First Farkles for a beginning Sport Tourer...

[KokomoSam]

There is no end to the money you can spend on farkles, but like so many things there are some cheap ones that offer serious bang for buck.  Having been riding for a few years now I thought I would share what I felt was the best money spent on farkles in a bang for buck sense.


My must-buy recommendations for a new sport touring rider are:

1. Throttle Rocker http://www.throttlerocker.com/ ~$11
My first longer ride was only a few hours away on the slab, but my wrist was killing me on the way home.  I was so uncomfortable that I had to stop and take a break often.  My riding partner had a throttle rocker and cruise control and he took pity on my and gave me his throttle rocker for the rest of the ride home.  I have never ridden without a throttle rocker since. *WARNING*   you have to be careful how you set the angle of the rocker or you can accidentily goose the engine, especially in sow speed maneuvers.  Having said that I took the ERC with it on and never had an issue.  Just give it a try first in a safe area.

2. Sheepskin Buttpad http://www.alaskaleather.com/ ~$35 - $50
I only made this purchase last season and I sure wish I had done it sooner. It was the biggest improvement butt comfort I have found.  I have tried the Suzuki gel seat, a Spencer custom and the stock seat on my Bandit.   The best money spent on all of that is the sheepskin


so those are my top two.   Can anyone else think of anything else?

Sam

[Lawn Dart]

First Farkles!  WOOOHOOOO!  

1.  Caterpiller Rubber O-Ring for a throttle lock.  (Never did like the T-Rocker)

2.  e-Vest.  Maybe technically not a Farkle but wow, talk about a game changer!

3.  Sheepskin = good.  An old used Corbin or Mayer = better!  I remember my first Corbin - it was ugly as sin and well used but cost me all of $50 and was priceless.

4.  That first Tankbag.  Don't matter which one...just great stuff.

[mnb]

Zumo 550 ... and some etymotic ER-6i earphones

Hard bags.  Softbags are for softies.  And people that want to get ripped off.  Tank bags get in the way.

Corbin.

Heated grips.

[miles]

Luggage.

Heated grips and an electric vest.  


Those would be my two top recommendations.

[Stray Cat]

Heated grips are the numero uno farkle. I use mine at some point almost every month of the year!

[atypical1]

Skip the farkles for your bike and spend the money on farkles for you.

Get good gear that you like to wear and take a track school. That's the best money you will spend and will help ensure you live long enough to use the other fun farkles that are out there.

james

[Zixxerpilot]

The one thing I recommend to all new ST riders is a tank bag. You'll find that you actually use it on every ride. It's so handy, and can be taken from bike to bike for years.

[KokomoSam]

Zumo 550 ... and some etymotic ER-6i earphones

Hard bags.  Softbags are for softies.  And people that want to get ripped off.  Tank bags get in the way.

Corbin.

Heated grips.

Wow!  a Zumo 550 is a bit expensive for a first farkle...  Although I did put hard bags on every bike within a week of getting it.

I actually don't have heated grips installed myself.   I will be adding those this winter.

Sam

[caddydaddy]

My first farkle was some bar risers.  That was just the beginning of a long list of farkles!  

[KenH]

First, ATGATT.

Second, comfort.

After that, he with the most toys wins.

[jfurf]

Wow!  a Zumo 550 is a bit expensive for a first farkle...  Although I did put hard bags on every bike within a week of getting it.

I actually don't have heated grips installed myself.   I will be adding those this winter.

Sam

I've found SUPER CHEAP prices on the Garmin 2720 out there. I really want one... even though that model isn't the latest and greatest.

[Fun Dog]

Great thread.

Tail pack.  I don't have a magnetic tank and don't want to strap on a tank bag (I just said strap-on ).  You can use just about anything for a tail pack as long as you have a good way to anchor it to the back seat.  I have used coolers, dry bags, and most recently a Pelican Case.  I use a converted back-pack for my present "day" tail pack in which I carry all the essentials I need on a 1 to 5 hour ride:  tire pump, tire plugs, rain gear, extra visor for when the sun goes down, small tool kit, maps, and visor wipes.

The best attributes of my favorite tail packs are accessibility and waterproofness.

[jsanford]

I've found SUPER CHEAP prices on the Garmin 2720 out there. I really want one... even though that model isn't the latest and greatest.

Indeed, my Streetpilot 2610 was cheap, and I didn't need the frou-frou bluetooth or tunes interface.
Remanufactured-by-Garmin 550s are out there for under $500, though.

