Author Topic: What's the most unusual thing you carried on a motorcycle. (Read 14076 times)

gtbandit · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2006, 11:54:05 PM »

Quote from: fritobandito

Drive the car for Pete's sake.

I don't see how my driving a car to carry stuff would be in Pete's best interest!

Sven · « **Reply #16 on:** October 10, 2006, 11:06:10 AM »

About the strangest thing that's been on my bike is *me*. About the strangest thing I've carried on the bike has been fast food from the drivethru, which I normally shove inside my jacket. Yeah, nothing too bizarre. I did recently see someone at Costco trying to load a giant bag of water softener pellets. Talk about a dead weight.

See, if I know I am going shopping, I would *plan ahead* and drive the car. I don't want to buy a computer or a leaf blower or, to use the term everyone seems to be using right now, "whatnot", only to have it fall off and get destroyed, or have it shift and pull the bike over. If I saw some really great deal while out on the bike, I would come back in the car to get it. There's an intersection where enjoying taking the bike and using common sense cross.

ttewejnodnarb · « **Reply #17 on:** October 10, 2006, 02:02:36 PM »

I needed a MIG welder last minute...very urgent. At the time I was in Manhattan (NYC) and the only place open at the hour that sold them was Home Depot in Brooklyn (NYC). Not that great of a distance, maybe 11 miles, but throught the Brooklyn Battery, a toll tunnell. So I rode to the HD on my Duc M620, bought the welder (weight: 90lbs size: 30X30X35 box) and some rachet tie-downs. Wheeled the welder to the bike in a shopping cart then strapped it to the back seat. It actually wasn't that bad...a little top heavy but not bad. I was sure I was going to gt stopped at the toll plaza but I didn't. I got some really funny looks, though!!

andrewsw · « **Reply #18 on:** October 10, 2006, 08:09:54 PM »

Okay:

4 full xerox boxes. this was as a messenger in Wash DC. one each in large canvas saddle bags each side, one strapped across the back and one balanced on the tank. That was a heavy load.

three 10' pieces of 1 1/2" pvc pipe strapped on the side under my leg running front to back. stuck out a bit both ends and also made a steering damper, but only for right turns.

my buddy with a tire around his waist.

about 30 5# bags of sugar. again as a messenger. they fit pretty easily in the cancas saddle bags, but sure looked funny coming out of it two at a time.

oh! my wife in her wedding getup with veil coming out the helmet!! woo hoo!

CWO4GUNNER · « **Reply #19 on:** October 11, 2006, 02:14:30 PM »

On my first deer hunting trip in Nelson county VA, I used my DRZ400 to drag a buck yearling up the hill from my tree stand to the cabin. It was winter 8am and I had been out since 5am colder then crap. I tried dragging the little heavy bugger up the steep hill 1 mile path but it was exhausting just to drag it a few feet. My 4x4 was too wide for the trees, so I unloaded my DRZ which I brought to trail ride and made a hell of a noise revving the engine but drug that yearling using a rope tow all the way to the dressing station.

Sven · « **Reply #20 on:** October 11, 2006, 02:39:34 PM »

Quote from:

my buddy with a tire around his waist.

Geez, a guy picks up a few pounds and suddenly you're making fun off him.

Actually, you're the second post involving someone wearing a tire. I've never tried that, but it's been seen around town, so I guess it's not too uncommon.

gtbandit · « **Reply #21 on:** October 13, 2006, 01:25:25 AM »

[quote="Sven"
See, if I know I am going shopping, I would *plan ahead* and drive the car. I don't want to buy a computer or a leaf blower or, to use the term everyone seems to be using right now, "whatnot", only to have it fall off and get destroyed, or have it shift and pull the bike over. If I saw some really great deal while out on the bike, I would come back in the car to get it. There's an intersection where enjoying taking the bike and using common sense cross.[/quote]

I ride a motorcycle daily for transportation most anywhere I go when I'm alone. I wasn't planning on buying the tree or the generator when I bought them, I was just there. as usual, on a bike. I was just looking at christmas trees planning on coming back later, when someone joked "Are you going to carry a tree home on your motorcycle?" I picked one up. It was rather light and, at 7' tall ,easily fit inside the width of a lane and therefore was legal to haul. Why not? I figured it would be easy to carry (it was) and not present any drivability hazards (it didn't). That fact that uptight people would stare in disbelief was just a plus. (Though, I did take the back roads home to minimize that.) The generator was too good a deal to pass up and my truck wasn't legal to drive at the time. I thought long and hard about if I could carry it safely and how. It didn't budge an inch on the way home and added less weight than an average passenger. The top heavyness wasn't anything a skilled rider couldn't overcome, even during an emergency maneuver. If this means I lack common sense, then so-be-it. Alot of people already think I'm a reckless risk taker just because I ride a motorcycle.

