Carrying stuff leads to saddlebags, panniers, tail bags, tank bags, fender bags, backpacks, bungee cords, and the handyman's secret weapon - duct tape.  I chose to go with saddlebags.

Dirt Bagz are just the right size (NOT bulky) and you'll never know they are there while you ride. The design offers a frame that attaches firmly in place and the bagz are made from a rugged material & stitching.

Keeps the heavy stuff off your back on longer trips!

The original brackets are perfectly functional.  They hold the bags firmly in place and allow for quick removal, but that's just not good enough.  The right side mount is one inch higher than the left side mount, so they look crooked, and the brackets don't prevent the front of the bags from touching and marring the easily scuffed side skirts.

I'm assuming the idea behind the higher right side mount is so that the loop shaped mounting tab aligns evenly with the muffler thus minimizing the chance of the bag touching the hot exhaust.  Unfortunately the tab isn't big enough to have any effect on exhaust clearance and just causes the right bag to sit higher than the left bag.

I'm also assuming that the manufactures believed that most people don't care really care about the appearance of their vehicles so why not save themselves $1.26 worth of tubing on every set.

Mount both brackets to your cycle, stand it straight up, and measure the height of both the left and right bag mounting tabs from the ground.  Subtract the lower left side value from the right side value and you'll get the amount you'll need to lower the right tab.  On my KLR the measurements turned out to be 32 and 33 inches respectively. This means I needed to lower the tab one inch.

Remove the powder coating from the surrounding area with a rotary wire brush or sander, cut of the tab with a hacksaw, (You can use a power tool here but be careful not to gouge the main tube.) and weld it back on in its new position.

Once the tab is welded in place, use a file or grinder to smooth out the spots where the tab was originally mounted.

The original brackets are made from 5/8 inch mild steel tubing.  Most suppliers don't seem to carry that size so I used 1/2 inch tubing from the friendly guy's at McNeilus Steel.

Start with an 18 inch length of tubing.  Place a mark 7 1/8 inch in from one end.  Using a tubing bender or a couple of mapp/propane torches, make a 45 degree bend at the mark.  If you heat the area around the mark until it's red hot and bend slowly you can achieve almost as smooth a result as with a good tubing bender. (Wear thick leather gloves such as welding gloves.)  When you've completed the bend, trial fit the new bar to the frame and see if it lines up where you want it.  If not, tweak the bend until it does.

When everything looks like a perfect fit, tack the bar in place, let cool, install the left bag, and check the fit.  Make any necessary adjustments and finish welding the ends of the new bar to the old.

That's it for the left side.

This is the hardest part.  The right side bar requires two bends.  One to form the loop and one to curve under the extended right side panel.

Start with a 19 inch length of tubing.  Place a mark 7 3/8 inch in from one end, the upper rear end, and make the 45 degree bend as before.  Then make another mark 6 1/2 inches farther down and make a gradual 30 degree bend in towards the original bar.  Check the fit often and make any adjustments necessary.  Don't forget to cope the ends for a clean and tight fit.

When everything looks like a perfect fit, tack the bar in place, let cool, install the right bag, and check the fit.  As before, make any necessary adjustments and finish welding the ends of the new bar to the old.

That's it, except for finishing.

Ok, you don't really need to have the brackets re-powder-coated.  Just remove all the old powder coating, give them a coat of enamel primer, and then a couple coats of epoxy paint. You can restore the original black or paint them to match the KLR's frame.

Note: If I did this again, for a cleaner look, I'd probably cut off the front loops and re-weld them on the other side of the new bar.