I agree. That has GOT affect the handling.
I did an experiment once where I mounted a 3 foot length of aluminum tubing to the handlebars of my Honda Trail 90, sticking straight forward. Then I mounted my tiny video camera on the end of the pole looking back at me. The camera only weighs less than half a pound. Wow! That stupid arrangement made the bike handle VERY badly. Something about the inertia of a half pound of weight swinging back and forth at the end of that three foot pole made it very difficult to keep the bike in a straight line.
I can only imagine how much those saddlebags affected that bike that you saw.
I did an experiment once where I mounted a 3 foot length of aluminum tubing to the handlebars of my Honda Trail 90, sticking straight forward. Then I mounted my tiny video camera on the end of the pole looking back at me. The camera only weighs less than half a pound. Wow! That stupid arrangement made the bike handle VERY badly. Something about the inertia of a half pound of weight swinging back and forth at the end of that three foot pole made it very difficult to keep the bike in a straight line.
I can only imagine how much those saddlebags affected that bike that you saw.