PS: As I mentioned in my first post with the generator, all of these "oversized objects" were secured against both the seat and my hard trunk. Having 2 stationary planes perpendicular to each other to secure to and using the proper type and quantity of straps/cords does wonders for load stability. But, common sense would tell you that.

Next spring, when I go to buy a new leaf blower, I will be taking the bike, because I can't think of a single good reason not to!

Sven · « **Reply #22 on:** October 13, 2006, 10:01:51 AM »

Quote

I don't wait for perfect weather and the planets to align just so...That fact that uptight people would stare in disbelief was just a plus....If this means I lack common sense, then so-be-it. Alot of people already think I'm a reckless risk taker just because I ride a motorcycle...
Next spring, when I go to buy a new leaf blower, I will be taking the bike, because I can't think of a single good reason not to!

Geez, I hope your bike can handle the giant chip you carry on your shoulder. I didn't mean to start a pissing contest about who is the more dedicated rider or who rides in worse weather.

I do stop and pick up smaller items on my way home, anything I can carry in a backpack, or easily bungee to the tail. But I don't ride with luggage to carry bigger stuff. Assuming someone has the right vehicle for the job, I think it makes more sense to use it, than just try to prove a frickin' point. If I were buying a load of gravel, I wouldn't have them load it in the trunk of a sedan *just because it is possible*.

ttewejnodnarb · « **Reply #23 on:** October 13, 2006, 11:55:54 AM »

Oh...forgot about that one. I bought a load of gravel and was afraid the whole 50lb load would shift during transit, so I swallowed the gravel. Worked out well, except it took me weeks to pass it all...

Sven · « **Reply #24 on:** October 13, 2006, 12:45:09 PM »

Quote

Oh...forgot about that one. I bought a load of gravel and was afraid the whole 50lb load would shift during transit, so I swallowed the gravel. Worked out well, except it took me weeks to pass it all.

Ouch

gtbandit · « **Reply #25 on:** October 14, 2006, 04:51:10 AM »

Quote from: Sven

Geez, I hope your bike can handle the giant chip you carry on your shoulder. I didn't mean to start a pissing contest about who is the more dedicated rider or who rides in worse weather.

I do stop and pick up smalled items on my way home, anything I can carry in a backpack, or easily bungee to the tail. But I don't ride with luggage to carry bigger stuff. Assuming someone has the right vehicle for the job, I think it makes more sense to use it, than just try to prove a frickin' point. If I were buying a load of gravel, I wouldn't have them load it in the truck of a sedan *just because it is possible*.

Actually, I got the heavy duty suspension just for that chip! I'll admit it was pointless to add the part about the weather and planets aligning. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand. For that reason I edited my previous post. But, my point is this: I've been using motorcycles for daily transportation for a long time. Sometimes I didn't have a car available to me. I still needed to pick up stuff. After carrying a few "awkward" size loads, ones learns real quick that is quite possible to carry larger loads securely without adding any risk to ride if you do it right. I've never purposely went out to pick up an large load on a motorcycle unless I didn't have another means of transportation available to me. Obviously, my idea of a large load is different from other peoples idea of a large load. Also, I've never done it just to prove a frickin' point. (Not even the Christmas tree. It started as joke until I realized how easy it would be to carry home.) I believe in using the right tool for the job. That's why I own both a car and truck. I even bought a light duty 3/4-ton because I've seen way too many overloaded 1/2-ton trucks. When I'm somewhere and I need a screwdriver and my good tools aren't readily available, I'll use my multi-tool if I can use it without stripping the head off of the screw. It's the same way with my bike. I know what I can and can't safely carry. If I'm out on the bike and see something I can't pass up and know I can carry it, I will. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then don't. Neither I nor anybody else who posted in this thread expect you too. I wouldn't load gravel in a car either. Nor would I put a Christmas tree on top of a car.... It scratches the paint.

This thread was started for the purpose of entertainment; to share stories. To have another member come on and say we all lack common sense because we've done something that he doesn't feel comfortable trying is just ridiculous. I've come to expect this from non-riders, not from the people on this board. What was the purpose of posting if you had nothing to add but insults? Do you think that your opinion is that valued? And you say I have a chip on my shoulder? If I read a post that doesn't interest me or one that I can't add any insight too, I move on to another one, as do most other people.

As for the leaf blower. They weigh less than 20 lbs., the box they come in will fit easily on the passenger portion of the seat, and can easily be secured against my seat and trunk with just a couple of heavy-duty bungee cords of the right length. Using 2 more just in case. How is this dangerous? Or even inconvenient?