I second the recommendation that the first farkles be a Corbin and heated grips.  Mine were a modulating headlight and flashing LED taillight, though.  Third was an engine guard so I could drop the bike with confidence.

To my mind, a "farkle" is a nonessential--gear and training aren't in the same category.  

[hovmaven]

Used aerostich -- great value, unbeatable utility and performance.  

A bungee net.  

[Phenix_Rider]

Good gear and grip heaters.  Then a tailbag or backpack.

[denisep]

I had heated grips put on my bike in August when I bought it...   the mechanics laughed...

You never know when the parkway will be chilly and you have summer gloves on......

#2 = frame sliders...  (just in case)

[TheFlyingDavenport]

#1 A good helmet!  A nice lid will make riding so much more comfortable.  

#2 Big Ol Tankbag!  That changed riding for me forever.  Once I found I can go and get stuff on my bike, I started thinking about touring, and that changed how I ride forever.

#3 Luggage.  Screw the car, go shopping on your bike!

[bomber]

+1 on the tank bag! Transfers from bike to bike, used on every ride, can't do without mine.

Lights -- if your'e a city/suburban dweller, and you haven't ridden much in teh Thulies, you will be surprised at:

1 how dark it gets out beyond, and

2 how useless most motorcycle headlights are.

[Zerosum]

Definately luggage.  I use a Givi clone top case that only cost $70:

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,22877.0.html

Prior to that, I had never had a luggage case on a bike.  It was great to be able to carry things without having to break out the bungee cords.

[jfurf]

I'm finding that I really really really want a GPS. I've been riding up in the mountains and just have no idea where these unfamiliar roads lead...

[Zerosum]

A GPS is handy, but I'd recommend that green riders not use them.  In the end, it's a distraction from your basic task of riding the bike safely.  (For this reason, I never listen to music while riding.)

IMO, it's best to get your riding skills properly burned into your brain before adding gadgets that take your eyes off the road, even for a split second at a time.  

[Playinthestreet]

Fringe grip covers.
Skull acorn nut covers.
King/Queen seat.
Purple neon lites under the engine.
Suicide clutch/jockey shift.
Pure as the driven snow white shoes.

[bikerfish1100]

a celebratory tat and something tie-died or fringed.

umm- each bike & rider needs differet things (some demand saddle fix, others want hard bags or heated grips, etc), so i really don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer. tank bag and upgraded suspension?

[Black Ice]

Heated grips are the numero uno farkle. I use mine at some point almost every month of the year!

+1.

atypical's advice is also sound.  

If you go for the grips, I did a write-up on the installation process here:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

[VAbikeguy]

Get a set of cheap earplugs if you don't get the earbud head phones.  Wind noise really fatigues the rider.

[county]

Rainsuit

Boots, gloves, pants and jacket & helmet.  2nd hand or NewEnough's sale section.  Then tankbag and dry bag from Bass Pro Shop.

Then to expand your touring year....heated grips and electric vest.

[Kool shades]

+1 on the Farkles for yourself!

Get some GOOD gear. If it doesnt feel good when you wear it, you wont want to wear it.

If you're buy raingear (and you should) spend a little extra, the cheap stuff just wont last.

WaterPROOF gloves & boots are a great thing to have.

[bikerfish1100]

actually, you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone quite effectively by buying quality Cordura riding jacket/pants- and being wterproof, rain gear is just a redundant expense that takes up valuable touring space.

[county]

actually, you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone quite effectively by buying quality Cordura riding jacket/pants- and being wterproof, rain gear is just a redundant expense that takes up valuable touring space.

Uh uh, IMO rain gear is a necessity unless you plan on just staying dry til you get home.  That stuff you're talking about won't keep you dry thru 2 days of rain.

[Johnny Monsoon]

Luggage.

Heated grips and an electric vest.  


Those would be my two top recommendations.

A big +1 here.  Even in summer in certain environments heated gear makes riding much safer and more enjoyable.  

One thing that might not be equipment, but should certainly be included for any distance further than around town is earplugs (though I wear those around town too).

[zer0netgain]

Wow....

I don't know what to suggest as farkles are very personal.

+1 to the Throttle Rocker (or some other device) - It's worth the cost when you consider how tired your throttle hand gets after a few hours.

CHAIN OILER (if you don't have shaft drive) - Without this, you'll waste a lot of time on chain cleaning and maintenance and still burn through chains/sprockets.

