Author Topic: touring must haves. (Read 5892 times)

oldandslow · « **Reply #15 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:39:31 AM »

Quote from: "Vidrazor"

I also ride with ATGATT.

... but talking to a diehard tourer, he mentioned that the moment you drop your bike (and you WILL drop your bike), you'll have a busted case. Better to use soft bags, at least on the sides (he did have a Givi hard tail case). Made perfect sense to me. I'm going to go this route when I finally get my next bike.

I can vouch for the effectiveness of a Givi 52 litre topcase as a frame slider ;) Other than some scratches it's still fully functional.

I suppose a side case wouldn't have survived as well, but then again, it's replaceable, and would also have protected the bike (which costs a lot more than the case!)

'course it was the one time I was riding w/o "all the gear" (Doh!) so now it's ATGATT!

banditone1250s · « **Reply #16 on:** June 19, 2007, 09:42:13 PM »

When I travel I have a tank bag, a tail bank, and a set of soft saddle bags that are expandable. I can put a lot more than I listed there. I can put enough clothes in there for a week as long as I can find a laundry mat... I have every thing that I need handy in easily accessible pockets like my wallet, extra gloves, and any other little thing that I might need handy on the road...Banditone1250s...

drewpy_dawg · « **Reply #17 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:46:33 PM »

My tank bag is practically my "man-purse". I carry a liter of water, cell phone, sunglasses case, insurance card and gloves in there. Toll road speed pass goes in the map pocket (as well as any maps needed). Its got enough room that even with all that stuff I can expand the bag to get in a large to-go Styrofoam box.
I've got the cortech sport bag as mentioned before. I got almost 30 bucks worth of groceries in that. I'm doing my first long trip next weekend (hopefully) from Houston to the dallas area. I'm loading up the tank bag and sport bag and probably the cortech saddle bags as well. I need to find a rainsuit that isn't going to kill me in the Texas heat. (It doesn't cool down when it rains in Houston...it just gets MORE humid).

Jason F. · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2007, 05:13:06 AM »

daytrip stuff up to 400 miles goes under the seat and in the tank bag.

Tank bag gets:
Small hand towel and visor cleaner
earplugs
chapstick of some sort
the ipod with Boostaroo and earbuds
eyeglass case with sunglasses
extra backup batteries for the GPS if taken off the hardwire.
on long trips I might throw the XM radio in there
cooler weather gets a Balaclava if not on my head.

Under seat gets:
Registration and insurance card in a plastic bag
First Aid kit
Small tool kit
tire gauge
zip ties
spare fuses

Pockets get the phone and wallet.

On a long trip I add spare gloves (weather dependent) to the luggage.
I might also add liners for my gear when cooler temps are a possibility.
I also add a small air pump for tires.

I need to add a tire repair kit to the tool kit.
I also need to find some rain gear for wearing over my leathers on "aggressive" tour rides when I am not in the water proof textile gear.

ridenclimb · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2007, 08:19:36 PM »

All good items people have mentioned so far. Here is one I don't think anyone mentioned yet.

Extra clutch lever and extra brake lever.

It cheap to get aftermarket levers on ebay or online. In the event you have an accidental tip over or low side it is very easy to break one It only take five minutes to replace a lever IF you have one with you. If not and it happens on a Sunday miles away from a dealer it can really ruin your day. These items are a must if you are going far from home.

David

I will also add electrical tape and a small tube of gasket sealer to the tool kit list. This can help immensely if you somehow manage to get a small hole in your fuel line.

Jason F. · « **Reply #20 on:** June 21, 2007, 03:46:04 AM »

Quote from: "ridenclimb"

Extra clutch lever and extra brake lever.

I get around this by stress drilling my levers to copy the race levers made by some of the high dollar vendors.

After breaking one off in a low side I saw the advantage to creating a weak point further out on the lever. Now if I have a tip over and it gets the levers I may have a shorter lever but I still have enough lever to ride the bike home.

GETFURIOUS · « **Reply #21 on:** June 25, 2007, 03:17:13 AM »

I JUST ORDERED A SMALL TANK BAG, THAT I AM GOING TO USE AS A TAIL BAG ON MY HOLESHOT BACK REST/LUGGAGE RACK SET UP.....

I WANTED A SMALL BAG FOR THE REAR AND COULD NOT FIND ONE THAT SUITED ME.....SO I HAD TO IMPROVISE.....

I USUALLY CARRY A PAIR OF WORK GLOVES UNDER MY SEAT ALONG WITH THE TOOL KIT, BUNGEE NET, A CABLE LOCK (FOR MY JACKET), A COUPLE OF EXTRA FUSES, A SMALL HAND TOWEL, AND A BASEBALL CAP TO KEEP THE SUN OFF ON MY HEAD WHEN I AM HANGING OUT AT AN EVENT.....I WILL BE MOVING THE BUNGEE NET AND THE CABLE LOCK TO THE TAIL BAG AND PLACING SOME EXTRA TOOLS UNDER MY SEAT.....

I SEE SOME VERY GOOD IDEAS FOR WHAT TO CARRY IN THE BAG.....NOT JUST FOR LONG TRIPS, BUT FOR EVERYDAY USES.....THANKS FOR THE IDEAS.....

B-T-W.....DOES ANYONE HERE PATCH OR PLUG THEIR TIRES AND RIDE ON THEM LONG TERM?....IF SO, DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE REPAIRED TIRES AT HIGH (HIGHWAY) SPEEDS?....

aussiebandit · « **Reply #22 on:** June 30, 2007, 02:35:45 AM »

In summer I use a 'camel back' - 2 bladders one of which I freeze for use late in the day.

In winter, a flask of coffee and just one bladder of water.

I always carry wet weather pants and usually have a spare pair of gloves in the gear sack. The usual tools, and clothes if its an overnighter. Mobile phone and a digital cameral (if I remember to pack it).

Oh and the most important thing a credit card.