I am flying in to Denver on July 8th and picking up my Terra. I will then spend two weeks at a bicycle frame building class and then two more weeks riding around Colorado and back to NYC. I will be camping on and off and will need to have a tent, sleeping bag, tools for the road and some clothes. I am not sure which luggage option to pursue... Flying in and not being able to fit anything to the bike before hand is proving to be a pretty big problem. I have a great 70L waterproof bag that I can lash to the top of the bike but I think I will need some more room. I have a tank bag that I think will fit but I am wondering what my options would be with panniers... I have been looking at some of the great loop stuff - they seem like they wouldn't melt. I wish the Siskiyou Panniers were not $650! I suppose what I am asking is for any ideas or experience with easy bolt-on/strap-on type luggage.
that sounds like a great trip.My daughter lives in Boulder. Did you check out the horseshoe looking soft bags that goes behind you. You could use it for luggage flying out? I saw it on the tr650 luggage thread.
Allen, Not to be a wet blanket, but the exhaust cans get pretty hot, and even the black plastic covers on the cans get hot. I intend to get some insulation and cut it and fit it under the plastic. I personally would not be real comfortable with hanging anything off the bike that could come in contact with the cans. Any way you could order (and maybe have drop shipped to where you are picking up the bike) one of the steel luggage frames. I am kind of lusting after the Touratech Zega cases (31 liters) with their frame. Not cheap, but look like it would provide a fool/fire/melt proof place to strap a tent/bag on across the back of the bike, as well as have a nice luggage space. There is also available the Husky 30 some liter soft top case/bag that I am hoping will be a direct fit to the rear rack. My dealer told me on Sat that there were 70 some of them in the Husky wearhouse. I ordered on when I picked up the bike for 10% off, which came to about $200. Pentonpro, See you own a 72 Suzuki GT750. I always wanted one of those. In college I owned a GT380. What a great little bike. The 750 must have some oomph.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=859626 Check here for ideas. And here. http://www.bigdogadventures.com/11HuskyTR650.htm
I restored the Suzuki about 15 years ago and have owned it over 22 years. The last bike 2002 zx750 was getting me in trouble that had some oohmph! Used to race both road and long time ago dirt. The new Strada is like going home. It has a little bit of everything. Great luck on the trip.
Hate to be the smartarse who says it but you could use your two weeks at the bicycle frame building class whipping up a set of pannier frames! Trying to sort out luggage when you're not with the bike can be a pain. I've done a few bike trips, through USA, Japan, New Zealand, India, and always on a different rented machine with different luggage options and trying to estimate how much stuff you can fit in the available space can be a real pain. My first instinct would be to go with what you have, and if you're comfortable that you can lash the 70 litre bag to the bike securely then go with that option. You can always strap another bag to that one if you need more room. If you're travelling alone, my advice is to carry as few changes of clothes as possible, if you've noone to impress you can get a few extra days wear out of the clothes you have. You can always take the clothes you need for the first two weeks with you to Colorado and post home those which don't fit on the bike when you leave. There are very few soft luggage options which will give you more space than 70 litres. I have the Giant Loop Great Basin and it's considerably smaller than 70L, only about 50L I think, and then it's an odd shape so you really need to be able to make good use of the odd shaped corners at each side of the bag to make efficient use of the full capacity, but the really great thing about that bag is that it secures more securely to the bike than any other bag I've seen, grabbing hold of the bag to shake it and check it's securness will move the bike as if the bag is a part of the bike. I had an issue with my plastic heat shield melting with the Great Basin bag on, but that was due to the rubber stopper which is supposed to stop the shield from flexing going AWOL, rather than a design issue with the bag. I'm jealous of the trip you're about to embark upon. A new bike, and two weeks to explore your country on the way home. that's like 4 birthdays and a couple of christmases all at once. I'm jealous as hell. I'd love to be on my Terra in the Missouri / Arkansas / Tennessee area. That part of the country was probably my favourite between NY and CO.
I've done a few fly-and-rides, and typically I'll order whatever I'll need and have it delivered to the dealer so they can install it. Luggage racks, GPS mounts, etc. Yeah, I have to pay them labor for the install, but it means the bike is turn-key ready when I get there. I recommend packing your panniers/bags and taking them on the plane. That makes sure you don't overpack and end up having to mail stuff home.
