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Europe Topics specific to Western and Eastern Europe, from UK to the Russian border, and south-east to Turkey.
Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca



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  #16  
Old 7 Jun 2012
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:confused1: Use the search function
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  #17  
Old 8 Jun 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonny91be View Post
The backpack is a very light one. It will contain some small goodies like underwear a gps some socks a camera etc .. ( small capacity ). the tent will be fitted on the backpack ( 3kgs total for tent weight ) Since my Girlfriend is also riding on my bike I do not have the option of a free pillion. However , now that I know what these saddlebags are ( done some research ) I might get one of those.

Can anyone help me in what brand is good at this ? Are these saddlebags also universial on most motorcycles? Thanks by advance
She will love you forever if you do not make her use a back pack !

You can get many types of throw over panniers, just make sure they do not make the seat uncomfortable for her, usually caused by straps.
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  #18  
Old 8 Jun 2012
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Originally Posted by sonny91be View Post
Wow this couchsurfing seems very interesting if you ask me !

Thanks for the advice I already figured I could not take a lot .. as you mentioned

One other thing. PLEASE tell me how to wash your clothes with on the road stuff. I read it so many times but I'm a young guy from 21 and I never done the wash at my house .. How to do it ? and does it take long ?
Or how did you do it on your journey? ( like at evening before going to sleep .. ? )

Cheers !
I've used couchsurfing a lot, but mainly when in the USA.

Washing is something you do at night, if on a campsite just jump up and down on your things while having a shower. Then hang them on the bike the next day to dry in the air.

Larger items usually need a proper machine. That becomes the evenings entertainment.

Or if space then you can use a "dry sack" Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' Stories - Two Pegs to Patagonia
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  #19  
Old 8 Jun 2012
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Rack.

Hi, just tried a 'net search for Ninja 250 racks and it turns out Ventura make them. This is a thorough solution but not cheap. Kawasaki Ninja 250 (EX250J8F-JAF) luggage, motorcycle luggage, racks, touring | Ventura I just hope the link is live, Lindsay.
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  #20  
Old 9 Jun 2012
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Originally Posted by Linzi View Post
Hi, just tried a 'net search for Ninja 250 racks and it turns out Ventura make them. This is a thorough solution but not cheap. Kawasaki Ninja 250 (EX250J8F-JAF) luggage, motorcycle luggage, racks, touring | Ventura I just hope the link is live, Lindsay.
It works That is excellent , but I'm taking my Girlfriend on my pillion so with that rack stuff it won't fit her on :P.

I listened to all your advices and I obtained 2 gericke travelling sacks. Which you can put over your pillion

I fitted it and it comes close to my exhaust but it doesn't touch ! so lucky me I can attach it to the bike probably to let it hold on tightly .

but then there is the problem with that girlfriend sitting on the pillion and the bags coming close to the feet supports -_-

I think travelling with a small bike it do able , but travelling with 2 on a small bike is hard xD I'll try to make it work and I'll test it out for a full day before actually going on the journey

What straps are best to get to strap stuff tightly? For example a tent or my bags need some good rope thingies. Should I buy like climbing ropes? You know the colored ones that r really strong ? or ..?

Thanks for the replies !
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  #21  
Old 9 Jun 2012
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strapped for straps

Hi,

Go to your local motorbike shop and ask them for the straps that are on the new bikes when delivered

I got ten ov them from a local BMW dealer. They are great for tying down luggage

And they are free
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  #22  
Old 10 Jun 2012
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Originally Posted by lynch180 View Post
Hi,

Go to your local motorbike shop and ask them for the straps that are on the new bikes when delivered

I got ten ov them from a local BMW dealer. They are great for tying down luggage

And they are free
We got a bmw dealer around my corner lets try that out ! :P hope it works !
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  #23  
Old 10 Jun 2012
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It works That is excellent , but I'm taking my Girlfriend on my pillion so with that rack stuff it won't fit her on :P.
Yes it will. The Ventura racks allow a bag to fit both ways, on the seat or behind the seat.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sonny91be View Post
I listened to all your advices and I obtained 2 gericke travelling sacks. Which you can put over your pillion
Will she be able to see with that over her ? :-)
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  #24  
Old 10 Jun 2012
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Yes it will. The Ventura racks allow a bag to fit both ways, on the seat or behind the seat.



Will she be able to see with that over her ? :-)
they go at the sides and r binded together over the pillion so she can sit on it and it doesn't feel awkward as you guys mentioned. Only gotta try to fit em on tightly they come close to my exhaust and if they move to much they'll burn !

I'll keep you guys updated . !
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  #25  
Old 11 Jun 2012
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Pillions.

Hi, I'd protect the bag on the exhaust side, expecting it to sag down in time. An alloy plate bolted on or some heat proof material strapped to the bag. Even consider putting only low value items in it incase it burns or melts. By the way, pillion, means the person on the back of the bike! Have a great time. Lindsay.
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  #26  
Old 12 Jun 2012
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Originally Posted by Linzi View Post
Hi, I'd protect the bag on the exhaust side, expecting it to sag down in time. An alloy plate bolted on or some heat proof material strapped to the bag. Even consider putting only low value items in it incase it burns or melts. By the way, pillion, means the person on the back of the bike! Have a great time. Lindsay.
omy thanks for noting that out ! xD I thought it ment for my second saddle ! xD

Anyways I'll try indeed puttin on some kind of material. THing is if I drill and put some alloy against it which is easely done , I'd damage the waterproof cover from the bottom .. so I don't kinda like that Idea. But i'll try to fix something for it ! I'll make it work one way or an other
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  #27  
Old 12 Jun 2012
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Exhaust shield

