Posted by Rob on May 09, 2000 at 14:59:25:
I was also having trouble with the front saddle bag support bolt rubbing the left side of my rear tire. I decided to try and put the left support bracket between the side rail and the fender (moving the bolt head farther away from the tire). It worked! I needed to get longer bolts for the two front side rail connections and put washers between the side rail and fender at those two positions, but it doesn't look that bad. And with the saddle bags on, you can't tell the difference. I only did the left side because the backrest wouldn't spread far enough apart (without damage) to allow enough room to do the same to the right side.
My savage is an '86 and needs some paint touch-up so scratches weren't a major concern. I would recommend removing the backrest bar before removing the side rail. You may also want to put a protective layer (fabric, rubber, etc.) between the support brackets, and washers, and the fender to minimize the damage to the paint. Let me know if you want more info.