A 2020 "Hows It going"

Well, I think 2020 can be summed up in a single word 

"Shite"

Not Farkles, But Close

I had a bit of a mini Xmas today with several parcels all arriving at once.

They are for the bike but they aren't really farkles, well not according to this description. They will make the act of touring on the Beemer much more pleasurable and safer.

The first item(s) is a Rocky Creek Designs MotoPressor pump and tyre pressure guage. I hope I won't be needing this ever, but it will allow me to get off the beaten path with some confidence should the worst happen.

 Deciding weather to go lockable hard panniers or soft panniers for the F800GSA was a choice I couldn't make for what seemed a looong time (8 months in fact!). While I want the security of being able to lock my stuff onto the bike, hard panniers had two major drawbacks. Number one was the price. They are around the $1500 mark!! Number two is that they can injure you or bend/break in a spill, which is more likely to happen when tackling dirt roads.

Soft panniers aren't as secure for your belongings but they fit both the crashworthiness and the wallet test! There is an absolute plethora of soft luggage out there but in the end I decided to support a local manufacturer, Andy Strapz. Andy has been making bike luggage related gear since at least the late Nineties and I have used his strapz before, which are top notch.

Enter my new Avduro II Panniers. I also bought the extension straps to allow the panniers to fit my Beemer's fat arse end.

Time to get the panniers fitted up and test ride them I reckon! But first, a little three day jaunt for work beckons......

Cheers.

Farkle it!! Who am I kidding? 

There is still just enough light to get out to the shed and fit the panniers up!!

After quickly reading Andy's "fitting hints" it took me all of about 2 minutes to fit them, then 20 seconds to take them off again!! How awesome it that?! 

Take them off again? 

Well, you see the bags are canvas and need seasoning before I use them. Seasoning just means wetting them and letting them dry out a couple of times. Easily done using a step ladder as the horse.

Cheers.

The Postman Cometh

Wait, oh yes, wait a minute, Mister Postman

Wait, wait, hey, hey, hey, Mister Postman

Mister Postman, look and see

(Oh yeah) Is there a parcel in your bag for me?

(Please, please, Mister Postman) I been waiting a long, long time

(Whoah, yeah) Since I heard from SW Motech online.....

......You know the song.....

Yep, I have been giving the credit card a bit of a bashing lately. After a few weeks of research I have covered off three or four of the most important (to me) items that I need to make this F800GSA work for me. In no particular order these are -

Number one - A chain oiler system

Number two - a strap system so I can carry stuff.

Number three - a topbox so that the kids feel more secure and I can carry stuff.

Number four - a workshop manual so I can break stuff! (then fix it)

These items all arrived this week and luckily, I have the weekend free to fit them up! Free, that is except for a few jaunts to motorcycle shops looking for a ladies jacket to fit Lucy. 

Did I mention the kids are loving riding around on the back of this thing? Lucy has expressed her desire to get a motorcycle licence in a few years, when she is legally able to. It might be time for a little second hand TTR-125 or KLX-140 to teach them how to ride.....but first I need to find a place where they can ride. Not so easy when you live in the city.

The last "must have" I need to order is a screen add-on to deflect the breeze off of my helmet. The go to item seems to be a Wunderlich Ergo 3D screen which is to be had for a ridiculous amount of money for a small piece of perspex but anything to get rid of the "little guy tapping on my helmet with a hammer" at highway speeds......and I am again awaiting the Postman.

Sexy SW Motech top box




Cheers.

In Search Of How To Carry Your Undies

It has been quite a while since I have travelled anywhere overnight by motorcycle and hence, a long time since I have needed or purchased any motorcycle luggage. Being on a sports bike limits how much I can carry but the good thing about all of the bikepacking that I have done over the last few years is I have learnt how little one really needs for a few days on the road. Take my trip to the US last month for example. I took exactly one pair of long pants, one t-shirt and one pair of undies for a 3 week visit......yep, I travel light these days! Admittedly, I only had 4 or 5 days in "civvies" before I donned the bike-cycle riding gear for the AZTR but one really does not need much.

With this in mind I went luggage hunting today. When I first bought the bike I figured I would buy a Ventura rack and use the bag that I have owned since 1994 but on closer inspection (of prices) the Ventura rack systems had become stupidly expensive so I scratched that idea long ago. While visiting a motorcycle accessory warehouse a few months back to find a mate's son some goggles for mtbing I noticed some luggage options on display. 

I promptly forgot about them until a few days ago when my bro mentioned that the lads from Sydney were planning a weekend ride midway between Sydney and Brisbane in June this year. Some of the Brisbane guys are going down for it so I thought if I am not working that weekend I might head down (if it isn't raining...). That is when I remembered that I have no meaningful way to carry my undies....

Off to a few of the local accessory stores and I was soon in posession of something that looked like it might do the job.

NOT where I bought the bag, but close!

Nelson Rigg is a brand I vaguely remember from somewhere. I have no idea of it's likely reliability but with the amount of use it will get from me, it will last for years. There aren't too many UV rays inside the cupboard!

It fits ok as is but I will cut and sew the straps that go under the seat as I want a specific, tidy fit to the rear seat. That will mean it will be bike specific but I can always buy more strap to make it fit whatever I may add to the stable in the future.

The good thing is that at 24 litre capacity I can't fit too much in it. It apparently expands to 33 litres which will hold a helmet. Nice to have but I can't see myself using it for that purpose.

The waterproof cover might be handy but luckily Australia is pretty dry which is a good thing as the cover is quite bulky and probably takes up 15-20% of the bag's capacity! I will have to screw it down into a tiny roll and tie it so as to minimise the covers bulk.

So, now to sit with a beer and just look at it for fifteen or twenty minutes  errr, brainstorm a solution to tidy up the straps underseat shitshow......

Yes, I am a bit OCD. ;-)

Cheers.