This is what I used for heat insulation, between a soft pannier and a silencer, for a year around Africa:

A plumber's solder mat from builder's merchant/hardware shop:
Monument plumbers soldering mat,2350x :: Toolman Yardley, tools ,bahco tools, C.K,stanley tools, estwing,stabila, marshalltown, bosch, knipex, trend, irwin,draper, fluke, monument, kamasa, fisco, silverline, rothenberger, irazola screwdrivers,

And about 2 yards of propane gas tube from plumber's shop/camping caravan shop:
13mm LPG Gas Propane Hose Pipe BBQ Camping 1 Metre | eBay

wrapped into a coil like this:




Use galvanised steel wire (from B&Q or hardware shop) to keep the coil together, and to hold the coil and mat in place between pannier and the bike's side panel. Thread it through holes drilled in the side panel, around a grab handle or other convenient bit of subframe or seat.

I also used cable ties to help keep the pannier in place, threaded through holes in the solder mat. As the bike's side panel was between the solder mat and silencer they survived.

Expect the side panel to get distorted by the heat over time.
If you want to make doubly sure, you could use two solder mats, one each side of the coil.

This is what it looks like without the pannier:




And with everything in place:




It all still survives fine, including a few low-speed drops.

Have a great trip.
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  #28  
Old 12 Jun 2012
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Originally Posted by McCrankpin View Post
This is what I used for heat insulation, between a soft pannier and a silencer, for a year around Africa:

A plumber's solder mat from builder's merchant/hardware shop:
Monument plumbers soldering mat,2350x :: Toolman Yardley, tools ,bahco tools, C.K,stanley tools, estwing,stabila, marshalltown, bosch, knipex, trend, irwin,draper, fluke, monument, kamasa, fisco, silverline, rothenberger, irazola screwdrivers,

And about 2 yards of propane gas tube from plumber's shop/camping caravan shop:
13mm LPG Gas Propane Hose Pipe BBQ Camping 1 Metre | eBay

wrapped into a coil like this:




Use galvanised steel wire (from B&Q or hardware shop) to keep the coil together, and to hold the coil and mat in place between pannier and the bike's side panel. Thread it through holes drilled in the side panel, around a grab handle or other convenient bit of subframe or seat.

I also used cable ties to help keep the pannier in place, threaded through holes in the solder mat. As the bike's side panel was between the solder mat and silencer they survived.

Expect the side panel to get distorted by the heat over time.
If you want to make doubly sure, you could use two solder mats, one each side of the coil.

This is what it looks like without the pannier:




And with everything in place:




It all still survives fine, including a few low-speed drops.

Have a great trip.

that should definetely do the trick ! If I just put the mat against my bag will it do the same trick ? or is the isolation (the hose ) needed?

Also , the solder mat won't leave stamps on my exhaust? I don't wanna sound like a noob but I've got a full chrome exhaust .. so marks on it will kinda ruin it for me when I get back and drive normal again. I'll print your post and get to the stores and try it out ! thanks a lot for the well built reply !
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  #29  
Old 12 Jun 2012
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Right, I just looked at some pictures of your bike.
The exhaust is completely different to what I had assumed.
The suggestion I made is for a bike with a high-level exhaust behind a plastic side-panel, where the silencer has metal 'stand-off' brackets attached to it to maintain space between it and the plastic cover.
So best ignore all that.....

For your bike you'll need a pannier that is always high enough so that it never gets near the silencer. Even fully loaded.
"Sports" panniers usually do this (like the Oxford sports range).
Or, fit a pannier frame (if one is made for this bike) that will do the same job. Maybe there's one that will go with the Ventura rack.

Either way, I'd suggest to get it all set up well before your trip, so you can test it out, fully loaded, on a ride of a day or so, with pillion passenger. You're bound to find luggage problems that'll need fixing, so best to give yourself time to get it right before leaving home.

If you're using panniers made of nylon or similar, there have been plenty of people that have ridden off on a journey only to find that the bottom of a pannier has melted from exhaust heat, and all the contents disappeared!

Oops!
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  #30  
Old 13 Jun 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McCrankpin View Post
Right, I just looked at some pictures of your bike.
The exhaust is completely different to what I had assumed.
The suggestion I made is for a bike with a high-level exhaust behind a plastic side-panel, where the silencer has metal 'stand-off' brackets attached to it to maintain space between it and the plastic cover.
So best ignore all that.....

For your bike you'll need a pannier that is always high enough so that it never gets near the silencer. Even fully loaded.
"Sports" panniers usually do this (like the Oxford sports range).
Or, fit a pannier frame (if one is made for this bike) that will do the same job. Maybe there's one that will go with the Ventura rack.

Either way, I'd suggest to get it all set up well before your trip, so you can test it out, fully loaded, on a ride of a day or so, with pillion passenger. You're bound to find luggage problems that'll need fixing, so best to give yourself time to get it right before leaving home.

If you're using panniers made of nylon or similar, there have been plenty of people that have ridden off on a journey only to find that the bottom of a pannier has melted from exhaust heat, and all the contents disappeared!

Oops!
Well there's like 5 cm space atleast. SO i wanted to buy the soldering mat like you said
make it long enough so that it covers the bottom and both sides. then buy some velcro. Attach it on there with some thread. Put it around the bike , velco on top so that it stay tightly. and that'll protect it too ? not? not sure and my bags r made of nylon :P
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