Been staying on top of the pannier rack availability. Twisted Throttle posted all of the SW Motech stuff on their website but still not avail. The only racks that I know of that are in stock are the ones offered by Touratech. I would buy those and grab some Happy trail panniers and stick those on it and your problem should be solved. There is another site I just found a friend who told me about. They sell Holan bags and are really reasonable. ADVMotorad.com I am holding out for the SW Motech's as I have a set of their bags that could do double duty between my Yamaha and the Husky.
two good luggage options are within an hour or two of you here....Dirtbagz' flat duffel is what I use for camping gear, and it's made by the folks who run MotoGear Outlet in Arvada (north Denver) Wolfman is a minute off I-25 up in Longmont, they have just about anything you'll need. I traveled to New Mexico last week bringing camping gear on my TR with Wolfman E-12 bags and my well traveled Dirtbagz duffel.
Great idea. I guess I could communicate with the builder before hand and ask if there would be time, but from what I hear it is a sunrise to sundown type class - Sunday would be the only day off. This is my main worry. I was thinking of doing some heat shields and exhaust wrap but that is not a sure solution. I am excited about the trip. I am a teacher so I get long summers off. Last year I did about 12,000 miles around the US on my 750 Nighthawk. I blew the front fork seals on a back road in Wyoming and decided I need something more off-road friendly. I would definitely do this if I can find an affordable option. Like I said the good part about being a teacher is that I get long summers - the bad part is I starve half the year to make payments on the Husky
I don't know how many liters you think you need, but Riding Donkeys turned me on to this waterproof Duffel. http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...kwcid=goobase_goobase_filler&cID=GSHOP_446131 It holds my tent on the outside, all my clothes, gear, tools, etc. for a week of camping. It's only $40. I am also a teacher and completely understand living on a budget! My goal is to camp for free (or close to free) every night on a trip to Connecticut next week. I am probably only going to take the Gander Mountain bag, I have done a few test packs and it had room to spare. If I need additional space I will likely add my tail bag. If you need more space you might combine a water proof duffel with some soft panniers. I keep looking at Wolfman Gear... so nice.
Also you might not have thought of this but it can work brilliant if you have locations in mind before you head out. Ship stuff to locations. I am planning a good multi day DS ride this summer and instead of not having fun packing 15 pounds of crap on the trail I wont use till night time I will ship cloths and supplies ahead. Show up at Cabin with a package there with my cloths and stuff. Just a thought.
The Giant Loop Great Basin comes with two clamp on heat shields. Once it secures to the back seat/pegs you could lash your gear bag to it and the luggage rack. .
IMO the GL Great Basin is overkill....I used the GL Coyote on my XR650R for carrying tent, bag, pad, etc and it held plenty for a week in Baja camping type trip. Great bag though.
Great info from all. I would really love to get some racks on here but I think I would like to take my time and design a lightweight solution - hell what good is a degree in physics if you don't get to do stress analysis at least once in a while. Looking at the pics from blakebird's Terra I think the E-12 will do well. I think I can get them far enough away from the exhaust, they are not too expensive for a short term solution and I can use them on short trips if I decide to do a large rack. Also I might be able to support them by the big bag I will be carrying. I took a look at the saddle bags I used on my nighthawk - 40 bucks on sale http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/...addlebags/brand/BILT/Saddlebags/p/36658_60116 They come out to about 23 liters for the pair ( and I think that is the oustside dimensions). The E-12's are billed at 22 - So I should have just as much room. I also remember I was transporting a backpack inside of my bag and some other stuff that was unneeded. Here is a pic of my set up last year - don't judge I was on the road for 2 months and it was my first real journey. The bag is all puffed up from the temp and elevation change but I think I can strap that down to the back of the Terra no problem. So now I will compare these with any other similar options. I just wish they were waterproof... I think I will still buy the caribou top rack - it should give me a little more room to tie down that mammoth bag. And I will want to get rid of the tail and put the license plate under the rear rack.
Now that's an ADVENTURE bike. I have a lot of respect for folks who just 'get it done.' Is there a crashbar thread on the Nighthawk forum? You'll love the new Husky![/quote]
