No Jobs, No Responsibilities, No Better Time than Now

soft luggage is the way to go.

this type of thing happens to all of them.

look on countless threads on here and RR's. also the possibility to break your ankle/leg on hard luggage.

! ! !

I am enjoying this thread. I've been away from ADV for about a year, keeping my head down and working in preparation for my next big ride.

When i crashed in El Salvador, due to my own stupidity, i didn't post it in my thread. My family was reading it, and i knew the dogpile would be ferocious.

It happens. Hopefully that will be your last get off on this trip. I echo what others have said, allow the difference in South-of-the-border pace to seep in. I rarely exceeded 50 in Mexico. Not that I was asked my opinion, but if I were, I'd say "You're not doing this on an R1, so why go Ricky Racer in the Outback?" Recall the lessons of Ozymandias and others, and let the bace drop, take in everything, and drive with the light. Night time is for food and drink, but not riding.

All the best, and hopefully many more good times to come.

EDIT: I must be doing it wrong. On my last trip, I had 15,000 miles of mixed dual sport in gnarly conditions, I didn't break my leg or Pelican cases even once. Soft bags do make it easier to get into tight hotel room doorways, however. I don't see the loss of security [security that you get with hard bags, plus water-tightness] to be worth the benefits of soft bags. Each type has pros and cons; each to their own.

^^^^^^ oser totally unbiased opinion there!

But yeah, soft bags for me from now on. Dave's got too much class to pimp his gear, but I don't! THe Giant loop stuff has taken every crash I've thrown at it, and there have been A LOT

i'll chime in and say that Giant Loop bags are bulletproof.

i've dropped my bike, dragged it around, crashed going at speeds to break my ribs but not my Giant Loop.

http://www.giantloopmoto.com/

and i have no connection to Giant Loop nor do i know anyone that does.


as far as crushing your items inside a soft bag or soft luggage, you need to pack accordingly. be smart about it.

check out these threads to get an idea about packing and camping off the bike.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641622


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290127


there are plenty more tips on ADV about packing your soft luggage correctly.
i wanna say i've seen a YouTube vid of how to pack your Giant Loop bag.




sorry Big Al for the hijack.

I could see those bags getting torn up pretty good in a crash. The good thing about hard luggage and crashes in they keep you from getting pinned under the bike. But big Al knows now what not to do and wont be crashing no more

Big Al, are the four of you going to be finishing this trip together or is there plans to split up anytime soon ?

but then again, to each his own.

Ooops. My bad, not like I'm not used to being corrected though! (And I'm chicken, in countries I'm not native to, I like numbers.)

Going to have to look back for her blog, though, don't remember a link being posted.

Try here for Sarah's blog: http://journals.worldnomads.com/alpiner84

And here for Tom's: http://www.thetomreport.blogspot.com/

Hey Al,

After listening to some good advice from fellow inmates here, I went with the semi-rigid option being soft panniers with a 20lt plastic fuel can inside.

Thank you!

You deserve a beer on me, unfortunately I'm nowhere near you, so grab one out of your fridge on me.

I think mounting Pelican boxes as high up as possible helps with leg interference issues,or dragging them on the road in corners.
I have flailed in deep silt off road with my Pelican boxes and its awkward bouncing legs off them and trying to keep moving,I might switch back to some good soft luggage,lighter and more crash proof.

My Pelican case took a 55mph lowside in the mud, had half of it´s lower right hinge lid ground off, and was smacked by a stump. Protecting me the entire time I was sailing down the mud pit at highspeed.

THEN, It took a massive smash on a rock the size of a VW Beetle with a 400lb motorcycle moving at 50+ mph pushing it along. Also. Every single item that was in that pelican case is intact and in good condition with no noticeable damage. I don´t think much more could be asked.

There is no side luggage that could have withstood the second impact. Anything soft would have offered no protection to the items inside. Anything completely rigid would have been massively deformed.

A new pelican case is $150 max for a 1520, maybe a bit more for a 1550, and that´s ONLY if they don´t honor the lifetime warranty.

Plus, I could/can still use the pelican case base as a open side bag to secure my luggage with ropes/webbing.

I´ll be using another pelican case if I have the chance.

Until then, we can let the topic rest.

Currently,

We´re staying at the Pension California, a room with 4 queen size beds costs 400 pesos. Less then $10usd per person, per night. Centrally located, lots of tourists around, fun place to be, close to Cabo San Lucas for a day trip, close to to the customs office to import our motorcycles, and close to the ferry docks to take us to the mainland.

We´ll be here for a few days. Pictures to come!

--Alex

Enjoyed reading about your adventure. Definitely take care out there! At 41, I've only begun to see how much I'd love to get out, taking trips when I can, but once you have kids and a mortgage it's a different ballgame. Talked with the wife about it today. Priorities may change.

Get your ass over here. It was nearly 34ºC here today in La Paz, BC, Mexico (93ºF)

Our bikes are all alive and well, and we all wish we had Charlies fuel injection, well powered, good looking motorcycle. Even if he is overloaded... Your´s will complement the insult.

How many days left?

TexnSC: I just met an Australian guy who, having been married now for 10 years, and now 40 years old, came to the same decision and though not on motorcycles, he and his wife have set off on a 15 month backpacking adventure from San Diego to Argentina. No kids or mortgage for him yet, but he´s in the right track. Keep it real!

--Alex

Thanks for bringing us along.

Looking forward to the pictures...

To undertake an endeavour of this magnatude, one must be cut whole from the cloth of adventure. The motorcycle merely a machine, the spirit being the true conveyance. Great ride report, stay safe and enjoy!!!

I'd have to throuhly disagree with the above statement. In western Wa. last year ,by myself, I passed a road to the left that I should have turned into. I pulled off the road to the right into a wide gravel entranceway.
And the next thing I knew I was face down and my right foot was pinned under the right box.
I pulled ,once,twice and again and got nothing. I was about to call out for help which would have been useless,there was no one around.
Then I decided if I can't pull it out ,try to push toward the bike and that worked. Took over six months for the heel pain to stop.




Under all this is not good for the foot.

Thanks for taking the time to post your trip. I am getting lots of ideas.

ooooch.... i have reoccuring nightmares about coming round a blind bend and seeing that very same stretch of gravel.