extended saddlebag fix

[low n slow]

What have you done or seen to help keep the paint from getting chipped and beaten up on your extended bags? I looked at what the MOCO has done on the new SE Road Glides and thought there has to be another(cheaper) way. After fixing the chips and repaint the bags, any ideas on how to prevent it happening again? Looking at .100 thick stainless secured on the bottom with 3M two sided tape to take the scraping. Yeah, I know, my painters' gotta eat too. Any ideas?

[baggrfred]

If you don't mind the edge lines, there's clear urethane protection film out there that you can cut to fit almost anywhere you need. I have it under my seat in the areas that the seat touches and also on the bottoms of the bags. It's the same stuff the MOCO puts on the rear edges of the side panels behind the bags. There are full kits for many bikes and cars that are pre cut and ready to install. 3M makes 'em. I'm not overly fond of putting the film on areas that I see all the time, but everyone has their own tastes for the stuff. If the chips bother you enough, this stuff will protect the paint. It's tough to put on and get it 100% bubble free until you get a system down pat. Some areas need application fluid while others don't. Most paint suppliers can get different size rolls if you only want to do a few custom areas. It's not cheap, but neither is repainting.
Jeff

[low n slow]

Bggerfred, I've looked into the 3M clear film with my local parts store. They told me about 3M approved people who apply this film to cars,bikes,whatever you need. American Bagger had an article in the Nov.08 about it on saddlebag covers, this I am going to try. Found a guy in Green Bay Wi. who has a business installing it, made contact and talked to him about the chipping problem. His thoughts were even this would get beaten up along the bottom, but would work very well on the covers and the front edge of the bag. That lead me to think of the stainless or even a high abrasion resistant plastic. There are plastic liners that we use in dumptruck beds to help sticky clay slide out, finding a 1/8 or so thickness might be a challenge. Maybe even AR 400 10 gauge along the bottom, so long as it doesn't look too godawful. I guess if it was an easy fix, it wouldn't be any fun.  Onzie