Seat pad/New seat - I got a Corbin made when my stock seat was no longer comfortable on long trips.  This is a very personal choice.

Hard luggage/Givi - Expensive, but modular luggage systems are worth the money when you see how much easier they make things.

GPS - You can live without one, but it is nice to have.

Mini-laptop - If you take lots of photos and video with a camera mount on the bike, you need a decent laptop that is easy to pack.

[Marcster]

30 replies about farkles and no one mentions:

1 -- Gremlin bells? Guardian Bells?  I don't have one, but I've given two...  http://www.gremlinbells.com & http://www.guardianbell.com
2 -- That McCuff fill-up thing.  I have one, but my scooter has the fuel filler on the legsheild so the McCuff doesn't fit properly. http://www.mccuff.com
3 -- Halo Helmet band. http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/halo-helmet

I've purchased the above off of ebay for cheap.

[zer0netgain]

Gremlin bells?  

McCuff?  Sounds nice, but I never had a problem pumping gas.  Something along those lines sounds nice for CA bikers where they have that stupid vacuum reclamation thing that doesn't work well with motorcycle tanks.

That Halo band sounds like a good idea.  

[2RR2NV]

Zumo 550 ... and some etymotic ER-6i earphones

Hard bags.  Softbags are for softies.  And people that want to get ripped off.  Tank bags get in the way.

Corbin.

Heated grips.

and here i thought the guy was talking about getting the most bang for the buck and not spend much. hmmm.. guess i need to up my limit.


HONEY!!!!  i need mo MONEY!!!

[Zerosum]

and here i thought the guy was talking about getting the most bang for the buck and not spend much. hmmm.. guess i need to up my limit.


HONEY!!!!  i need mo MONEY!!!

Yeah, welcome to the hobby.  The other day, I was all set to order an Aerostich 1-peice suit when my wife yelled at me.

Here's a good cheap farkle... 3M reflective tape.  Go nuts with it!  

I used it to make my V-Strom even UGLIER!  

[Marcster]

Here's a good cheap farkle... 3M reflective tape.  Go nuts with it!  

LOL...  Here's a guy who used actual DOT tape on his KLR650:



http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bmn51dmho6l9ev7n77jvkldk01&topic=36.0

[Johnny Monsoon]

LOL...  Here's a guy who used actual DOT tape on his KLR650:



http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bmn51dmho6l9ev7n77jvkldk01&topic=36.0

I'm not really a fan of the new KLR, but I DIG what that cat did with his.  Sweet use of tape.

[Zerosum]

LOL...  Here's a guy who used actual DOT tape on his KLR650:

I like it!  He had the same idea that I did... make the thing look like a cross between a bumblebee and a forklift.

I really like that bikini fairing on the new KLR, too.

[Marcster]

I'm not really a fan of the new KLR, but I DIG what that cat did with his.  Sweet use of tape.

I really like that bikini fairing on the new KLR, too.

I'm loving the new KLR!  My local Kawi dealer has two '09s, one blue & one red.  The red one is

[RickC1957]

I'll play

1. Heated grips,
2. GPS
3. Electrified Tank Bag
4. Hard Luggage
5. Radar Detector
6. 12VDC Air compressor.
7. Heated Vest

There are a host of other things, but these 7 are really nice to have

[Zerosum]

3. Electrified Tank Bag

Uh... what does it need to be electrified for?    I've never heard of such a thing.

[2RR2NV]

Uh... what does it need to be electrified for?    I've never heard of such a thing.

you can hook up all your gizmos to it. like cell phone, radar detector...etc. etc...i've been thinking of getting one too, but i don't have enough farkles yet to justify it to the wife. dabnabit!!!

[mustang28027]

So far, and as far as I can remember,  I got the following in the order of first to last:  helmet, jacket, gloves, tankbag( as big as I could get it fit), sheepskin( after lowering my seat with a breadknife), throttlerocker, tourmaster soft bags( all three), and a cig lighter adapter that plugs directly into pigtail connected to the battery for a battery tender, and lastly, a Givi case on the back.

I NEED good boots, good pants and grip heaters. Then I will be happy.    

[Marcster]

I NEED good boots, good pants and grip heaters. Then I will be happy.    

If you happen to wear a size 11, get a pair of these:
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/bargain_basement/teknic/sturgis_motorcycle_boots.html

I paid $50 last Fall.