Within last month or two I saw and glanced over an article extolling lightening a 12GS for long distance travel. The experienced author talked about virtues of soft bags over aluminum boxes, etc. Now I can't find the magazine or website where I read this, and its been bugging me. So much so that I'm ready to explore the concept. Can anybody help me find the article? Thanks in advance for your help.
All you really need to do is focus on less is more. I tour a hp2 with soft luggage. I throw away tired socks and underwear along the way and only bring thge absolute minimum I need. Also bring sports wear that you wash in the sink at night and is dry in the morning. Ride and enjoy minus all the crap you relly don't need. Richard.......
Aerostich has a small book Lightweight Unsupported Motorcycle Travel for Terminal Cases that is pretty good. Rider magazine has good touring articles as does Motorcycle Consumer News. People have extolled the virtues of soft bags over hard because they won't cause a crash if you brush a rock or tree with them and they don't get dented. I have the Great Basin bags and really like them.
Thanks, Gents for your input. I'm still looking for the article in question. I've been practicing light-weight long-distance travel for many years, am now looking to take it to the 'next level'. On my 6 week, 14k+ mile AK ride I left home with my Jesses half full, a small camp-kit duffle, and no top box. I'd like to reduce on that... Anybody seen the article in question?
I use rev pack luggage. great price and I have a size for when your on the road camping and one for when your on the road hotel-ing it.
Timely thread... I've been doing some research on this subject too. I'll be posting a "how to" in the next few weeks on what one can do to make the 1200 more dirt friendly. Many of my suggestions also fit into the minimalist travel setup as well since it's all about reducing weight. Cheers, James
If you did that, you should be the one writing the article I think most people choose soft bags for safety reasons rather than to save weight. But really, the bike/rider/luggage combination is already pushing 800 lbs, would it make a big difference to save 1% of it? I'm more concerned with the size of the things I take with me.
From what I see I think every bit of weight one can save is important. It improves performance, fuel economy, wear and tear on the bike, rider etc. I thinks it's always cool to see what other folks have come up with since it might be something you miss. You make a great point about size as well since this drives how it all fits. I tend to pack as if I'm going on a backpacking trip to save weight and size but there are a few items I won't sacrifice on. Cheers, James
It can be done and it's a so much more comfortable way to travel. I've been to every state, Mexico and Canada, and the only things that reside outside two side panniers are my therm-a-rest, tent, and tripod. Everything else I carry will fit in two side bags. I too cringe when I see what amounts to a 250# heifer of gear riding pillion on these ride reports. I often wonder what kind of crap is residing in all that mass.
Back to my original intent in this thread- I recently perused an article written by a gent who went to some 'extremes' to lighten his 12GS with intent of more efficient long distance travel. I can't remember where I saw the article- a bike mag or online??? I would like to find the article and read it in detail, find out what he did. I'm not looking to drop a few pounds, rather... many, 30-40-50-60 lbs?? In the late '90s I converted a '95 Ducati 900 SS/SP into a track bike. I managed to take 40+ lbs off a 400 lb bike. Worked nicely in the handling dept. On my '07 12GS I figure switching from Jesses to soft bags, plus replace stock muffler with something much lighter (can I still keep it quiet?) should be good for approx. a 30 lb reduction. Then go through farkle list and see what functions and what doesn't... I'll keep you posted.
So, on my 2012 GS I did the following to drop the pounds: 1. Swapped out ESA shocks for Yacugars= ~15lb loss 2. Removed rear rack thingy~1lb loss 3. Removed Charcoal filter along with associated plumbing ~1.5lb loss 4. Installed single enduro seat instead of dual stock seat ~2lb loss Total weight loss= 19.5lbs I looked at the stock muffler but was very impressed how light the new stock can is on the 2012MY so I left that as is. I could go further but I need to keep the bag mounts on. You mention your track Ducati, If I were really going for light weight, I would eliminate mirrors and just do a single, fold down enduro mirror( I'll be doing this over the summer), short sport screen to eliminate stock screen, clean up license plate bracket, swap out to a lightweight battery... I think that's about it.. Keep us posted as to other items you find! I'd love to hear.
Been around the world a fair bit over the years... here's the secret to light travel. 1. Lay out everything you think you must have on a tarp. 2. Toss out half of it and take twice as much money. 3. Problem solved
The wife and I have a Grand Canyon backpacking trip coming up. Went to work and have knocked 40# off my middle since last fall in an attempt to make my way back out of that ditch in Arizona. Best side effect...I can no longer seem to find the bottom of the suspension on the GS! As for saving weight on the packing and gear, spend some time researching backpacking blogs and sites. Those folks are freaks about grams and ounces.
There was an article in a British "BIKE" magazine a few months ago about lightening a 1200 GS. The author went to extremes: carbon fibre wheels and so on. He took a lot of weight off the bike! I think the drawback was the immense cost of the exercise. I don't know if this was the article you read... John
I realize your looking for an article, not advice. Can't help with the article, but was wandering how you plan to travel. Camp, hotels, cook, eat out, Subway? How you choose to go makes one hell of a difference. I can go pretty light by doing fast food and things that don't need to be cooked. Small tent, bag, and pad. I never carry anything I can buy on the road. You can always buy batteries or oil on the rad.
So true, however easier said than done! Again, so true! Number 1 easy, as well as the first half of number 2, however the second part of number 2 is not always possible!
I'd concur with the weight/size way of doing things. To me weight is no problem, it's bulk, the size of things. Shoes are a challenge. Bedding. A chair? Air pumps. Foodstuffs for a couple of days or more. My bags just fill up without weighing too much. Depends how much 'comfort' one desires. Sure you can manage without a chair or three bottles of wine, but you need a soft warm bed and pillow don't you? If we are doing Motel trips I can manage with just a top box. But for camping I seem to need a shit load of stuff that is bulky if not heavy. I'd say clothes are the least problem of all. You wear the same pants/boots/jacket every day. It's all the other stuff that takes up room. 20 pounds more doesn't bother me if it fits.
