Jump to content

Motorcyclists, Check In Here!


JohnC

Recommended Posts

On 7/28/2022 at 5:43 PM, gregintenn said:

5F91E313-3EF4-4EAF-9058-4BABE59CA415.thumb.jpeg.c7708d9d12bf61581c6d7893a10686d5.jpegSo the guys on the Harley forum don’t think this bag setup is safe. They say too much weight too high and behind the rear axle. What say you guys?

Well, I have taken trips on my Ultra with a large tank bag on top of the tourpack, it looked similar. Didnt notice much of a difference.  Make sure you load up that front bag with lots of weight to counteract the rear-LOL.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 7/28/2022 at 5:43 PM, gregintenn said:

5F91E313-3EF4-4EAF-9058-4BABE59CA415.thumb.jpeg.c7708d9d12bf61581c6d7893a10686d5.jpegSo the guys on the Harley forum don’t think this bag setup is safe. They say too much weight too high and behind the rear axle. What say you guys?

 And unless I missed something about a passenger, I always use a big backpack tied right behind me on the passenger seat to hold more stuff. Most of my long trips I have taken alone, so I had plenty of room for anything I wanted to bring.

Edited by Tom B
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Just now, Tom B said:

 And unless I missed something about a passenger, I always use a big backpack tied right behind me on the passenger seat to hold more stuff

Wife is the passenger. Otherwise, I’d just put what I need in my pants pocket.😁

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
On 7/28/2022 at 4:43 PM, gregintenn said:

5F91E313-3EF4-4EAF-9058-4BABE59CA415.thumb.jpeg.c7708d9d12bf61581c6d7893a10686d5.jpegSo the guys on the Harley forum don’t think this bag setup is safe. They say too much weight too high and behind the rear axle. What say you guys?

I would not ride it. Looks uncomfortable and awkward. Hard to say how it will behave in the wind, especially a crosswind fully loaded.

If you have a way to ditch the low (small) swing arm bag and get traditional side bags that is the route I would go. Then lower the rear bag to seat height as a back rest. I would loose the handle bar bag as well or at least scale it significantly down. Looks like way too much weight to have on your suspension and bars unless you have your down pillows stuffed in there.


20220603_175700.jpg.76e99050fbed09646672aa49e7ae4a45.thumb.jpg.9bacacd8e26f2415234113a38cbbddf3.jpg

The above setup was 9 to 10 days including camping gear, extra cold weather gear, and rain gear. I over packed and should have left the tank bag at home. The passenger bag is simply a cover to hold a small 6 pack cooler for drinks and snacks.
The left side case had tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, camp towel, tool kit, tire kit, camp knife, and spare light.
Right case is a go bag of clothes that I can pull right out and take up to a room if I am staying in a hotel rather than camping. That bag has all of my clothes for the trip. Also in that right case is a spare pair of street shoes and a pair of flip flops if I need some for a camp shower. Finally there is rain gear in there as well. 
Rear trunk has spare riding gloves, ball cap, first aide kit, jetboil stove, coffee, tea bags, snacks, food, face shield cleaner and microfiber towel, spare camp towel, hoodie or pullover jacket, spare knife, spare flashlight, and plenty of space for road souvenirs. I ended up buying a few t-shirts and a hoodie for gifts along the way and they went in there. 

Like I said I could have left the entire tank bag at home. I could have left a few changes of clothes at home. All in all I could have dropped another 10lbs off the bike easy, maybe 15 or more.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
1 hour ago, OldIronFan said:

So the guys on the Harley forum don’t think this bag setup is safe. They say too much weight too high and behind the rear axle. What say you guys?

Have you ridden the bike the way it's set up and with a full load in the bags? You should know pretty quickly whether or not you're comfortable with it. I'd be VERY concerned about having that weight out back, as it effectively unloads your front tire. If you were to hit a bump in a corner you might find yourself dealing with serious understeer or a wheelie.

I'm pretty sure I'd grind that low side bag away in half an hour, too. But again, it's mainly a matter of whether or not you feel comfortable and confident. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Darrell said:

Have you ridden the bike the way it's set up and with a full load in the bags? You should know pretty quickly whether or not you're comfortable with it. I'd be VERY concerned about having that weight out back, as it effectively unloads your front tire. If you were to hit a bump in a corner you might find yourself dealing with serious understeer or a wheelie.

I'm pretty sure I'd grind that low side bag away in half an hour, too. But again, it's mainly a matter of whether or not you feel comfortable and confident. 

