Tour Prepping a SuperSport, Why don't we do this?

[Cablebandit]

notarian has posted numerous drool worthy reports with him touring Europe-land on his stock Ducati 1098.
All he had was a tail bag.

I think some of you lot are just soft.

 

Isn't Europe like 3 hours from end to end?  

[black hills]

I think some of you lot are just soft.

 

 

[Rattlehead]

notarian has posted numerous drool worthy reports with him touring Europe-land on his stock Ducati 1098.
All he had was a tail bag.

I think some of you lot are just soft.

 

Agreed.  
If you have to pack so much that it destroys the handling of a SS maybe you could leave a few "luxuries" behind
Here's me with 3 days worth of stuff, a tent, and TONS of emergency supplies (my fellow travelers were less than prepared for an emergency so I doubled up for their sake) as well as some stuff from the others since I still had room left. It's not like an XB is a roomy bike either.  
Running the dragon I couldn't even tell that stuff was back there. Pack light and distribute it evenly with the heavy stuff mounted low. That setup worked fantastically for me and I could have easily stretched it another 2-3days without packing any more (a laundry stop would have been in order).

[JSharp]

Agreed.  
If you have to pack so much that it destroys the handling of a SS maybe you could leave a few "luxuries" behind
Here's me with 3 days worth of stuff, a tent, and TONS of emergency supplies (my fellow travelers were less than prepared for an emergency so I doubled up for their sake) as well as some stuff from the others since I still had room left. It's not like an XB is a roomy bike either.  
Running the dragon I couldn't even tell that stuff was back there. Pack light and distribute it evenly with the heavy stuff mounted low. That setup worked fantastically for me and I could have easily stretched it another 2-3days without packing any more (a laundry stop would have been in order).

That's a Dowco luggage set. I have the same one including their small tank bag. The stuff is low $ and works great. I also own a larger Fieldsheer tank bag I use when I don't want to take the all the luggage.

If I need to take more stuff along I'll take my 4Runner.

[Rattlehead]

That's a Dowco luggage set. I have the same one including their small tank bag. The stuff is low $ and works great. I also own a larger Fieldsheer tank bag I use when I don't want to take the all the luggage.

If I need to take more stuff along I'll take my 4Runner.

Yup.
 I took a chance and bought cheap. Turned out to be a pretty nice set with PLENTY of room. I can't speak for water resistance as I've only had them in a light rain; kept the water out in that though. I always pack my stuff in 2gal zip-lock bags so even if the they do leak I still have dry undies.  
I kept the luggage even though I sold the Buell. I use the tail bag ALL the time on my Busa. The beauty of soft luggage, to me, is that it'll fit on ANY bike quickly and easily.  

[JSharp]

Yup.
 I took a chance and bought cheap. Turned out to be a pretty nice set with PLENTY of room. I can't speak for water resistance as I've only had them in a light rain; kept the water out in that though. I always pack my stuff in 2gal zip-lock bags so even if the they do leak I still have dry undies.  
I kept the luggage even though I sold the Buell. I use the tail bag ALL the time on my Busa. The beauty of soft luggage, to me, is that it'll fit on ANY bike quickly and easily.  

+1 The little tank bag lives on my Ninja. I use it as a glove box. The other stuff can be on in under 2 minutes if I need it. And I don't have a ton of plumbing hanging on my bike.

The attached pull-out rain covers work ok in light rain. I haven't tried them in a downpour and I don't intend to ride in one ever again. Famous last words...

[atadaskew]

Isn't Europe like 3 hours from end to end?  

On a Ducati 1098, yes.
On a Guzzi about 5 hours (it takes a while to fight off the adulating crowds)

On the land marshmallows that some of you seem to prefer, about 1 week...

[Windblown]

I've ridden both types.  It all boils down to wants and needs.

SS type bike -  minimum luggage (If you're gonna slap 50 lbs on an SS why bother, handling is gonna suck) -   No large mods to ergo's (if you're gonna drop the pegs and raise the bars, again, why bother with an SS, compromising ergos for comfort defeats their purpose.) As they are designed the are great for attacking the turns at go to jail speeds.  

ST type bike - Higher degree of comfort for those who don't do well with being pretzel shaped all day. Better protection against the elements compared to an SS. Tons of room for the kitchen sink. Still able to strafe turns you're not familiar with at a pace that can send you to jail. Good fun! Just not quite as good as having an SS once you unload and start making laps at some fav twisty bit of pavement.

[jesse v]

Here's my '04 SV1000 w/ LSL kit:




Ultimately, I think I am with those who say that most people don't use all their bike's power anyway, so a ST seems more logical.  But motorcycling isn't logical in the first place.  The argument about properly sitting on a SS bike (using your torso) is valid as well.  All in all, I think a "sport/standard" (Z1000, etc) is probably the ultimate choice for me.  That's basically what I have I suppose... so perhaps I'm biased.

