h417/tawilke46/IMG_0420.jpg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h417/tawilke46/IMG_0418.jpg

As you can see the plastic was cracked all over the place, like it was real brittle. Cracks had migrated into the flange area and were propagating out to the edges.
I had 4 little pieces to try to line up before the epoxy set too hard to move them. Hard to do when the pieces are sticking to your fingers!

Will be taking bike to the dealer next week to file a warranty claim and get a new lid ordered. Maybe I will epoxy fill all four of the voids on both lids to reinforce the latch area.

EDIT 4:51pm: I installed the metal latch after chasing the screw holes with a drill. Attached the latch and so far everything is working just as it should. HOORAY!!
The epoxy worked better than I imagined it would. Should have used epoxy on the first fix.
So now I can concentrate on riding and eventually getting a new lid!

I epoxied the broken pieces together like you did but I kept everything aligned by using a piece of plastic tubing I had that just fit the screw holes.
After the epoxy cured I reinforced the entire root area with fabric saturated with JB Weld.

elizilla · Jul 25, 2012

aaronblack said:
Its plastic ppl. What can we expect?

A lot more than this. I have a Givi case that I loaned to one of my friends, and she crashed with it. Her bike slid down the road on the case. The case was scratched, but still 100% serviceable, waterproof, solid. This case is plastic. Plastic doesn't have to be flimsy.

The NT is the only bike I have ever owned with factory luggage. And since I have had it I've been looking more closely at other bikes I see that have factory luggage. I've concluded that factory luggage is not a feature I'm interested in. The aftermarket does a terrific job here, and the OEMs, well, they don't. Even the best factory luggage is flimsier, and they absolutely KILL you on the price of the parts.

The old Connie luggage mounts break really easily in drops. (Right Phil?) The new Connies have had a lot of trouble with bags falling off and bouncing down the road. The Triumph guys complain of water getting in. My BMW riding friend paid $1400 to replace a side case that was unusable after a drop. The 2004 V-Strom that I borrowed had the flimsiest luggage I have ever seen. The Super10 forum has tales of the factory bags coming apart.

RedLdr1 · Jul 25, 2012

aaronblack said:
Its plastic ppl. What can we expect?

How about a quality, reliable, product that will last the life of the bike? That said I have to admit I didn't have any real issues with the NT luggage. But, I converted over to the Euro Large Pannier Lids and used them the entire time I owned my NT. I thought those lids lined up better when closing them and were easier to close than my stock lids.

elizilla said:
I've concluded that factory luggage is not a feature I'm interested in. The aftermarket does a terrific job here, and the OEMs, well, they don't. Even the best factory luggage is flimsier, and they absolutely KILL you on the price of the parts

Well some factory luggage does pretty good... After keeping the same basic design on their Touring Saddlebags and Tour-Pak for a loooong time Harley does get it right. Plus they offer OEM "Crash Bars" and Rails to really protect the Saddlebags in a SAD...something the NT could use but isn't easily "doable" because of the frame design. Since everyone knows H-D really means Hundred-Dollars I do have to agree with you on the prices....

Phil Tarman · Jul 25, 2012

Katherine, you're definitely right about the Connie 10's "antler" -- that's the name everyone gave the L-shaped bracket that the luggage mounted to. It was made out of brittle cast metal of some sort and broke easily and regularly. But I have to say I liked the C-10s luggage. It would scrape up, but could easily be resurfaced with a heat gun or low heat from a torch. The bags were waterproof, the latches worked. The locks were nothing extra (only 2 keys for all the Connies in the world), but I never had anything stolen from one. I miss being able to remove the bag.

All that said, I have to say that I haven't had any trouble with the NT's bags in about 40,000 miles. Other than the fact that mine somehow got scraped up. :-(

Warren · Jul 25, 2012

I have not had any problems with my NT bags either and the plus to them being built in is the narrow width. You hardly know they are there and if you need more room for camping etc just interchange them with the large ones. Pretty flexible in my mind.

Phil Tarman · Jul 25, 2012

You mean that they got more scraped up while I was in Spearfish????

I'll have to go check that out.

