many years ago i was a highway patrolman in california,one of the accidents i investigated stayed in my mind all these years. a young motorcycle rider strapped his sleeping bag on the back of the bike , as he made a sharp turn the back wheel grabbed the sleeping bag and sucked it under the fender. he lost control ,ran off the highway off a high bank and was killed. when you start packing your bike please be careful, even a loose strap or rope can be a disaster. best to all walkabout
That happened to a good friend of mine, who was doing a cross Canada trip on his '78 Kawi KZ750, sleeping bag jammed up the back tire, and locked it up, fortunatly he kept it up. Said he had quite a flat spot on his tire though.
Watched a TV show about Sturgis recently and there was a woman on the back of a bike wearing a trench coat flapping in the wind. Thought to myself, what a dumb thing to do. Accident waiting to happen.
Not to hijack a thread but i love your alternator setup..thats to cool and i bet it works great......anyway i agree with this thread always make sure you packing is up and tight. i camp a lot my self learned fast to just put everything in dry bags and secure them GOOD!............
The more experience you get packing 'gear' on your bike, you learn to check over all bungees/cording/straps every time you stop.
I don't use bungees very often, as most of my 'gear' fastens with Hook n Loop fasteners, so they're not as prone to fraying/slipping/letting go, but you still keep a close eye on it and the condition of the bungees/cord/straps etc. Make sure everything is nice and tight, with nothing flapping in the breeze, as it will eventually work loose!
I have been known to carry some good loads. :smiler:
Most of my loads nowadays are in a protective bag(s), or bags that have their own rain coversand those are fastened down overanything that isn't,(tarp pole under trunk rack bag)keeping it from moving around.
Packed for 4 weeks camping, cooking my own meals and riding/camping gear to suit temps from below freezing, to 115*
LOL ... not always .... just depends on the conditions and the time of year, as that has a big impact on the type of gear to take. Heated gear takes up a fair amount of space when not in use. I also pack along a full bike cover, which isn't the most compact, but it does keep prying eyes(and usually hands) off the bike while I'm not in the imediate area(hiking, sight seeing etc)
5 day trip, late May in the BC mountains
11 days inJune, high passes/cold temps, but I had pared down 'extras'
I have a buddy who told me about the exact same thing happening to a guy about a month ago.
My friend (who is a mechanic at the Harley Dealership) said that this guy passing through town needed a rear tire so he stopped in to have a new one put on.
In the process my buddy replaced the brake pads. The guy took off and about an hour later the Highway Patrol called and asked them to bring a trailer for the bike.
My buddy was freaking out wondering what he did wrong to make the tire quit spinning.
The Cop said that a sleeping bag was wound up in the rear tire causing it to lock up and that the skid mark was over 300 feet long - amazingly the guy didn't crash.
The dealership picked up the bike and installed another tire on it (2 in about 3 hours time).
.
I see bikes (usually Harley Davidsons) with these leather streamer thingys hanging down from the end of the handlebar almost to the ground. I always thought that'd be a bummer to tangle in the front wheel or a shrub or something as you go by. A slight tug on the handlebar would send you into a whale of a wobble. Never saw the purpose - unless it was 'the look'.
i personally dont like packing gear ontop the bike like as shown yes it works but i just get uncomfortable with loose gear ontop the bike ive seen people go to meets or trips with fatboys or honda shadows and tarp strap sleeping bags on their front fenders and have the tents and all that loose and flapping in the wind it always freaks me out
my dad bought a trailer for this reason sure he could pack it all on but with the trailer he now can lighten up the top load on the bike and store it all in the trailer its a handy thing.
but how much does on need to take on a 1 week or 2 week trip?
that in there lies the question ive seen people carry clothes for 7days when you really only need a 3 pairs of clothes they do make laundry mats, but i am not making a debate on this lol so dont chastize me please
Keep that loose things warning in mind around the shop as well. A guy up here was grinding some welds and the strings from his hoodie got caught in the grinder. It got pulled into his face in a split second. Not pretty
Shoe laces get caught on the pegs. Not fun picking up the bike.
Thought about a trailer but decided against it. I cobbled together a mount for the trailer hitch to hold this Rubbermaid box. Had stainless cables made to fit it so it all locks up. I can get all my camping gear in the box: tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 pads, 2 pillows. Not cool, but functional. My wife and I went Seattle to Florida last summer - 7400 miles and the box worked out great. The year prior I had a smaller box and made the mistake of not tilting it upward. Sometimes it would hit the ground. This one never has. I want to add lights to it and plug them in through a flat 4 plug.
Thought about a trailer but decided against it. I cobbled together a mount for the trailer hitch to hold this Rubbermaid box. Had stainless cables made to fit it so it all locks up. I can get all my camping gear in the box: tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 pads, 2 pillows. Not cool, but functional. My wife and I went Seattle to Florida last summer - 7400 miles and the box worked out great. The year prior I had a smaller box and made the mistake of not tilting it upward. Sometimes it would hit the ground. This one never has. I want to add lights to it and plug them in through a flat 4 plug.
Yessir it does block the bag lights. All the functions (tail,turn,brake) are on the trunk though. When I use this box, I move my license plate to the box. In case I had to drive at night, I bought a clip-on LED light to illuminate the plate. Most of the time the box is off the bike. It takes 10 or so minutes to get it on or off. But you're right. Some lights are blocked and I do want to add plug-in lights to the box to get maximum visibility.
with the crazy drivers out thier i would get lights fast like the box though harbor fright
has lights for 24.00
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Steve Saunders Goldwing Forums
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