I've searched and looked through the various other luggage threads already and I have a good idea of what I like, I just don't know what I need.

A coworker and myself are planning a trip out to Indy for the September MotoGP.  We will be leaving from Connecticut.  The exact route hasn't been planned yet but we where thinking that the ride there will be broken up into 3 separate days of about 300 – 400 miles each, mostly avoiding interstates in favor of more scenic back roads.  Once we're there we will have another 2 days for race festivities.  For the trip back we will be renting a truck and making a nonstop shot back home on Monday.  So the total time will be 6 days 5 nights.

My main question is what can I get away with in terms of luggage that will give me enough space to go the distance.  I have a backpack that I was planning on wearing which looks like it should be able to fit at least weekends worth of clothing and toiletries, maybe more if I can find someplace else to put sneakers.  Ideally I would like to make due with an additional tank bag because it will probably get more use in the future but I have a feeling saddlebags would be the best option.

What do the road trip veteran's think?

Well, I assume y'all will be staying in hotels along the way and won't need overnight gear. If that is the case then you should only need clothes/personal items, bike stuff(oil, plug kit), and maybe some food. If you have the cash and time available for shipping I'd order a pair of saddle bags. You can get a decent pair for 60 bucks and they make hauling stuff SO much easier! Here is a pic. of my old GS loaded with camping gear. It has saddle bags, tank bag, and a gear bag on the passengers seat.



That made for a nice setup. But here is a pic of my original rig.




It is just a tank bag and an old canvas bag bungeed on. Buy a couple decent bungee cords and take a bag you have laying around w/ some handles you can loop the cords through and that will work fine. Army surplus stores are a great places to find make shift motorcycle luggage. I've gotten all my gear from newenough.com, they have some really good deals sometimes. Good luck and have a great trip!

-Ash

check this out..
my nelson riggs stuff is the SHhhht. a little pricey but it mounts up easy.


http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=36428.0

All I can recommend is bake sure you *love* your backpack. No, really, *love* it. I rode with a small backpack (laptop case, really) that weighed maybe 10 pounds. After a full day's riding (anything over 100, really), my back killed. If you've got some gear hooks on the bag, you could probably strap it on as a tail bag. 

I used Motopak 90L saddlebags. Super easy on and off. Roomy, enough pockets. Can't say enough good things about them:
http://www.motopakluggage.com/

(Although I want those hard cases from the above post!  )

Quote from: papiocho on May 09, 2008, 01:54:57 PM
check this out..
my nelson riggs stuff is the SHhhht. a little pricey but it mounts up easy.


http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=36428.0

Thats what most of my gear is too.  Lifetime warranty on their stuff!

-Ash

Quote from: ashman on May 09, 2008, 01:02:06 PM
Well, I assume y'all will be staying in hotels along the way and won't need overnight gear. If that is the case then you should only need clothes/personal items, bike stuff(oil, plug kit), and maybe some food. If you have the cash and time available for shipping I'd order a pair of saddle bags. You can get a decent pair for 60 bucks and they make hauling stuff SO much easier! Here is a pic. of my old GS loaded with camping gear. It has saddle bags, tank bag, and a gear bag on the passengers seat.



That made for a nice setup.
-Ash

Ash, very nice picture of a nicely loaded bike. I'd stay away from anything with bungee cords though myself. They can and will come lose or loose things at the most inopportune time. At first glance I thought that was a busa.

FORGET THE BACKPACK. It will kill your back, your neck, and make you hate riding distance even if it's empty. Add more than 5 pounds and you'll be miserable in less than 100 miles. Just my experience.

I have a pair of TourMaster saddlebags, bought em online (was it craigslist or here, i don't remember!?) and they haul 50-60 pounds of junk nicely. Clothes weigh less than junk, so you should be good.

A tank bag is a really good idea. Put your wallet in there, knife, gun, change, etc and if you can swing a cup holder with a long straw next to it, do it ! Hydration is key to long rides.

Don't forget about under your seat. You can put a tire plug kit, along with CO2 cylinders there, nitrile gloves, and tape an extra key under the plastics to the sub frame if you're careful.

Have a great trip, take lots of pictures, share the journey with us.

I love my rapid transit tankpad it holds everything ipod, cell phone, hydration pack, and shoulder straps. i just bought the hyrdation bladder at Wal-Mart for $8. The pocket keeps everything dry and it has a port for for the tube. I can get it into my full face helmet without too much problem. It is perfect a red lights get a nice cool drink. Is great in Florida!  here is a link:

http://www.newenoughhp.com/browse/view_product_images/46

I also have a set of Nelson Riggs saddle bags that I got for $60. I also like that my set has bottle holders as well so you can pack extra fluids! This is what they look like:

http://www.nelsonrigg.com/pages/Sport-Touring-Products/CL1000-Big.htm

Hope this helps!

Mary S.

one more Nelson Rigg fan here. 

The coretech line (apparently now called the "classic series") is REALLY rugged.  They are constructed from some solid materials and have zippers that could survive a nuclear blast.  Why so many other manufacturers use crappy zippers is beyond me .  I should also mention that they have good customer service.  I emailed them about a broken clip on a mounting strap (which was my own fault) and they sent me a new strap right away.  I can't say enough good things about their stuff.

Enjoy your trip!

My first luggage was a tank bag, I've bought three over the 24 years and 360 miles I've been riding.  Added a tail bag and saddlebags to my 97 GS when I started taking week long trips to the mountains to play, a GS does that to you, sends even an old man to the mountains to play.   

Put a 33 liter Givi trunk on my 02 GS in 04 and it's never been off.  Regret evey cent I paid for soft luggage over the years, no more battle with the elements.  No more wrapping clothes in plastic bags and stopping to put on rain covers on trips.  My Givi has never leaked a drop in heavy monsoon like rains and keeps stuff securely locked up when parked.  Can add a tankbag for longer trips but only need my small Givi trunk on a daily basis.

Coretech makes a real nice soft sided set up for sport bikes, saddle bages and a seat bag that has a handle for carrying around. Nice size too, you can put a helmet in the seat bag!

Thanks for all of the suggestions.  I was thinking more along the lines of soft luggage.  Like mojonixon had mentioned I was looking at something like the Cortech Sport Saddelbags.

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Cortech_Sport_Saddlebags--609946.html

I think I'm going to pick these up and see how much they can hold, unless anybody has had any negative experiences with them.  The comments about a backpack being uncomfortable have me worried that it might not be the best choice to bring along.  Since I'm not going to bringing anything other then clothes I might be able to pack light and just make the saddle bags work.  It's a long way off though so I have time.

I picked up a set of saddle bags from Ebay , they are fieldsheer in brand, and though tey are not the biggest bags I have seen, I just did a ~800 Mile round trip to the coast and  one bag held 1 pair of jeans, 3 tshirts, 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of underwear and a pair of tennis shoes. outside pouch held wallet, smokes, gum, extra batteries.
other bag ad assortment of things in it.... I love mine...