Rich · Jul 25, 2012

elizilla said:
I've concluded that factory luggage is not a feature I'm interested in. The aftermarket does a terrific job here, and the OEMs, well, they don't. Even the best factory luggage is flimsier, and they absolutely KILL you on the price of the parts.

Gotta take some issue with this one. I drove ST's fot 17 years and never had a single problem with the factory luggage and in fact they proved quite able to take a hit:

Dropped my 1100 on black ice. The right-side bag got some minor surface scratches in the paint from the gravel on the shoulder.

I was rear-ended on my 1100. Cracked both bags, but no holes and they retained sufficient rainproof capability until I replaced them about 2 weeks later. They ARE expensive, as you point out. The insurance of the guy who rear-ended me covered it, but it was like $1700 to replace all 4 plastic pieces. But, as I said, the bags remained usable.

I totaled my first 1300, but the bags were totally unscathed.

On none of these bags did I have problems with water leakage, latches, or "bags falling off". The NT has unique design flaws in this area that in my opinion are NOT shared with the ST's.

suvcw04 · Jul 26, 2012

$1700 for bags. YEOW!!
MANY years ago, when a new car still cost under $3000, one of the cars mags figured up what it would cost to buy an entire car from the parts bin a piece at a time. They came up with a cost of nearly 10 times the cost of the car, and that did not include assembly. So does that mean we are riding $90,000 motorcycles? Makes that new bike sitting on the dealer's floor look like a real bargain!!

elizilla · Aug 1, 2012

suvcw04 said:
$1700 for bags. YEOW!!
MANY years ago, when a new car still cost under $3000, one of the cars mags figured up what it would cost to buy an entire car from the parts bin a piece at a time. They came up with a cost of nearly 10 times the cost of the car, and that did not include assembly. So does that mean we are riding $90,000 motorcycles? Makes that new bike sitting on the dealer's floor look like a real bargain!!

This is why people take running bikes apart and sell the parts on eBay.

zaxs · Sep 25, 2012

My right lid latch broke a few weeks ago I don't ever over stuff or carry heavy items in them. I was able to get the lid replaced under warranty. Then this week my left lid latch broke a screw and the only think in it was my zipper pouch with my kindle fire in it. My dealer said it's because the screws got loose but I have been checking them. Then yesterday while driving home I hit a pot hole and my lid popped open on the highway. It was completely empty at the time and I am positive that it was latched. I think the latches are breaking when I hit pot holes on the highway and my 260lbs is flexing the bike is breaking off the latches. I am thinking about having a metal shop make a aluminum frame with latches and then cover the frame with some custom leather work. Has anyone attempted to make their own lids?

RedNigel · Sep 25, 2012

Tattoo Paul said:
I've had no problem (yet) with my latches. However, I did install four "Bungee Buddies" to the top of the lids. They allow me to bungee down a roll bag on the pillion if I want to keep the Coocase empty

Paul can you elaborate on your bungee buddy system? Did you drill holes in the pannier lid?

Husker · Sep 26, 2012

Could you post pictures please. Thanks. I use my bags every day when I ride to and from work and they can be a real pain.

coaster · Sep 28, 2012

Tattoo Paul said:
Pics of "Bungee Buddies" installed on saddlebag lid.

A piece of strong nylon cord wrapped around the saddle bag hindges and tied the the passenger graprail will hold the lid closed.

Old Bob · Sep 29, 2012

I find I am using the NT more and more for running about making various trips (what a great bike it is) and am about to fit the larger pannier lids (I got them as part of the purchase deal running in the UK, but haven't got round to fitting them yet). I find I'm carrying more stuff around and might as well have the extra capacity available for if I need it. Having finally taken a close look, that mounting point for the latches really does look flimsy. Has anyone tried filling around the area with epoxy resin (or similar) prior to fitting the lids - as an attempt to add a little extra strength to a bad design? I thought it might be worth a try to repair them BEFORE they break.

Bob

Broken saddlebag lid latch

coaster

1TRAK

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androu

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Madmax

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tawilke46

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Warren

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coaster

elizilla

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RedLdr1

Phil Tarman

Warren

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Phil Tarman

Rich

suvcw04

elizilla

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zaxs

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RedNigel

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coaster

Old Bob

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