On sport touring the modern(?) way.

So...I'm perusing a forum with lots of cool pictures and I snared this photo
taken by someone of their traveling setup ( credit to unknown author
screenname OSJ )

http://ohiohoopys.com/bikes/toomuch.jpg

and I gotta ask, is this really how people tour? Do you really NEED all that
stuff? Does it matter? Will it make the trip better, faster, more fuel
efficient? Do you have more fun? Do you see more?

Back when I started weeklong backpacking at age 12, my youthful 125 pound
frame carried a 40 pound pack, food and cooking utensils, a tent and
sleeping bag, extra clothes and raingear, pretzels and crackers and peanut
butter, knives and matches and a book. By the time I was 18 my now 140 pound
frame carried 15 pounds, the tent was gone, the food was minimal on the
grounds that being a little hungry wasn't bad for the soul, replacement
clothes were unneeded, that a swiss army knife was fine versus some huge
army surplus pig sticker, and on and on.

So as I started fooling around with motorcycle traveling last year, I first
used a full set of hard luggage, and filled it all up for a 4 day trip. This
summer, for 3 days, I packed like this.

http://ohiohoopys.com/bikes/s10.JPG

See that black bag bungeed at the back? Its about 1/2 - 3/4's full of tools.
In some cases duplicate tools, I am a lousy packer when it comes to
forecasting my most likely needs for something on the bike not working. The
small tankbag contained most of the valuables, like camera and wallet and
batteries and GPS and such. The blue bag bungeed to the back contains a
rainsuit, extra shoes, one complete change of clothes.

I'm thinking that for any upcoming trips, the black bag will be a decent
amount smaller, and I should be able to stretch this particular travel
package to a week, if I want to. For this summer I'm thinking I add some
small, soft saddlebags, and throw any gear on the passenger seat into a new
waterproof kayak type bag. That should give me the required backrest, as
well as adding some waterproof capability on the back I don't currently
have.

I should mention that I acquired a new Gixxer shock on ebay which should fit
the 1100, which means I'm down to a seat and some case guards/highway pegs
before this particular experiment is complete. To determine how well it
works, I will of course need another cross country trip somewhere, some
time. My summer schedule with the wife and kids is already shaping up, and
there doesn't look to be as much time as in the past for random cross
country travel this year, on a bike anyway. Maybe a shakedown cruise to try
out the newest carb work to Phoenix, maybe Bryan will come up with an excuse
to have lunch in Rifle again, or better yet an overnighter somewhere farther
up north. Rather than doing a big, multi day trip on main roads, I will
concentrate on smaller, 3-4 day weekend type trips, leave Friday from work
early, come back Sunday late? I've got relatives in Kalispell Montana, which
is a perfect 2 day trip one way.

> What's that screen looking thing on the side of the engine?
>
> --
> Bob Nixon, RZ-350, Chandler, AZ.

I'm not sure what looks like a screen. I've got some footpeg hangers bolted
on which look kinda weird, and don't work particularly well but are better
than nothing for shifting my butt around on the seat.



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