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Tsukayu Hard Bags Review & Installation guide

While I have been looking for "THE" saddle bad/hard bag I have explored many options. I was considering becoming a dealer for Tsukayu.
 The ranges of price and size are boggling. Bags such as Champion, National Cycle and Yamaha's OEM where very expensive and the ones I found for under $200.00 where not what I was looking for as far as styling, fit and finish, while nice in their own right, just not what I wanted.
Enter www.Tsukayu.com, They carry two kinds of bags, one looks like the traditional HD police bags and the other like
the Champion "Beatle" bags. I was looking for more of a flow with my bike, so I took the "Strong" model. I decided I would order them painted.
You have two choices, Black painted or primer. I chose black. I order them off the website, $400.00 (ok, not too bad.).
They are located in Hong Kong, so things do take longer to get here. About two weeks go by and my bags arrive. Here is something
I've never seen before other then when they transplant organs. The bags came packed in a container that looks like a beer cooler!. The packing worked, but it was just barley good enough. The paint on the bags is in my opinion of marginal quality. Black shows everything, the finish
on the bags has been wet sanded and buffed to take out most of the fish eye and pitting. They appear to be painted with lacquer as it is very
hard and will chip easily. Is it worth the $40.00 difference from primed? Yes. Do they look good? Yes.
Will I repaint them in urethane next winter? YES. Will I become a dealer? I'm still trying to decide. They are a decent set of bags and a reasonable value for $400.00. Anyway here is the rest of my review and install guide.

(These are for the Classic)
Tools Needed are as follows..
I'll be using a bike lift, not needed, but makes this a lot easier.
14mm, 17mm, wrenches, 4mm, 5mm allen wrenches, Drill with 5/16th and 3/8th bits, 
painters tape, soft towel or blanket to cover the pipes and lay the bags on while you work on them.
Tape measure, yard stick, marking paint, flash light or spot light and one box of stainless steel 
5/16 fender washers (these will be used for aligning and shimming the bags) and Loctite thread locker. 
Supplement any instruction questions with those that come with the bags.

Torin Lift With blocks installed	Lifting on the $59.00 Torin Motorcycle lift	Lifting on the $59.00 Torin Motorcycle lift	The Torin Lift, Cheap but works the cats ass!	Start by removing the pillon, place a piece of 1in thick foam over the pipe as a spacer. Too close to the bags and they'll melt!  Bolt the brackets on with the supplied spacers tighten enough to reposition with your hands, yet hold the position for permanent installation.. Start with the exhaust side to position with the pipes.
CLEAR YOUR SWINGARM! If you install the bags too close to the swing arm it will punch out the bottom of your bags! I removed the link bolts and pushed the wheel all the way into the fender and adjusted the front mount for clearance. This is where I ended up. As you test fit the bags you will see what the clearance is between the swing arm, axel and bags. Want to be sure? Pull the link and push the tire up all the way. I can't be held responsible if you don't check you own stuff.	Put painters tape on the back of the bag to protect it from scratches and to give a surface to mark the drill points on. Hold the bag on the bike to get the position where you think it looks best Do not install closer then 1/4in from the rear turn signals they do vibrate Check the lid lines on the bag, keep it parallel with the bottom of the gas tank . Remember your clearances!	Now install the 4 bolts on the brackets, screw them all the way in flush on the mounts. Next practice putting the bag into position so the tape will contact the bolt heads. Now comes the fun part! I used thick black Rustolium paint to coat the tops of the bolts. Next, I positioned the bag and pressed it against the bolts so the paint marks transferred onto the taped back of the bag. Move quickly to lay the bag flat on a soft surface so it does not get scratched.	If you've laid the bag flat quickly and pressed hard you'll see an impression of the bolt head on the tape within the paint. If you pressed hard enough you can read the letters from the bolt heads! Tricky huh! Get your drill with the 5/16 bit, center on your marks and drill all 4 holes. Change out to the 3/8th bit and drill ONLY the bottom 2 holes. This will give you a little adjustment room for final fitting. Carefully peel the tape off, remember there is wet paint and fiberglass chips. Don't forget to clean the paint off the bolts. Your bag is now ready to test mount.	Test fit the bag, AGAIN! Check your clearances. Do not use the rubber washers or spacers yet. Snug all the bolts on the bag an attached to the bike. Once you have verified everything lines up. Remove the bags WITH the brackets STILL ATTACHED. You are going to use this assembled side to transfer the measurements to the other bag.
Ready for slick trick #2! Take the other brackets and tape then opposed to the correctly mounted brackets on the bag you just mounted. I used zip ties to align and tighten them to the bolt holes. Since what you want to do is mirror/transfer the bolt holes, you can see how this will work. Tape the back of your undrilled bag like was done before. You'll do the same thing with the paint marks in the next step.	OK, This is important. Practice this before you make your marks. Place the bags facing each other on a flat surface, on a soft towel of blanket. Use a 2x4 as a straight edge to back both bags against so the are in line front to rear. Slide the undrilled bag away and back in to see how the bolts will touch to mark the back.	Ready? Now, put some thick black paint on the bolt heads and press together to make your marks. Drill your holes as you did on the first bag. Peel and discard the tape. Remember the paint, clean off the bolts and hands before you handle the bags.	Mount the brackets on this side as you did on the exhaust side. Snug them so you can move them as you adjust them into position. Remember to use Loctite	Get a box of stainless steel fender washers. You are going to use Loctite on the bolts to keep them from vibrating out. Put one fender washer on the inside of the bag and the rubber sealing washer in the outside, capped with another fender washer. Bolt the bag on, making small adjustments as you tighten the bag. It may be needed to use some extra fender washers to shim the bags in and out slightly as the brackets, bags and fender are not perfectly square Remember to use the rubber sealing washers.
Take a look! Nice Eeh? Take the bike off the lift and  check the clearances

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