10-12-17 My saddlebag maintenance
Total time it took was about 1 ½ hours (maybe 2). Next time 1 hour?
Tools required:
8mm nut driver (no socket wrenches)
Phillips screwdriver
Flat blade screwdriver
Rubber bands (2)
Grease (no oil)
Q-Tips
Forceps (aka tweezers) to replace springs & ball bearings
Work on one unit until it is complete. Use a nut driver instead of sockets as you can feel the applied torque better as you reassemble the parts. The parts should be tight but remember, you're working with small threaded parts and plastic. I purposely did not address lock lubrication, as more knowledgeable members (e.g., Igofar) have commented on this.
Open the saddle bag
Unhook the strap connected to the two halves
Remove the 4 acorn nuts on the inside bottom of the saddlebag with an 8mm nut driver
Remove the two metal rectangular washers and two rubber rectangular washers. A flat-blade screwdriver helps with this.
Separate the two saddlebag halves. The non-handle half is a good place to store the hardware you just removed until re-assembly.
Turn the saddlebag half with the handle upside down. Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the seven screws attaching the handle assembly to it. Note that the three long screws go into the holes along the straight edge of the saddlebag
Remove the 4 acorn nuts, 2 rectangular metal washers, and 2 rectangular rubber washers from the 2 studded parts
Before you separate the handle assembly, look at the two threaded stud units you removed the acorn nuts and washers from. These units rotate and have a groove in them. A spring-loaded bearing is part of the assembly. These pieces slide out of the assembly, and if you have the assembly tilted as you separate it, the ball bearing will fall out. Not a big deal if the spring and/or bearing falls out, just be prepared to have the assembly in or on something that will prevent it from disappearing onto the floor.
Separate the handle assembly from the saddlebag body. A flat-bladed screwdriver can help with this.
Separate the metal unit from the plastic unit
Apply grease to all parts that move against another. A Q-tip worked well for me when applying grease.
Use the rubber band to compress and hold in place the two studded units as you reassemble the metal and plastic parts. Once the units are back in place, cut and remove the rubber band before attaching the nuts and screws.
Attach the handle assembly to the saddlebag. Use the nut driver to tighten the acorn nuts. Similar to using the Phillips screwdriver, you will feel when the nuts are at their limit.
Attach the two saddlebag halves. Make sure the acorn nuts are tightened to their limit when re-attaching the two saddlebag halves. This is important, since a sloppy fit here will cause pretty much everything to bind.
Re-connect the strap connecting the two saddlebag halves
Hope this helps.