You guys may recall I just bought a new bike! This is my first mods to the bike.



After its breakin, 600 miles, I took it on its trial by fire a 600 mile trip in 48 hours. The bike did surprisingly well. It was smoother than expected so decided to do the next upgrades.

On order is a mid-size sissy bar, back luggage rack, and new Mustang Touring seat which gives 9" of lower back support. I don't need all of this for touring to a buddies house or a Holiday Inn, the saddle bags do fine for that.

My intent is to add one of these after the mods are in place.



Since I hike camp now, this pack will hold all my hike gear for up to a 3 day camping adventure.

Use to do this alot years back and its a heck of alot of fun. These days there are campgrounds designated for motorcycles but a nice wide spot in a national forest does just as well. This is a fantastic way to live the Easy Rider experience (well I CCW so will skip the redneck beat your head with the ballbat part or shoot you from a pickup truck).

Any of you guys ever do this?

Tj

that looks good TJ. i've never taken an overnight trip with my bike before, but that might change this year.

Its alot of fun. I did it a heck of alot in the 80s.

You bascially use the same gear as a hiker and if the only place you have to camp is like a state park campground all the other campers are fascinated by the idea. They try to feed you and stuff which is kind of cool.

We bascially use, ultralight pack tent and ultralight sleeping bags both about the size of a small loaf of bread. Then take mainly freeze dried foods and a pack of cracker which all you need is to boil water so a small hiking stove works great. I actually before I got high tech used a cheap Sterno folding stove. Of course in summer, simply a fleace blanket is fine instead of a sleeping bag which are like $5 at Walgreens and a poncho can replace a tent with a little paracord. Add a headlamp, candle lantern, or the new Rock River 1 watt LED lantern and you have most of the stuff people have truck camping. Of course, a flask or two of Rare Breed and a couple good Cuban cigars is mandatory.

I figure all the camp gear will fit in the lower portion of that pack. I can use the upper part for clothes. Then strap a couple ground pads behing the pack. Four Nalgenes of water in the saddle bags is pretty normal for me anyway. Really cool is I have a couple of the small fold down stools which fit in the bags even with the water and my leathers.

For a first try, you can go real cheap fleace blanket, cheap foam pad, poncho, paracord, sterno stove, and freeze dried food, grain bars for breakfast, jerky for lunch, small cans of fruit for munchies, one Nalgene or two 20oz water bottles, plus your lights. That's about $50 in gear max and will fit in a butt pack which can be tied down to a back seat without saddle bags, back rest, etc. You simply fill your butt pack with your clothes and that becomes your pillow. This is the setup I use on my Street/Trail bike which only only has a single luggage rack. If you go to a campground, they have picnic tables, bath houses, and after setting up a camp, you can do a short run to the grocery store.

There are two motorcycle campgrounds here at the Dragon and one has a deli so you don't even need food. There's one campground up on the Foothills Parkway which is on the way to the Dragon that is high enough that its like AC in the summer. Its a Federal campground so really nice sand tent sites and all shaded.

It really is a unique camping experience combining the thrill of motorcycling with the hiking experience less the hike.

TJ

i went poking around on my SV sight the other day looking to see if someone would lend me some bags for the trip in september. a guy actually gave a me a set of really nice bags for just the cost of shipping.

i'm gonna have to do some shopping and get some stuff. this sounds like it could get addicting.

Two things really limit motorcycle long hauls. The first is money and the second is where you park your bike. Even if you have the cash for a hotel, the idea of the bike being left unattended in the parking lot is discouaging. Some people of course park right in front of the office door at hotels but if you spend alot of time in hotels you know most night clerks sleep the late hours and so do the crooks.

By camping, you solve both problems. A camp spot even in a camprround is around $15 a night and you are sleeping right next to your bike. About any long haul you can come up, you will go buy a state park etc. Heck my last long haul up US23 into KY which is nowheresville and still went by three state parks.

Tj

TJ echoes my sentiments. No reason to spend $75 a night on a motel when camping is alot cheaper and more fun.
I've spent time at the Cherohala MC Resort in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and at BRMC in Cruso, NC. Both run by great folks! We have our annual KLR rallies there.
Lately, I've gone out into the National Forest here (my BIG back yard . . . ), and find a comfy spot to camp. After dusk, I listen to the coyotes howl.



My little Bivy Tent ($25 from Sportsman's Guide) works very well for this. It's roomy enough for a Security Squad Sized guy like me, and weighs 2.5lbs when stowed. Worked fine in a moderate rain.
LED MiniLantern and LED headlight provide plenty illumination. Careful laying your bladderpack on the ground though - this was drought season, and the fireants decided they wanted the condensation! It was a hard-fought battle to get my pack back from them!