[Rogue]

I toured on my Buell Firebolt with a duffel bag and a small tank bag.  I found it to be a very good highway companion due to a relaxed engine, relaxed but sporty sportbike ergos, maintenance-free belt drive, and when the road got twisty it was a ton of fun at a mere 450 lbs. wet.  

What I don't enjoy when I'm touring is how heavy a bike can be when loaded down with all kinds of touring shit.  Especially at low speed.  My preferred mode of touring is "light".  Pack a minimum of crap and just ride.  The most essentials are cold weather/warm weather gear, personal hygiene stuff, flat tire repair kit, cell phone, and wallet.  The rest I can just buy.  No camping for me.  Too much stuff to carry.

[Rogue]

Having said all that, you can just buy one of the best do-it-all motorcycles for that mythical $7k price and be done with it in one fell swoop.  Centerstand, fuel gauge, wind protection, reliability, single sided swingarm for easy chain maintenance, and comfortable sporty ergos.  

[todao]

I modded my 2004 CBR1000RR for touring.  I put the Convertbars adjustable handlebars, a corbin seat, laminar lip, soft bags and would tour for two weeks at a time at age 52.  It was okay; can't say I was really comfortable but it was tolerable.  The bike was great in the canyons and good on tour.  But there is only so much you can do to make it comfortable on an RR.  

I sold that and bought a ZX14 new.  Put Heli's on, a corbin seat (only for touring), same soft bags and a laminar lip.  Now I can tour in full comfort. The bike is great on tour and very good in the canyons.  That is a better balance for me than the CBR was.  Oh yes, the CBR would get blown all around in the winds.  The ZX is stable as hell.

[CanadianBird]

FWitsW, on the weekend I passed 180,000kms on my '02 BlackBird. I'm 67, retired, and only tour or do day rides. I have a full Givi hard bag set up, Corbin GFL, Heli Bars, and upgrades suspension rear and front. I average 18,000 kms per year in the last ten years of Bird ownership. My closest riding friends ride BlackBirds also. I could post up pics of scraped fairings. A well set up Bird is a pleasure to tour on and can scratch with many litre bikes. It's very user friendly, bullet proof engine, and it's a Honda. I added a full lighting kit to the Givi, running, brake, turn signals for safety and when riding at dawn or dusk. There are still Birds for sale in the USA that have been farkled out, low milage, for as low as $3,500 to $5,500. It's one of the best ST bikes for your money.  

[Bruce Bogtrotter]

Having said all that, you can just buy one of the best do-it-all motorcycles for that mythical $7k price and be done with it in one fell swoop.  Centerstand, fuel gauge, wind protection, reliability, single sided swingarm for easy chain maintenance, and comfortable sporty ergos.

Head says VFR, midlife crisis says CBR. Decisions, decisions...

I notice the 800 isn't even on the Honda site anymore -- 1200 only for the foreseeable future?

[atadaskew]

Great pic, Carmel Valley Road?
Posted on: April 13, 2012, 11:35:09 AM

I notice the 800 isn't even on the Honda site anymore -- 1200 only for the foreseeable future?

The upside is you can buy a new 1200 for less than a new (I guess leftover now) 800.
1200 is going for $10K last time I checked.

[ceilingcat]

zx14 with hard luggage.  Pertty easy to do from twisted throttle.  Don't think you can do this with a 'busa

[atadaskew]

zx14 with hard luggage.  Pertty easy to do from twisted throttle.  Don't think you can do this with a 'busa

Do you have a pic of it from the rear?

The problem with doing it this way is the bags stick waaay out, as the bike was never originally designed for those generic bags.
On my Duc St4s, the bags are designed for the bike, so they mount really close and follow the curves of the bodywork.  This means the widest part of the bike are the mirrors.  Handy for cutting through traffic etc. (as well as looking better)

[dm_gsxr]

zx14 with hard luggage.  Pertty easy to do from twisted throttle.  Don't think you can do this with a 'busa

The only problem with saying such things about my 'busa is we'll find the pics



And of course for the trunk, my own 'busa:



I know one guy here who had the 40 liter hard cases mounted as saddlebags.

Carl

[dm_gsxr]

Do you have a pic of it from the rear?

The problem with doing it this way is the bags stick waaay out, as the bike was never originally designed for those generic bags.
On my Duc St4s, the bags are designed for the bike, so they mount really close and follow the curves of the bodywork.  This means the widest part of the bike are the mirrors.  Handy for cutting through traffic etc. (as well as looking better)

You have the Corbin Beetle Bags which are configured to fit the bike. They're a tad on the expensive side though. I like my soft bags really.

Carl

[Bad Dad]

always toured on sport bikes, Ducati 900 ss, ZX-9, Hayabusa, RC-51 and lately a 06 GSXR 1000, which after using it for deer hunting has been replaced with a new 2011 GSXR 1000. On the 06 i lowered the pegs 3/4 inch, added some heavy stainless bar ends to tame some high freq. vibes and.... well that's it. Mounted up some ventura lugage and a tank bag and good for a couple week trip. Oh and a GP pipe..Mmmm.