Since I began planning this trip back in March, I've run across several problems, such as what to pack (and not to pack) and how to stay in touch with everyone. Of course selecting proper luggage is part of the issue, which I hope is now solved. So, I have all the luggage, but can I make it all fit on my bike and still carry everything I need?
I'll be gone for about 30 days and ride just over 10,000 km.
That is either going to mean a lot of clothes or a lot of laundry. Frankly, I'd rather spend my time on the road than watching the spin cycle. After much searching, I settled on the biggest piece of luggage I could find, which is the Saddleman BR4100. Apparently, it hold 67 litres of goods. I'm not sure how many t-shirts and jeans that translates into.
Below is the catalogue picture of the luggage. Obviously, I don't have a curved passenger seat, so this will take a bit of farkling to get right.
So far, I've removed the original passenger backrest, which left only the upright post. It looks a bit naked without the backrest, but I will come up with something.
In fact, it took a bit of messing around to get the back rest off. I could plainly see one screw holding it on, but hidden under a plastic plate were two more screws. A quick look on the internet and I discovered the plate is held on by tape. I just popped off the cover with a flathead screwdriver. But why would Yamaha hide screws like that? Not fun for us non-mechanic types.
I made a list of things to get for me (and the bike) as I made up my travel plans. High on the priority list is a backrest.
I found plenty of quick-release backrests, but I really don't see the point of those. After much searching (both in my wallet and online) I found a $60 solution on eBay. It arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. The instructions said it was a 5 minute installation job. Wrong. Including the many times I went up and down 6 flights of stairs for tools I didn't think I'd need, it took an hour and half. If I had just taken all my tools down prior to the backrest project, I'd guess it took about an hour.
To make a long story short, I was out for about two hours yesterday on the bike, and came home with a major backache. This morning, I removed the backrest and am now farkling a farkle. Not sure how I'm going to resolve this issue.
As it is suppose to rain most of the weekend, I'll most likely spend tomorrow getting greasy. With some luck, I'll have the backrest on and comfortable, which, with the help of a python lock, will stabilize my luggage.
I've done a lot of rain-riding this year, so I was really please this morning when my "Rain-off Over Gloves" arrived in the mail today. Finally, (I hope) something that will keep my hands dry without overheating. I don't understand why companies think that it only rains when it's cold. Gor-Tex, if you're reading this, make waterproof, breathable summer gloves. I'm not wearing insulated gloves when it's over 15 C. I'll blog about the over gloves after I've given them a good run for their money.
