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GettinBetter |
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GettinBetter Crazy Courier
Joined: 20 Jun 2019 Karma :
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Karma :
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Fat Angry Scotsman |
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Fat Angry Scotsman World Chat Champion
Joined: 12 Jan 2021 Karma :
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Posted: 10:50 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: Re: Saddlebags, Topboxes and Trailers |
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GettinBetter wrote: | I want my bike to tick all the boxes, but most of all I want to be able to carry all the day to day stuff I need, plus extra capacity to carry extra stuff for the occassional trip to god knows where, on a whim.
My 125 had saddle bags and a large top box which made shopping a breeze, and I find myself longing for the same on my latest bike.
What do you guys use to make your bike more useful, or do you just have a blip about with no luggage, or do you bungee everything to the back when you need to.
I'd love to see some trailer options. |
Top box racks for my 125 were not a thing until recently, so I am getting a top box for it just to make it more useful. It's a 125 so it was never a sporty bike and I use it for it's utility.
The Kwak I bought already came with a top box, I just bought a bigger top box that can be removed by unlocking from its baseplate for the times I am just going out on a blast.
I never need to carry that much on the bike anyway, anything bigger than what a top box can handle and I will just use my car instead. ____________________ PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U. |
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Zen Dog |
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Zen Dog World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 10:55 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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For years I just used a backpack most of the time, and bungee'd everything on for trips. But the VFR800 came with a topbox and I'm sold on them now, even if it's just for keeping random things (disk lock, couple of bungees, sidestand puck, visor wipes) and to have somewhere to stick your lid when you go in the shops.
Panniers tend to be a bit less useful generally, they increase the width of the bike, and space in them is limited and usually an awkward shape (though there are exceptions).
A trailer is just going to be a massive pain though, both to fit and set up, and to use. If I needed a trailer I'd take the car. ____________________ Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011 |
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :
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Posted: 11:18 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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Yes, I had a trailer on my 1500 Goldwing trike Very common with the Goldwing brigade with both solo bikes and trikes.
Wifie loved it. She could take her portable makeup box when we went on rallys and I could get lots and lots of beer in it.
Edited to add a photo, the only one I can find. It;s the white trailer just behind the trike. Obviously I was looked down on by other Goldwing owners as it wasn't colour matched.
https://i.postimg.cc/hPJVHPbR/P1160011.jpg ____________________ Triumph Trophy Launch Edition |
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 12:22 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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I have a sports rack, throwover panniers and I strap big drybags to the pillion seat and rack over the top of the panniers. My soft panniers are narrower than the bars so know if the bars fit through, so will the rest of the bike. Tank bags are convenient too for everyday stuff but I don't really like them, not sure why.
Trailers are a double edged sword. They fuck up the handling. You can get monowheel trailers which tend to track with the bike better but attention needs to be paid to where they are mounted or they'll lift or compress the back end under braking. They are a bastard to park, monowheel ones in particular have a lot of trail and are nearly impossible to back-up without jacknifing. They never hold as much stuff as you think they will.
That said, a magna is a heavy beast so shouldn't struggle too much with a trailer.
Lomo are doing waterproof throwovers for £50. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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ThunderGuts |
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ThunderGuts World Chat Champion
Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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The Shaggy D.A. |
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The Shaggy D.A. Super Spammer
Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 18:05 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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Small rack instead of pillion pad. Use either Swagman throwovers, or topbox.
https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=104374
https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=101823
Just added Givi Monorack & plate to the ER5. Have a 30L and 47L topbox I can swap between if needed, but in reality the 47L stays on the bike. ____________________ Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5 |
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yen_powell |
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yen_powell World Chat Champion
Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 18:59 - 14 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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Every time I see a wicker picnic type basket at a boot sale I immediately say to myself, ahh, perfect top box for a very old or classic looking bike. You could keep food in it OR three pigeons, one to send with a message to the RAC that you have broken down, one to send when they are taking longer than they should and one to eat if they really are late. ____________________ Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits |
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Bhud |
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Bhud World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Oct 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 18:38 - 17 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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40 year old project bikes are full of surprises, so I never go anywhere without a basic set of tools in case of emergency. I also have a recovery policy, of course, but if all I need is a screwdriver or something then I don't want to spend the rest of my day hanging around waiting for a flatbed.
I carry them in this:
https://i.ibb.co/CPY4Kq8/toolbag.png
I got this from a random Ebay seller. If you see it for sale, I do recommend it. Surprisingly cavernous... Not great but not bad quality. I carry this stuff in it, and it has room for more - much more.
https://i.ibb.co/s2crkyR/tools.png |
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Karma :
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Bhud |
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Bhud World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Oct 2018 Karma :
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
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Bhud |
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Bhud World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Oct 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 20:04 - 17 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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Nice collection. I suppose everyone collects/hoards something. Did you get those second-hand at a car boot sale, because I'm sure an engineer like you wouldn't let his tools get so rusty.
By full socket set I mean all the socket sizes (just for hex nuts and bolts, and metric only) I need, and more. And yes, I do have one. It would have been kind of hard to complete 2 project bikes this year alone (and have sold one) if all I had to use was an adjustable plumbers wrench from Wilko. In fact, that would be quite an achievement, so thanks for the compliment. |
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Prawny |
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Prawny Nitrous Nuisance
Joined: 22 Jun 2019 Karma :
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Karma :
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Bhud |
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Bhud World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Oct 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 01:01 - 18 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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That's a fair point. However, my recommendation only goes as far as the bag. It's a pretty good little bag.
The bike is pretty well sorted, and I don't expect to do anything serious with that wrench - just would rather have it available than not. It wouldn't be too bad as a means of adjusting/tightening mirrors (mine aren't precious) or removing sparkplugs without carrying a spark plug socket though.
I bought that tyre weld canister after having read your review. I do have a set of open-ended spanners but I just carry that 12mm one there because so many nuts are 12mm. Same goes for the Allen keys - those are the only sizes used on the bike.
The bike was a total junker and it certainly didn't look like that when I got it. I did a number of non-standard things to it to get it to work, and I'm hoping I won't need to carry out any roadside repairs.
I remember the days when lawyers used to buy Mont Blancs as a way of conveying professionalism. If you're seen to use a Mont Blanc, then the things you write or say are more weighty, serious and professional, went the reasoning. By implication, conversely, if you use a biro then you don't know how to write? Whatever, but I just get the same vibe of "Bahco not Wilko" from engineers, and I tend to ignore it. I mean, Bahco is probably overkill for a hobbyist although a semi-decent CV set of sockets isn't. I put that thing back on the road with my socket set and I keep an adjustable wrench for emergencies, and I just don't feel that connected to the bike/engineering tradition to agree 100% that it's such a bad idea. I mean, it might be, and I'll continue to learn what I can, but will make my own evaluations as I go. |
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 13:37 - 18 Sep 2021 Post subject: |
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I posted that spanner because I think you should carry enough tools to remove either wheel or at least adjust your chain. Then if you get an unrepairable puncture, you stand a chance of getting a lift to a tyre place with the wheel. That spanner does the front and rear wheel nuts of a lot of japanese bikes ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 2 years, 239 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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