When I go out for a ride, even if it is only a 45 minute spin through the local country roads, just for the joy of riding, I take a good amount of gear with me. I always have a first aid kit, a flat tire repair kit, a rain jacket and pants, at least one extra pair of gloves, a baseball cap to wear when off the bike, and a small bag of key small items like a flashlight, tire pressure gauge, small multi tool and a few others. For most of my riding years I had cruisers, with vinyl or leather bags, and at least one bag was always full. One of the reasons I truly love my Goldwing is the extensive amount of lockable, hard luggage. I carry all of my "all the time" stuff listed above, plus have somewhere to safely stow my jacket, gloves and helmet when I get to where I am going (if I have a destination for that ride that day).
And I will admit that it is not unusual that I start a ride with jacket on, and then in the course of the day decide its just too hot for the jacket, and I'm glad I have a place to put it if I decide to just ride with a t-shirt instead.
I also have room for anything I might buy (within reason). And of course, I am ready to use some of my luggage space for a weekend getaway bag or even for longer trips. So I often wonder what do sportbike riders do, with literally no on board storage space? Most of the time I see the rider with a backpack on, which I would think would be really uncomfortable in typical summer weather, or if not carrying a backpack, then I assume they are out for very short rides or that they are just counting on not needing a thing, ever, while riding a motorcycle. Some do have tankbags, which I guess can hold enough to carry the basics, but it appears that tankbag use is not very common.
What brought this all to mind was not really the sportbikes, but seeing a rider at the gas station who was leaving as I pulled in. He had one of those "adventure" bikes, a BMW, with no bags, no backpack, no tankbag, no tailbag, no anything. Is he really "adventure" riding, or just hoping for the best on a regular street ride? Just my thoughts this Sunday morning.
And I will admit that it is not unusual that I start a ride with jacket on, and then in the course of the day decide its just too hot for the jacket, and I'm glad I have a place to put it if I decide to just ride with a t-shirt instead.
I also have room for anything I might buy (within reason). And of course, I am ready to use some of my luggage space for a weekend getaway bag or even for longer trips. So I often wonder what do sportbike riders do, with literally no on board storage space? Most of the time I see the rider with a backpack on, which I would think would be really uncomfortable in typical summer weather, or if not carrying a backpack, then I assume they are out for very short rides or that they are just counting on not needing a thing, ever, while riding a motorcycle. Some do have tankbags, which I guess can hold enough to carry the basics, but it appears that tankbag use is not very common.
What brought this all to mind was not really the sportbikes, but seeing a rider at the gas station who was leaving as I pulled in. He had one of those "adventure" bikes, a BMW, with no bags, no backpack, no tankbag, no tailbag, no anything. Is he really "adventure" riding, or just hoping for the best on a regular street ride? Just my thoughts this Sunday morning.