Looking for Luggage Rack and Saddle Bag ideas

The last bike I had was a 1983 Suzuki 1100E..... Here it is about 25 years later and I find myself with a 1983 Yamaha XJ750 Maxim. I bought it from a friend, and put about a month's worth of work into it - and it's about ready to begin service as a gas saving device. I want to use it to go back and forth from work and night school here in Florida. I'm going to need to carry some books at night, and I need to carry a small cooler with my lunch AND my bag of tools to where my work truck is parked. (I'm a Union Electrician Apprentice).

So, I'm looking for ideas to carry my junk on my bike. I had a tank bag on my Suzy, and I had a helmet bra to hold the spare helmet to the back seat while you cruice at some outrageous speed (ha ha) Then there were times I rode home with a case of beer on the tank, but i'm looking for "daily commuter" type arraingments these days.

Luggage racks seem scarce for the XJ750, or maybe it's the age of the bike. "Universial Fit" may not work for this bike, as it has those side rails and that half sissy bar thing on it already. I'm not sure how saddle bags will fit, but they should go under the seat and over the side rails (???). I need some type of saddle bag mounts to keep 'em from getting into the rear wheel. One webpage suggested 1" EMT (round metal electrical conduit) Ha Ha, i'll grab some off the truck and have at it with the pipe bender!!

any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bruce Bennett
Ormond Beach, Florida

 

I'm curious about this one too.............I have an '85 XJ Maxim X and I hate the nylon bags that the PO provided.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me (us) know!!

 

Have a look at my gallery and you will see some nice bags that came on my bike. The PO bought them new in 1982 and I do not know the brand but they work great. Nothing special as they are only plastic but all lock and are removable and carry like luggage. Good luck tracking something down...perhaps our XJ Archives or Kijiji?