Chrome or lights? I could have only one.

(October 6, 2015) I'm not one to add a lot of extras to my bike, primarily for budget reasons and because I prefer to spend any extra money on gas and hotels so I can actually ride my bike places. On the other hand, I do appreciate a nice piece of chromed steel.

This weekend, I installed Harley-Davidson's Saddlebag Guard Rail Kit (part number 90200561) and they look great. I am of the opinion that the bike should have come with these already installed. However, given that they were not, adding them was a high priority for me, for at least two reasons:

1. In the event of the cam/mounting bolts failing, the bag(s) will not fall to the ground, and
2. The rails protect the saddle bags from dings and scratches.

I happened to notice in the October issue of Motorcycle Consumer News that there is a recall on Harley touring models because of a defect in some of the saddlebag "mounting receptacles" that may prevent the saddlebags from being adequately secured to the motorcycle. (NHTSA Campaign Number 15V42700) Worrying about the bags coming loose is not merely a product of my paranoid mind.

When I ordered these guard rails from House of Harley-Davidson, I also happened to text Kevin Albritton at Jockeys Cycle to order me a set of FillerZ LED lights from Custom Dynamics. At $250 a pair, they cost almost as much as the saddlebag guard rails. But a video on YouTube convinced me these were exactly what I wanted for more visible turn signals.

As soon as I installed the guard rails, I got a pit in my stomach when I realized that the FillerZ lights weren't going to work any longer. The guard rails run right through the opening where the lights mount.

Lights or rails? Given that I had just spent an hour carefully installing these shiny objects and managed to do so without damaging my fenders or anything else; and given that I already have a bright LED tail light, I opted to go with the now-installed guard rails.

Damn! Now I was gonna own some expensive lights I couldn't use. Fortunately, Kevin let me pay a 10% restocking fee ($25) and I was off the hook. One more reason for me to keep going to those guys for my bike needs.

We had sunshine here for the first time in almost two weeks and I got to ride in it. Man I forgot how good it feels!

Keep the shiny side up.

-The Long Rider