How to pack your motorcycle for the trip

Packing your motorcycle right is essential for many reasons: Safety, maneuverability, gas mileage, access to gear and your comfort.  So how do you get to here:

when you started here?

Here it is step by step, lessons learned from my touring going all the way back to 1971.

Tip: Lay out everything you are going to carry with you around your bike so you can add them methodically.

Tip: Lay out an assortment of bungee cords arranged by length.

1. The bike:  It must be suitable for the load you’re about to put on it. That means will it accommodate 100 to 150 extra pounds you are about to load?  Some motorcycles, such as my Road King will work better if you top out the air suspension to handle the extra load.  Most important though is a “sissy bar” and or luggage rack.

On the left is the way I usually ride, no back rest, no luggage rack. On the right, I attach the luggage rack first.

Touring bikes, sometimes called “baggers” have those all important saddle bags.  You need them, but you need to be smart about packing them for the road.  These are items you will need handy, but not necessarily immediately. (We’ll get to the “immediate: needs a bit later.)

2. Saddle Bags: They can be “throw-overs” or hard mounted.  I’ve used both and have no preference.  (However, I’ve also done a 6 week tour in 1971 with no saddle bags.  Not good.)  I recommend carrying a full set of tools for road adjustments and repairs. Tools should be in the right saddle bag where you can access them while on the side of the road without having your butt hanging over in traffic. Ouch!  The heaviest tools go on the bottom. I like to wrap my wrenches and 3/8 drive socket set in red rags. I use red rags in my garage as oil rags.  Oil rags are handy on the road.  So, the bottom of your saddle bag with tools will look like this: Keeping the heaviest items such as tools on the bottom of the saddle bag is important and I’ll tell you why in a moment.  Of course like packing groceries, if you were to put them on top, they’d crush the items below.

Tip: 4-foot long siphon hose, long enough to reach from one bike to next is cheap insurance

On top of the tools, I put a siphon hose (yes, motorcycles run out of gas. My siphon hose is long enough to reach from one bike to the other), cleaning equipment for keeping your bike shiny, and a first aid kit.  Generally, other items will still fit, such as gloves, or some outerwear.  These are all the things I will access if needed from the non-traffic side of the bike.

The other saddlebag I put my camera gear and other items I may need on the road, but will access at a stop for gas or food.  Gloves, sweatshirt, maps, atlas, extra goggles go in the left saddlebag.

3. The core.  This is the really important part of loading a bike, the core.  Remember I said safety and maneuverability are important?   Remember I said to keep the weight down low? Most of what I write here are suggestions. This is not a suggestion, this is a rule. Heavy items must be kept as low as possible.  If they are too high, your bike will be top heavy and that is asking for a crash.

Think of a triangle that peaks at the rider’s shoulders with its base at the point of contact where the front and rear tires meet the road.  As much weight as possible must be inside that triangle for safety and stability as well as maneuverability. Heavy tools in the bottom of the saddle bag. Heavy items in your core on the bottom. Heavy larger items as low and forward as possible on the luggage rack

Tip: Keep the weight low and inside of rider triangle from rider shoulder to contact point of road and tires.

The stability of the entire pack will be built on the core.  I use a T-bag. There are many similar makes and models. Kuryakyn makes a good line also.  In the base of the t-bag I put my extra boots, or anything heavy.  I roll my clothes to fit more compactly and stack them  tightly in the t-bag.  Once packed, the t-bag or “core” goes on the bike AHEAD of the passenger seat back.  It is a bad bad bad idea to put it on the luggage rack for many reasons behind the triangle of weight. You want it inside the triangle of weight.  You can see here how Kat has hers on the passenger seat. The other bags you see are waiting for placement.

On top of her core is her full-face helmet under a cargo net.

3.b. The back rest. Notice the white plastic bag that is in front of Kat’s core?  That starts her back rest that can be adjusted to meet the curvature of her back as needed.  You will need a back rest for those long miles.  Use the core for that.

4. The luggage rack.  You’ve done the best you can to keep the heavy items inside the triangle.  Sometimes that may mean strapping to the top of the saddle bags any heavy items that didn’t fit the saddle bag or core.  Next time, plan better and you won’t have to put them on top of your saddle bags.  Use a luggage rack. Ideally it will sit directly above the rear wheel.  The heaviest items go on the bottom toward the front of the luggage rack

Here’s where an assortment of bungee cords are handy.  Hook one end on the right (either front of the load or behind it) bring it up over the load and hook on the left side. Do the same in reverse, using the same length bungee cord, hooking to the identical places on the opposite side of the bike.   Symmetry equalizes the load.  Build your pack upward and inward, crossing bungee cords at critical points on your pack.  They must be tight and equal to stabilize the load.

On the left is the back of my bike, bungee cords crisscrossed.   When I took this pic, I ran my eyes straight up the center of the fender through the center of the bike to see that it was balanced. Not a good camera angle, but try it, run your eyes up from the center of the fender, the tail light through the crossed bungee cords.

(The flags normally are posted on either side of my rear fender, but I had to move them to accommodate the load, yet still make them visible. I never leave home without them! Salute!)

It’s the arrangement I ended up with, after starting with the lwhich wasn’t low enough for safety and maneuverability.  It was symmetrical, but it wasn’t low enough for me. I had to move the tent lower and forward on our first stop.  When touring, gas stops are important for bike check (tires, oil, lights, etc) and for the load check. Truckers do it. Bikers should, too.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to remove and replace or to adjust your pack when you stop for fuel.  Be more afraid of a load coming undone on the highway, or for the load to cause you to crash.

5. Extra items. An additional packing tip is how to secure and place extras. This includes more layers of clothing if it turns cool, or conversely, where to stash extra layers as you peel them off in the day.  Cargo nets strapped over the whole load, attached symmetrically to the bike or the core, or both can be a quickly accessed point for extra gloves, shirts, sweatshirts, rain gear, head rags, etc.

When you are finished, the entire pack should be shoulder level or below.  It should be symmetrical.  If packed low and behind the rider, it will not suck your gas mileage too badly.  Switch off with your riding partner, taking turns leading and following when you first start. That way you can eyeball each others’ packs for stability.  Keep an eye on each others’ packs when on the road to be alert to a shifting load.

Each day of your trip you will reload your bike if your moving on down the road.  That’s when you improve the previous day’s pack.  Yes, it takes time. It’s easier to toss your stuff in the trunk of your car, or the box of your pickup.  But if it’s ease you want, you’re reading the wrong blog. This is about a lifestyle called “motorcycling.” Enjoy!