'been riding for close to 40 years and have ridden through most countries in the world and always use a backpack. Even last year on my ride through China - the backpack dwarfs the little 125 it is balanced on.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Looks like we've got two different uses for a back pack here. Strapping it to your bike, and strapping it to your back. The OP doesn't make it totally clear, but to me it reads like he's planning on strapping it to his back. If that's the case, I wouldn't do it either, it's sweaty, annoying, knackers your back, and uspets your bike's balance.

And if the idea is to just strap it to your bike, I'd suggest something simpler like a duffle bag, fewer straps to worry about, and for the short carry between bike and room, you don't need a backpack's complicated framing system. Nowt wrong with a backpack, but perhaps not the best bag for the job.

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A backpack pack has one really useful feature; if you need to walk you can carry stuff. You can make a carrying system out of say a roll sack and cargo straps if you need to walk, but they'll never be as good as the real thing.

I have a so called SAS style framed one. The frame is bolted to the sidecar boot lid but can be unbolted. I therefore have the following set-ups available;

Rack for other bags like a roll sack.
Rack with fitted bag which can be removed and used as a day/grab sack (soft rucksack).
Framed rucksack.
Frame for carrying jerry can etc.

There is no way I'd wear one when actually riding.

Andy

You can eventually figure ways to pack most of what you think you have to have.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Have purchased a 40l dry bag that can be strapped to the seat behind me. Small waterproof back-pack for camera etc and will look into the tool tube idea. The bash plate is next on the list, fitted the GPS and a rear brake cylinder protector at the weekend. New bars with risers,and a few other bits and pieces to come. Also looking at changing the rear/front sprocket for better road speeds.
As said I am in to minimilist camping gear bso fitting it all on shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the help and will post pics when all finished.

PS Mollydog...
Great idea with the standoffs for the bags.

Cheers.
Julian.

Just my two penneth -

I too tried to minimise my kit, and the solution I used on my XR650R was as follows:

Small rear rack with a soft tail-bag on (expandable and holds a helmet, that sort of size) - this contained all my food, waterbag, toiletry bag, Jetboil cooking pot, tools, tube, few spares/oil and a loo roll!

I then used a 30 litre dry-bag bungeed on the set between me and the tailpack which contained my sleeping bag, thermarest and tent (cosy two man size), plus a pair of sandles for when off the bike.

Finally all my clothes and the odd book/map went in a narrow 30 litre rucksack on my back, which had the benefit of resting on the dry bag when seated, taking the weight off... and as someone said above, when standing has the effect of lowering the CoG more than if it were strapped to the rear of the bike.

Although I felt loaded up intially, this set-up worked surprisingly well over 4000 miles of mixed highway & byway and desert dirt road riding across Nevada, Oregon and California.

As long as you keep the ruck sack for soft stuff/clothing only, I think it's certainly viable for a few weeks' riding at a time?

JennyMo xxx

I guess that XR has a stronger rear sub-frame that I thought!

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Hi Mollydog - I haven't got the pictures hosted yet, but hopefully I can upload a link to them below:

I too wondered about the strength of the 650R subframe, but it seems to have held up perfectly well (so far) with what I was carrying. I used the XR's Only billet rack which is a lovely piece of work, if a little expensive - but you do get what you pay for...

They bike handled very well with the load - I do have a GPR steering damper fitted too though. Sustaining 50-60mph on the dirt roads was no problem, and even on the more rocky technical trails I rode, it did not feel particularly unstable.

I stared off in Vegas, headed west though red rock/spring mountains and into Death Valley from the southern end. I'd planned to spend a couple of days there, but ended up heading straight up past Ubehebe and out past the Eureka dunes, as I had to be in San Francisco the following evening.

Went though Yosemite on the 120 (Tioga pass was still open), but exited via the valley floor and the 140 - took the Briceburg Road (dirt road/trails) north west towards Modesto and had a great afternoon in the mountains on the forest trails - the GPS had them all in the map memory!

Spent a few days in San Francisco with friends, then headed via Napa and over the Sierra's on hwy 4 to Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Found some great trails north of there on my way to Doyle and Gerlach - although I did get stuck in the Smoke Creek desert (soft wet sand) and ended up camping out the night next to the railroad in a frozen tent!

From Gerlach and black rock I headed up Oregon - Lakeview and the Hart Mountains / Abert Rim and up to Fort Rock, then China Hat to Bend. Another great OHV trail area.

From Bend I headed south via Crater Lake, down highway 199 into California through the redwoods, then cut inland from Eureka and spent a week criss crossing from Highway 1 into the mountains and forests and back, via San Francisco and Santa Cruz/ Big Sur (found another great OHV trail network east of San Luis Obispo between Pozo and La Panza) and down to LA across the Carrizo Plain and hwy 33.

For the most part I tried to stay of the main highways, and took the scenic or dirt road option - the bike was excellent in those conditions and some of the tarmac roads were just as much fun as the dirt! However, it is drinking oil and the compression is down, so I'm currently back in Vegas getting it sorted under warranty.

All being well, I'll be heading out via southern Utah into Arizona next week, athough I think I'm going to have to cut the Mexican/baja leg of the this trip, as I'm due to fly out on the 27th December.

I've just realised, this has sort of turned into a bit a thread hijack hasn't it?

Still, it proves you can ride all of that with a backpack on...

JennyMo xxx

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