Nomad Saddlebag Strips, Replace Them The Inexpensive Way


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If you own a Nomad then your first up close and personal introduction to the brushed chrome trim strips on your saddlebags was when you removed the clear factory protectors from them (you 'did' remove them right?) At the time you might not have wondered what would happen if you hooked a cleaning cloth under one of those strips, pulled it away from the bag and put a kink in it. If you're reading this page chances are you've had that or something similar happen and you've also discovered Kawasaki wants $40 apiece for those strips (wowsers!).

Chris Throgmartin has been good enough to share his simple and inexpensive solution.

What You'll Need

  • 1 ea. roll of 1/4 inch chrome trim strip material (not the thin pinstripe stuff) available at almost any auto supply store. The roll will set you back roughly $15 and will provide enough material to replace the OEM strips on both bags plus some spare in case you goof one up. Amazon has something like this also.

 

How To Do It

Remove your OEM strips. If you do this very carefully and don't bend them you might be able to sell undamaged ones on E-Bay.

Remove any old adhesive from the slot where you'll be mounting your new strips.

Find a sharp pair of scissors for cutting the tape. You can either shape the ends into a point, or round them off, whatever you want. Take your time when installing them to be sure they are level and straight across and have no dips.

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Be sure you only remove 6 - 10 inches of the film from the back of each strip at a time. Do not remove all of the film from the back at once as it will stick to anything it can gets its tackiness on. Try not to place your fingers on the sticky portion of the strips once the film is removed. Oil from your skin can affect the tackiness and hold capabilities of the strips adhesive.

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When you've finished your bags will look at least as good as new, maybe better. The strip material is slightly thicker than the OEM strips so may add a small layer of protection against scrapes that could cause paint damage in the future.

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