I'm through talking about this on this board. If you want to engage this any further, I suggest you PM me. Nobody wants to have to read this crap. Better yet, maybe we can agree to put this BS behind us and agree to mutually delete our post. It's your call.

Sven · « **Reply #26 on:** October 14, 2006, 11:11:29 AM »

Quote

I'm through talking about this on this board. If you want to engage this any further, I suggest you PM me.

Will do.

CWO4GUNNER · « **Reply #27 on:** October 14, 2006, 04:10:41 PM »

WAIT! this was just starting to get entertaining, I mean I gave you guys a pretty good deer dragging story and it obviously was bland. Perhaps this subject matter was conducive to an argument anyway like "who caught the largest fish stories". Anyway it was just starting to get interesting.

Quote from: gtbandit

Quote from: Sven

Geez, I hope your bike can handle the giant chip you carry on your shoulder. I didn't mean to start a pissing contest about who is the more dedicated rider or who rides in worse weather.

I do stop and pick up smalled items on my way home, anything I can carry in a backpack, or easily bungee to the tail. But I don't ride with luggage to carry bigger stuff. Assuming someone has the right vehicle for the job, I think it makes more sense to use it, than just try to prove a frickin' point. If I were buying a load of gravel, I wouldn't have them load it in the truck of a sedan *just because it is possible*.

Actually, I got the heavy duty suspension just for that chip! I'll admit it was pointless to add the part about the weather and planets aligning. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand. For that reason I edited my previous post. But, my point is this: I've been using motorcycles for daily transportation for a long time. Sometimes I didn't have a car available to me. I still needed to pick up stuff. After carrying a few "awkward" size loads, ones learns real quick that is quite possible to carry larger loads securely without adding any risk to ride if you do it right. I've never purposely went out to pick up an large load on a motorcycle unless I didn't have another means of transportation available to me. Obviously, my idea of a large load is different from other peoples idea of a large load. Also, I've never done it just to prove a frickin' point. (Not even the Christmas tree. It started as joke until I realized how easy it would be to carry home.) I believe in using the right tool for the job. That's why I own both a car and truck. I even bought a light duty 3/4-ton because I've seen way too many overloaded 1/2-ton trucks. When I'm somewhere and I need a screwdriver and my good tools aren't readily available, I'll use my multi-tool if I can use it without stripping the head off of the screw. It's the same way with my bike. I know what I can and can't safely carry. If I'm out on the bike and see something I can't pass up and know I can carry it, I will. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then don't. Neither I nor anybody else who posted in this thread expect you too. I wouldn't load gravel in a car either. Nor would I put a Christmas tree on top of a car.... It scratches the paint.

This thread was started for the purpose of entertainment; to share stories. To have another member come on and say we all lack common sense because we've done something that he doesn't feel comfortable trying is just ridiculous. I've come to expect this from non-riders, not from the people on this board. What was the purpose of posting if you had nothing to add but insults? Do you think that your opinion is that valued? And you say I have a chip on my shoulder? If I read a post that doesn't interest me or one that I can't add any insight too, I move on to another one, as do most other people.

As for the leaf blower. They weigh less than 20 lbs., the box they come in will fit easily on the passenger portion of the seat, and can easily be secured against my seat and trunk with just a couple of heavy-duty bungee cords of the right length. Using 2 more just in case. How is this dangerous? Or even inconvenient?

I'm through talking about this on this board. If you want to engage this any further, I suggest you PM me. Nobody wants to have to read this crap. Better yet, maybe we can agree to put this BS behind us and agree to mutually delete our post. It's your call.

jbrough7 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 14, 2006, 05:00:21 PM »

I've got another goofy one if we can please get past this 'holier-than-thou' crap!!??!!

I refuse to take my truck to work as the season is just so damn short for the bike. But sometimes I HAVE to buy things for my students/classroom.....

One day I had to get a lot of those little drink boxes that are in cartons. I bought four of the cartons and was SO pleased I remembered all the bungie cords to hold them on.

I buckled all the bungies down tightly but didn't notice some of the plastic wrap around the cartons of juice boxes was for shite. So when riding, every few kilometres, a little wee tiny juice box would fall out....I lost EIGHT of the suckers in 22 kilometres!

Always made me think of the Hanzel and Gretel story but no witch ever folllowed me to work!

jim

Sven · « **Reply #29 on:** October 14, 2006, 06:28:36 PM »

Quote

One day I had to get a lot of those little drink boxes that are in cartons. I bought four of the cartons and was SO pleased I remembered all the bungie cords to hold them on.

I was kinda expecting this to turn into exploding juice boxes after the bungees ended up being too tight. Red goo everywhere! Go back and buy some more juice boxes and tie them on REALLY tightly this time!