warles Posted December 27, 2017 Share Posted December 27, 2017 I wanted to post a review of my experience with these so far now that I've put a few miles on them. Before buying them I hadn't seen any somewhat long-term reviews and thought it might be helpful. First impression - definitely attractive, if a little bloated looking, but nothing too serious. Definitely much wider than the stock Yammer bags (more on that in a bit). I own a '16 FJ in the silver/carbon/blue color scheme and bought the Shad bags with the fake carbon panels - GREAT color match there for sure. Setup was very straightforward - just swap out stock bag mounts for the Shad ones, pretty straightforward. Seems solid, haven't had any issues with them loosening up, falling, etc. Even tapped a couple of poles with the right case and it stayed strong. Travel - Riding with them has been very comfortable so far. I don't notice any turbulence and the change in gas mileage, while noticable to the tune of 1-3 MPGs, it isn't crazy. With the bags on, I've been averaging highway touring at about 48mpg. These are not your ideal bags for lane splitting. Shad adds some spacers between the bike and the bag that end up pushing it out an inch and a half further total. I personally think they would look a hell of a lot better if the bag was molded to sit closer to the bike instead of taking the spacer shortcut. Fit. They obviously fit a full-face helmet and then some. For a 3 day trip, I had more than enough space for clothes, toiletries, etc. but I also had an 11l tank bag to compliment the side cases. I haven't done any camping with the current setup yet but a concern of mine is fitting a tent in them - would definitely need to be a relatively small backpacker's tent. That said, I'm happy with them so far. And at the pricepoint, you really can't ask for much more. As a side note, Shad USA has also been a breeze to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Nice review and photos. Only things I would add are that the optional inner bags are very useful as they keep your stuff together and then just take the bag out when you arrive. When I carry a tent I don’t leave it in the original tent bag. I put the poles in first, across the widest diagonal, then stuff the flysheet and inner around the poles. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted December 28, 2017 Premium Member Share Posted December 28, 2017 +1 on the Shad inner bags. I've got 23k miles on my 2015 bought new in July 2016 with the SH36 side cases and SH46 top case. Because of my overly large gut (I'm working to reduce which is hard once your +60) and lowered handle bars to put more weight on the front end, I can only use a mini tank bag but strap a 40L roll top dry bag on the pillion for the camping gear. With the foregoing luggage I should have plenty of room for everything I need but not necessarily all I want to bring. I get lousy gas mileage with our without the side cases and always run the top case. However I'm north of 255 #s with gear and in cool/cold weather run a Givi touring screen with the bolt-on MRW spoiler. Plus I installed Givi case guards with LED driving lights and second low-tone disc horn facing front below the fairing. That's a lot of wind drag while running crappy ethonol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted December 28, 2017 Supporting Member Share Posted December 28, 2017 These are not your ideal bags for lane splitting. Shad adds some spacers between the bike and the bag that end up pushing it out an inch and a half further total. I personally think they would look a hell of a lot better if the bag was molded to sit closer to the bike instead of taking the spacer shortcut. That is my only (very minor) complaint as well, they are WIDE. The OEM bags look more integrated from the rear but also dont have the same storage capacity and are about twice the cost. As mentioned above, the inner bags are a "must have" add-on. One other "Plus" is their water tight integrity. This past summer we were crossing the wasteland of central Nevada and got caught in 3 consecutive rain storms, absolute downpours, and there wasn't a drop of water inside the cases. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhs10 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 ...also the little shelf built into the cases make it very easy to pack everything in. '15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras... Fayetteville, GA, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warles Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 The OEM bags look much more integrated indeed! Just lacking in the total capacity department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warles Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 +1 on the Shad inner bags. I've got 23k miles on my 2015 bought new in July 2016 with the SH36 side cases and SH46 top case. Because of my overly large gut (I'm working to reduce which is hard once your +60) and lowered handle bars to put more weight on the front end, I can only use a mini tank bag but strap a 40L roll top dry bag on the pillion for the camping gear. With the foregoing luggage I should have plenty of room for everything I need but not necessarily all I