14 replies to this topic

[Kiwi_Roy]

Hi,
A set of Tekno saddlebags came with my V11 Sport, These have faded in the sun to sort of light purple colour.
Does anyone know how to restore these to Black.
I cant seem to find who makes these, does anyone know manufacturer, web site etc.
Thanks in advance
Roy

[Guzzirider]

Hi,
A set of Tekno saddlebags came with my V11 Sport, These have faded in the sun to sort of light purple colour.
Does anyone know how to restore these to Black.
I cant seem to find who makes these, does anyone know manufacturer, web site etc.
Thanks in advance
Roy

Not sure if the company exists any more Roy. I occasionally use Nikwax tent and fabric waterproofer on mine and this cleans, waterproofs and makes em go darker for a few days!

[df2]

Hi,
A set of Tekno saddlebags came with my V11 Sport, These have faded in the sun to sort of light purple colour.
Does anyone know how to restore these to Black.
I cant seem to find who makes these, does anyone know manufacturer, web site etc.
Thanks in advance
Roy

Are they soft or hard plastic? If plastic then I highly suggest s100 engine brightner. If they are soft bags, I don't know, dye maybe?

[The Monkey]

If they become too wretched, the new bags for the Griso use the same latch mechanism. It does require movement on the bag to clear the V11 exhaust. Ive noticed the price of the Griso bags dropping, think I will coax another season out of the Teckno stock set then consider replacement. It is just an oil base fabric so a dye or shoe polish will bring the black back. A waterproofing spray over that should result in a non running color. Its probably why the cans are purple on the stock exhaust. Ive had to beef up the nylon straps on the stock set and those plastic zippers should be given back to the fiends that invented them. The Griso bags I see have exactly the same potential shortcomings. There are proper soft bags out there, one just has to carve up, drill and bolt in some acrylic pieces to mimic the shape of the replacement bag inside. Or buy a set of glass bags and mount the latch on them. Then your set, real bags with the teckno easy latch. Good Luck!

[Skeeve]

Krylon makes a paint esp. for plastics... maybe buy a can & test it on a hidden spot on the bag material to make certain it will work ok? Who knows, maybe you stuff the bags full of whatever, spray'em w/ the paint & you end up w/ hard bags 4 cheap!

[Tom M]

Krylon makes a paint esp. for plastics... maybe buy a can & test it on a hidden spot on the bag material to make certain it will work ok? Who knows, maybe you stuff the bags full of whatever, spray'em w/ the paint & you end up w/ hard bags 4 cheap!

You could do the same with a spray dye for auto interior parts that's available at most auto part stores. I've had very good results with it on a vinyl motorcycle seat & backrest, and a friend of mine used it on a watercraft seat 3 or 4 years ago and it hasn't worn off yet.

[Kiwi_Roy]

You could do the same with a spray dye for auto interior parts that's available at most auto part stores. I've had very good results with it on a vinyl motorcycle seat & backrest, and a friend of mine used it on a watercraft seat 3 or 4 years ago and it hasn't worn off yet.

Thanks Tom, my bags are soft I will check out the spray next weekend. Will keep you posted.
Regards
Roy

[Orson]

Hi,
A set of Tekno saddlebags came with my V11 Sport, These have faded in the sun to sort of light purple colour.
Does anyone know how to restore these to Black.
I cant seem to find who makes these, does anyone know manufacturer, web site etc.

I also have faded Tekno bags.

It adds a patina of authenticity

[waspp]

You could do the same with a spray dye for auto interior parts that's available at most auto part stores. I've had very good results with it on a vinyl motorcycle seat & backrest, and a friend of mine used it on a watercraft seat 3 or 4 years ago and it hasn't worn off yet.

Thats what I would suggest as well the spray dyes work well and since the bags are fabric it seems to penetrate and adhere. Nice to know the Griso bags may work with a little mod or two.

[grumpybiker]

1. blue painters tape to cover all hard plastic(buckles and base on back of bags).
2. 1 can krylon indoor/outdoor satin black spray paint.
3. lightly spray 8 to 10 in. from bags. 2 coats will make them look like new.
Thanks to Big Chris for this one.

[docc]

I saw GrumpyBiker's Tekno's at the SSR. They look like new! The Krylon treatment is on my to-do list. (after the weapy rear seal, speedometer, and taillight . . .)

[The Monkey]

Just completed a conversion to a newer saddlebag, I used the Oxford Humpback. Took the belly plastic out of the Teckno used a heat gun and jigsaw to shape it to the Oxford. Oxford had a zip in belly reinforcement but wasnt rigid enough to hold bag shape properly, good news is the Tekno part once cut and shaped zipped right in! Off to plastic shop had 3/16 ABS cut to match inside face of bag, drill out holes for Klickfix mounts and Keyway, add a couple aluminum brackets to attach back plate to belly plate. Propane torch and a coat hanger for holes in bag and strap removal. Bingo a top loading quality bag with proper zippers utilizing the Klickfix latch, passenger pegs still accessible, for 50% of replacement cost! After reinforcing the Tekno bag and nursing it along the last couple years I grew to dislike the side loading bag and those cheap zippers. For those stuck on Italian gear Aprillia now offers the Klickfix mechanism on their bags (same shite zippers, and self dump design).

[docc]

Hey, Monkey, It'd be great to see a picture of that finished product!

I took the bait and refurbished my purple-grey Teknos. I've had these on the bike ten years and they've been very good. Yet, I did have to seal a split with black RTV silicone, re-sew a torn strap, and the rigid boards in the side flaps have completely disintegrated.

Before applying the Krylon, I scrubbed the bags with a stiff brush and hot soapy water. After drying overnight, I applied the Krylon and once completely dry re-sealed with Scotch Guard water sealant.

Warning: the result was good enough that my wife had me refurbish a faded lamp shade. You've been warned . . .

[The Monkey]

Here are some shots of the Oxford adaptation. Oxford and Rapid Transit are two companies that offer top loading expandable bags with size options that were decent enough to put on the Guzzi. I chose the smaller as I wanted to access the passenger pegs and not overwhelm the machine. They are plenty big enough though, the seat cowl fits in them and there is plenty of storage for a week long camp trip. The zipper on the centreline of the interior of the bag is where I installed the re-shaped belly plastic from the Tekno bag. You can see the edge of the 3/16 ABS back-panel on the inside. Had to buy slightly longer metric mounting bolts for the Klickfix latch, and new bolts for aluminum brackets. Just melted off the stock mount straps with a red hot coathanger and cobbled the brackets from some angle stock. I guess a guy could put cap nuts on the inside if you didnt want any runs in yer nylons. Anyway, there's a luggage option for any interested.
 outer bag.jpg   54.44K   67 downloads  inner bag.jpg   40.1K   82 downloads  side bag.jpg   45.89K   92 downloads
 top bag 1.jpg   58.46K   76 downloads

[callison]

I think I'll have to try the Krylon bit. These bags are off of "FrankenSport" because my son didn't use them. The brackets have been modified to fit a V7 Café but the bags are showing their age. The tank bag is also from my former V11 Sport TT with a new hole cut in the bottom part to line up with the gas cap on this bike. It's a bit wide but it's a good bag. I don't think spraying the tank bag with Krylon is an option so perhaps I'll try leather shoe dye on that.