I’m comfortable and confident standing up to the gates of hell, but that doesn’t overcome the laws of gravity, inertia, and physics. Thanks for everyone’s advice. We’ll load er down and give it a go locally before traveling.

Link to comment
On 7/28/2022 at 4:43 PM, gregintenn said:

5F91E313-3EF4-4EAF-9058-4BABE59CA415.thumb.jpeg.c7708d9d12bf61581c6d7893a10686d5.jpegSo the guys on the Harley forum don’t think this bag setup is safe. They say too much weight too high and behind the rear axle. What say you guys?

Now just my $0.02, up hill around a corner and apply power is not going to be fun, when you apply power the weight is going to rotate the bike back around the rear wheel, the front is going to get very light and you will not be able to steer.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Dang! I just jumped on the bike for a quick trip to the Harbor Freight store in Gallatin.

Walking out of the store, I gave a quick glance up in the sky.😬

I’ll just say it doesn’t take long to get back home when you see the cloud I saw.😳

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

I’ll just say it doesn’t take long to get back home when you see the cloud I saw.😳

I've been risking it a lot these past few weeks. If the forecast says there's a 50% chance of rain I figure the forecaster is just flipping a coin, and I ride anyway. Heck, I've been wet before....   But I must say that when it rains around here it often comes down in buckets.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I rode from my home in Hebbertsburg  to Murfreesboro via Hwy 70 this morning. The forecast said that it was likely to be a dry ride there, but that I'd be pushing my luck on the way home. Sure enough, midway between Sparta and Crossville the sky opened up on me and I was pretty darned wet within a minute or two. It was warm, though, so not too uncomfortable. I had all my rain gear with me, but I never had time to put it on! Oh well, the ride was still fun, about two hours in each direction. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
5 hours ago, Darrell said:

I rode from my home in Hebbertsburg  to Murfreesboro via Hwy 70 this morning. The forecast said that it was likely to be a dry ride there, but that I'd be pushing my luck on the way home. Sure enough, midway between Sparta and Crossville the sky opened up on me and I was pretty darned wet within a minute or two. It was warm, though, so not too uncomfortable. I had all my rain gear with me, but I never had time to put it on! Oh well, the ride was still fun, about two hours in each direction. 

We were going to do Crossville to Sparta today till I looked at the radar. Tomorrow looks good though.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

An old biker taught me a great trick for washing your bike the other day. Instead of fussing with a chamois cloth, just blow dry it with a leaf blower. Ya’ll probably know this already, but I was glad to learn it, so I posted it in case somebody else out there is as dumb as I am. LOL

Edited by gregintenn
  • Like 2
Link to comment
42 minutes ago, Smith said:

My oldest boy (17) and I rode from Hermitage around Center Hill Lake and back using back roads this past Monday. Great ride! He's loving his Suzuki S40 and I love my Strat. Love riding with my son. 

I almost bought that bike and kept it for myself.😁

Link to comment
3 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I almost bought that bike and kept it for myself.😁

Glad you didn't. He loves it! I got to say it's a fun bike to ride. Compared to my 800 lb Strat, it's nimble on the switchbacks and keeps up just fine on the highway! Now, I gotta find my younger son a bike. They both took the MSF course this past weekend and he's getting his DL in a few weeks.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
14 minutes ago, Smith said:

Glad you didn't. He loves it! I got to say it's a fun bike to ride. Compared to my 800 lb Strat, it's nimble on the switchbacks and keeps up just fine on the highway! Now, I gotta find my younger son a bike. They both took the MSF course this past weekend and he's getting his DL in a few weeks.

That course is great. I’m glad I took it a couple of years ago, even though I’ve ridden for over 40 years. I still learned a lot.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

TRADING POST NOTICE

Before engaging in any transaction of goods or services on TGO, all parties involved must know and follow the local, state and Federal laws regarding those transactions.

TGO makes no claims, guarantees or assurances regarding any such transactions.

THE FINE PRINT

Tennessee Gun Owners (TNGunOwners.com) is the premier Community and Discussion Forum for gun owners, firearm enthusiasts, sportsmen and Second Amendment proponents in the state of Tennessee and surrounding region.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is a presentation of Enthusiast Productions. The TGO state flag logo and the TGO tri-hole "icon" logo are trademarks of Tennessee Gun Owners. The TGO logos and all content presented on this site may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission. The opinions expressed on TGO are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the site's owners or staff.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is not a lobbying organization and has no affiliation with any lobbying organizations.  Beware of scammers using the Tennessee Gun Owners name, purporting to be Pro-2A lobbying organizations!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to the following.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines
 
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.