want to bring. I get lousy gas mileage with our without the side cases and always run the top case. However I'm north of 255 #s with gear and in cool/cold weather run a Givi touring screen with the bolt-on MRW spoiler. Plus I installed Givi case guards with LED driving lights and second low-tone disc horn facing front below the fairing. That's a lot of wind drag while running crappy ethonol. I've been considering adding the top case as well for mileage/lane splitting but there are a ton of choices from Shad. How do you feel having ridden with the 46 for a while? My initial thoughts were that it was a bit big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamarider Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Could you post a pic of rhe rear of the bike. Just picked my fj and am looking for side cases and would like to get an idea of how they look on the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamarider Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Could you post a pic of rhe rear of the bike. Just picked my fj and am looking for side cases and would like to get an idea of how they look on the bike.See this post. Thanks for that link. They are wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2linby Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 I had a 2001 Concours for 17 years (recently sold with the purchase or the FJ09) and not having hard cases was not an option I was willing to sacrifice. I also has a 2014 Versys 650 and decided on the Shad SH36 cases instead of the GIVI for reasons of better price, much cleaner mounting system, brackets actually look good without the bags on and they fit a full face helmet with ease. That being said I removed the bags from the Versys when it sold and purchased mounts for the FJ09. IMHO these are the best bags for this bike. They maybe a little large, but hey THEY FIT A FULL FACE HELMET!!! One gripe is when you remove the bags and place them on the ground they have a tendency of falling over. I fixed this by attaching a set of Peavey Guitar amplifier rubber "feet" to the underside of the SH36's. They make the bags stand up perfectly now. Easy fix! I also placed moto-reflective tape on the bags for more conspicuity. And +1 on the bags being waterproof. I ride in the Northwest everyday (yes that is actual road dirt on the bags and the bike! "The horror!" Oh and mounting the Peavey amp feet (purchased from Amazon - just do a search) with 1/4" stainless bolts with unlock nuts and flat washers. I put a dap of silicon on the bolts to seal up the holes! Everything is simple, Nothing is easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicymayo Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 I've had the SH36 on my 2016 FJ for about 15,000km. I love them. Pros: Size: While I liked the look of the stock bags, they were too small. I really wanted something I could store my helmet in when I was off the bike. Liner Bags: They change everything. Being able to get to work open the side case and just pull out your bag, throw it over your shoulder and go is great. Quality: Solidly made, look good, water proof, fairly scratch proof Looks: They are a bit fat, but it's for a purpose. I do think they look really suit the look of this bike. It's not like the rear subframe was all that attractive to begin with. Cons: Mounting: Like others have said it'd be nice if they mounted tighter to the bike, but then you wouldn't be able to open the latch to remove them. Minor Gripe Falling over: Someone else mentioned that they can't be placed on the ground. It can be annoying, but I remove them so rarely it's not really an issue. Combined with the SH48 top case, and a tail bag I have more than enough storage for all road trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted February 2, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted February 2, 2018 I also placed moto-reflective tape on the bags for more conspicuity. I had never heard of this before. I just Google'd it and it looks awesome! Motoreflective I'm going to place an order now. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2linby Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 I've had the SH36 on my 2016 FJ for about 15,000km. I love them. Falling over: Someone else mentioned that they can't be placed on the ground. It can be annoying, but I remove them so rarely it's not really an issue. Peavey amp rubber feet. Fixes everything for about $8.00! Everything is simple, Nothing is easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 I also placed moto-reflective tape on the bags for more conspicuity. I had never heard of this before. I just Google'd it and it looks awesome! Motoreflective I'm going to place an order now. I saw that and thought what a great idea too. Scotchlite black reflective is the base material if you don’t want to be constrained to motoreflective. I’ve just ordered some squares for the side cases and I like that they only stand out at night. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 3, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted February 3, 2018 What diameter Peavey feet did you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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