yamatect
07-09-2010, 01:37 PM
Trekker was intrigued by my loading system described under the Hearthstone Point State Park Review thread. I thought many might not see the info under that heading so I'm starting this thread and repeating the post. Below is the info:
Last year I did a 2750 mile moto-camping trip of the upper midwest going as far north as Lake Superior on the UP and as far west and south as Hannibal, Missouri before looping back to Ohio. I developed my packing system for that trip after much thought as to how to get everything on the bike without making it top heavy.
I fabricated two 6” x 10” x 1/4” thick checkered aluminum plates with rounded corners and eased edges, drilled two holes in each and U-bolted one to each passenger foot peg. I purchased the two heavy vinyl yellow roll top camping bags from Walmart, filled them with my main camping gear and re-shuffled till I achieved approximately equal weight. The yellow bags are tied to the frame of the bike by employing one Aerostich strap for each bag. I make a loop which goes around the lower portion of the bag and the bike frame which supports the side case and cinch the loop tight. The remaining portion of the strap then goes up the outside face of the bag, thru the roll top and passes thru a double-D ring loop tie looped around the passenger grab handle. When the strap is pulled taut, the bag is very secure. The aluminum plates keep the bags from drooping down onto the exhaust pipes. You may notice that I load the yellow bags so they are narrow front to back and wide side to side. When placed on the passenger foot pegs, they do not impede my legs when my feet are on the rider pegs because they are essentially in the same plane as a passenger’s legs.
I then purchased the red duffle bag set from Walmart’s camping section and used the large one for my clothes and my bear canister with my freeze dried camp food (Mountain House - made in Oregon) and packets of oatmeal and tea. The large red bag goes on the passenger seat. Then the smaller red bag sits on top of the larger bag and holds my cooking gear, survival gear and anything that I might need in a hurry. I then strap a small cooler that is just large enough for a quart of milk and my hard case holding a dozen eggs plus a few other items plus ice to the small bag. The whole assembly is then strapped to soft ties looped around the passenger grab handle with more Aerostich straps.
I came up with this approach when I reasoned that getting the heavy items to sit on the passenger foot pegs would lower the center of gravity of the bike much like standing on the foot pegs improves the handling of a dirt bike in rough terrain. This weight down low also counteracts the weight of the bags sitting up on the passenger seat. I was very pleased with the way the bike handled loaded down.
Many times when I stop at a gas station or rest stop, people come running over to inspect my system and when I’m traveling solo, want to know where I have been and where I am going. Riders are particularly intrigued. On my way home, one came up to me at a rest stop and after admiring my approach, stated, “You must be an engineer.” I told him that he was close and that I was an architect. When my camp site is set up, other campers come over and say, “you got all that on that bike?”
I’m sure that I’m not the first to think of this approach, but I’ve never seen anyone else do the same thing. So, there you are. Maybe more than you wanted to know.
Last year I did a 2750 mile moto-camping trip of the upper midwest going as far north as Lake Superior on the UP and as far west and south as Hannibal, Missouri before looping back to Ohio. I developed my packing system for that trip after much thought as to how to get everything on the bike without making it top heavy.
I fabricated two 6” x 10” x 1/4” thick checkered aluminum plates with rounded corners and eased edges, drilled two holes in each and U-bolted one to each passenger foot peg. I purchased the two heavy vinyl yellow roll top camping bags from Walmart, filled them with my main camping gear and re-shuffled till I achieved approximately equal weight. The yellow bags are tied to the frame of the bike by employing one Aerostich strap for each bag. I make a loop which goes around the lower portion of the bag and the bike frame which supports the side case and cinch the loop tight. The remaining portion of the strap then goes up the outside face of the bag, thru the roll top and passes thru a double-D ring loop tie looped around the passenger grab handle. When the strap is pulled taut, the bag is very secure. The aluminum plates keep the bags from drooping down onto the exhaust pipes. You may notice that I load the yellow bags so they are narrow front to back and wide side to side. When placed on the passenger foot pegs, they do not impede my legs when my feet are on the rider pegs because they are essentially in the same plane as a passenger’s legs.
I then purchased the red duffle bag set from Walmart’s camping section and used the large one for my clothes and my bear canister with my freeze dried camp food (Mountain House - made in Oregon) and packets of oatmeal and tea. The large red bag goes on the passenger seat. Then the smaller red bag sits on top of the larger bag and holds my cooking gear, survival gear and anything that I might need in a hurry. I then strap a small cooler that is just large enough for a quart of milk and my hard case holding a dozen eggs plus a few other items plus ice to the small bag. The whole assembly is then strapped to soft ties looped around the passenger grab handle with more Aerostich straps.
I came up with this approach when I reasoned that getting the heavy items to sit on the passenger foot pegs would lower the center of gravity of the bike much like standing on the foot pegs improves the handling of a dirt bike in rough terrain. This weight down low also counteracts the weight of the bags sitting up on the passenger seat. I was very pleased with the way the bike handled loaded down.
Many times when I stop at a gas station or rest stop, people come running over to inspect my system and when I’m traveling solo, want to know where I have been and where I am going. Riders are particularly intrigued. On my way home, one came up to me at a rest stop and after admiring my approach, stated, “You must be an engineer.” I told him that he was close and that I was an architect. When my camp site is set up, other campers come over and say, “you got all that on that bike?”
I’m sure that I’m not the first to think of this approach, but I’ve never seen anyone else do the same thing. So, there you are. Maybe more than you wanted to know.