Saddlebag Protection for the 2015 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special | DOIN’ TIME

WRIST: Andy Cherney MSRP (2015): $23,699 MILES: 9,792 MPG: 41 MODS: Saddlebag lid covers UPDATE: 6

By the time you see this, Big Blue's odometer will have surpassed the 10,000-mile threshold, so I should mention this right up front: through eight months of sometimes-harsh duty, the Blue Bagger has been nothing but steady on whatever road I've pointed it down. Even better is news that H-D just granted us a loan extension, so she won't be going back just yet. And though I've been regularly messing with the adjustable rear shocks to better battle the local pothole epidemic on Portland's crumbling streets, the Glide's short-travel units simply can't keep up with the harder-edged bumps. I've ordered a set of Premium Ride Touring Shocks (Standard Height) out of the [Harley-Davidson][] catalog, hoping the added travel will do a better job of protecting my vertebrae.

Since I get to keep the Glide longer, also tops on the to-do list is a tire swap—the stock Dunlops are near the end of their life and it's time to try something new anyway.

I bitched earlier about how it's a full-time job keeping the Road Glide's Superior Blue paint grunge-free, so to help with my cleaning regimen, I've enlisted a Novistretch Hard Bag Lid cover ($70). While I was hoping to score a fairing cover as well, Novistretch folks says they only offer Bat Wing applications for now.

The Novistretch product is made from durable spandex-like fabric (claimed to be breathable as well) and is designed to protect your bike without damaging the paint. I was also glad to hear it was machine-washable, as no doubt it would see some hard duty. Sure enough, the bag cover went on easily, much like a putting helmet bag over your lid might. The shape is a bit vague by necessity and doesn't fit as cleanly as I'd like, but the elastic trim around the cover seated itself pretty snugly against the lid edges—that sucker wasn't going to fly off.

I did notice one issue right off the bat, however: When closing the lid, you have to make sure the Novi cover is correctly seated against the bag gasket before pushing down on the latch (to close the bag), or the latch won’t quite catch and close the bag fully or correctly. You also have the option of pulling the cover down over the bag reflector, or letting it ride high over the reflector. The former looks better, but the latter option fits better. Either way, if these skins keep even a small amount of gunk off my bike, I’ll be sold.