I camped with my Bandit for a little over a week on my deal's gap trip back in the fall. I got a good tailpack and softbags and used the tankbag I already had. The only thing not in the bags was my tent, which I had strapped on the back of the tailpack. My rules for the trip were pretty simple, stay low budget, no eating out,commit no more than 2 felonies for reckless driving, etc, and no motels, no matter how crappy the weather. I stuck to it, but it was a learning experience, since that was my first touring trip. I'll definitely do it again, but next time I'll take the interstate instead of riding backroads just for the sake of doing it. 12+ hours in the saddle on a stock seat is NOT my idea of fun.

I'm going to give it a try this summer when I ride down to Oregon.

I've always had a support vehicle...so I've never worried about what to pack.

I'm looking forward to the solitude of a 2500 mile ride without hotels, people, or much of anything else....like the wife and kid.

I have been wanting to get a bike to do this.

But I have so much gear with me I dont think its fesable for me.

All the camping gear plus the photo gear and water would really weight me down.

I'd need some kind of mini trailer or something.
And I don't really want a tour bike.
More like something you got.

We basically use, ultralight backpack covering and ultralight sleeping accouterments both about the ad measurement of a baby loaf of bread. Then yield mainly benumb broiled foods and a backpack of cracker which all you charge is to abscess baptize so a baby hiking stove works great. I in fact a fore I got top tech acclimated a bargain Sterno folding stove. Of advance in summer, artlessly a fleece absolute is accomplished instead of a sleeping bag which are like $5 at Walgreen and a Capote can alter a covering with a little para cord.


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This post has been edited by JaniceSeptember: September 7th 2009 2:26 PM

Janice sounds like you have a excellent plan for camping.

I've been riding since I was about 9 years old, and been doing at least one big touring/camping trip a year since I got out of the USAF in '88.

That's one of the new Kawasaki 900's isn't it? I had a Kaw 800 cruiser once, that thing was bulletproof! The 1500 Nomad I had later, not so much.

There are a lot of good folks over one the Kawasaki Vulcan forum on delphi

I ride an Electra Glide these days, and have plenty of lockable storage, but it's still tough to pack a tent or folding chair without bungie cords. And I have to admit that I stay in motels a lot more these days, the old back doesn't do so well any more after sleeping on the ground <G>.

Check into T-Bags, or the similar bags from National Cycle and others. You want one with a rain cover. Those patchwork leather ones hold a fair amount, but they leak like a sieve and bleed dye all over your stuff inside.

You might look into staying at KOA and using their "kamping kabins". I've done that quite a bit out in Colorado, it's nice to have a hot shower and all the amenities every couple of days.

Yes, its the 900. This thread was quite a while ago and many miles since then.

This is a pic of what the bike looks like now loaded down for the long haul.




I'm a member on the forum and they helped me a lot. The 900 is interesting bike with a full frame without giving up the benefits of a mid-size which is a lot better riding here where I live in the Smoky Mountains. It does a fair job on the open road but its lack of a 6th gear is really noticeable. The addition of the Mustang touring seat and foot pegs greatly increased my comfort ability at least to where I can within reason do the long haul. Its no UltraGlide that's for sure.

Its comfort level is around 75 mph with the seat and pegs. Above that speed, and your butt ability really declines due to higher RPM vibration mostly on the foot boards. The handlebars are remarkably free of buzz for the size bike. My 750s use to make my entire arm numb. This one I haven't even upgraded the grips even.

Camping I use a Eureka Zuess II tent, Thermorest Z pad, and ultra-light 50 degree bag. They all fit in those bags. Food, I use just crackers and freeze dried, water or drink in a Thermos, and a butane pack stove to cook. When I'm really froggy, I even take one of those miniature folding hunting chairs which freaks people out. One saddle bag, I keep just for my double layer rain suit which does very well in "Whoops its cold" and my double layer leather jacket. That leave plenty of room for the camp gear, clothes, and actually even a laptop which I interface to the net with a 3 g phone. Music, I use an IPOD with helmet speakers. Nothing fancy but it works. Lighting I use a small LED Lantern, headlamp, and Surefire 6p and keep a lot of tie downs and a multi-tool in the bag all the time.

If I had to name one gizmo I like the most, its the Thermos. I can ice it down and it lasts all day or put boiling water in there and cook as I ride. Hot coffee has been a wonderful thing on the cold mornings especially at 5,000 ft and no stores for miles.

The 900 is a nice bike that fills my nitch, but it is my nitch. I wanted a bike that I could take long hauls on but my main riding would be medium hauls on twisty mountain roads. The later it does exceptionally well. The long hauls, its better than any midsize I've had but its no tour bike. You still know you are on a motorcycle.

I will tell what I have noticed in doing long hauls. Its almost like me and the big Harley's are the only people out there. Great people BTW who for the most part all seem to congregate at the road side rest together. More times than I can count I've had this guy get off his fine Ultra, Electra, or Roadking holding his back and say something like, "Its on trips like this, I wish I had got me a Jap bike" That one always gets me and after I stop laughing I have to tell them about the Jap myth and how there's no getting around old Neuton's Law and a heavier bike running in lower RPSm is always, always, going to be better.

On the long haul, everyone is looking for the greener grass.

Tj

I prefer to camp from my enduro. Off the beaten path.

The edge: