I had the exhaust problem on my Honda Shadow as well. I ended up just throwing a pair of Wolfman Luggage Skyline Saddlebags over the back seat in combo with a tank bag and a 30L Dry Duffel. Whatever Saddlebags you end up going for, it's still better having the weight evenly distributed as low as possible, than having all the weight stacked tall on the back! It does make a huge difference in handling. Do you have a tank bag? It does make a big difference keeping snacks, water, cameras etc at easy access in front of you. My other recommendation is that whatever bag you pick for the back, do yourself a favor and don't use bungee chords. Try to use Rokstraps, or even some Utility Straps to secure your stuff to your back seat. (Like these amzn.to/2ZmuxL8 ), bungee nets or'cargo nets' are great for slipping stuff like extra layers under when you don't want to dig in your bags, but should not be relied upon to hold your bags onto the bike by itself. Speaking from a lot of long trips experience lol.
Great tips!!! I totally agree with you on placing as much weight as possible down low. I did a few hundred miles a couple of months ago with a vertical setup and hated what it did to the handling. I ended up ordering the Thrashin Escape saddle bags. Not huge, but large enough for what I need. I think that those, combined with my Enduristan 25 dry bag on the rack and a medium sized seat bag, will do the trick. Maybe a little more than what I need for this trip but I think it will cover pretty much anything I decide to take on in the future. Definitely taking my tank bag as well, although I'm thinking about downsizing that from my too big Cortech 2.0 18-liter. That bag was great on my Iron 1200 but feels wrong on this bike. Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback. I've studied a lot of your videos over the last year to get insight into traveling on a bike. Love your vids!
You and I have similar tastes. I have the same bike, same color scheme, with the same Ends Cuoio bags (on both sides). I love that Rare Bag. Might have to put that on my Christmas wish list.
You’re gonna have such a fun time hanging with those dudes!! Give DCycle and Great Egret fist bumps for me! You have tons of room to put bags on your bike. You got this dude. 👊🏻
If I had your setup I'd probably go with a large bag strapped to the sissybar and something small and light on the luggage rack. I'm sure with you not having to pack a tent it'll help you stay light. One thing I've learned about traveling long distances on the sportster is you dont wanna have a backpack on during the ride...it really wears down on you after awhile.
Im sure you've seen my setup but I use a Army Drash Tent Pole bag for all my stuff and then I loop my backpack straps around the sides of that bag. I can pack everything I need for a night and even have room for food but I try to distribute some of the weight down to the saddlebags
That's the general setup that I have planned out. I have a nice dry bag roll for the rack already. Just really struggling with what bag to put behind me. I actually watched your camping video from last winter again to check out your set up. Forgot how cold it go up here! LOL
Cool, dude! Nice Harley....saw you over on the Geared Raven's channel. Yes a little more storage would be nice, and you could just strap a couple of bags to that sissy bar and call it good. Then you aren't changing the look of your bike--very temporary...came to give you a like and a sub!
Percy....check out the Exfil 80 and Exfil 115 both are able to be strapped to seat sissy bar situation...the numbering is for how many beer cans you can fit in the systems....the Thrashin supply bags you talked about are an awesome produce and they make a bit larger style that might fit on your bike. Also a tank bag might be a consideration and all of this can be removed
I've been looking at that Exfil 80 for a long time now. It's definitely on the list. I'm just not sure it would be as functional as the Kuryakyn Road Warrior or Vagabond. This is when buying on-line instead of being able to check this stuff out in a store sucks. LOL
Dryspec D38 bag fits great on the rack. Then you have the taller sissy bar you can get a decent size sissy bar bag on there. I have done several long trips on the Fatbob it is fine. The only issue I had after a while on a long trip was the bars being to forward I would get a knot or something in my shoulder blade but it was fairly painful. Now I have a set of risers much better. Safe trip.
Which risers did you go with? I put some 1.5 inch risers on a few weeks ago and can't believe the difference just that made. Placed the bars about 1"-1.25" back towards me in addition to the height.
I put 2 inch risers from a guy on the HD forum. I was thinkin 1 1/4 would be enough but didn't want to do it twice I love it. Now that I look at the video again yep same thing you have.
i biked to italy with my fatbob 2018 last summer 2500miles for 2 weeks. i had leatherpros sidebags and a big rollbag behind sissybar. me and my wife. it was okey. but then i dont have the doubble upp exhaust, therefor i could have 2 side bags. i can email pic if you want. good luck with the setup and the nice ride to come.
You may want to consider a taller sissy bar. it will allow you to stack your gear. Dont do a throw over set of saddle bags. you have it exactly right with the exhaust issue and bags. when you load your main/big bag, load it on the passenger seat and use it as a back rest. this then opens your luggage rack for another bag or bed roll or whatever you may need. i have pics of my 07 fat bob loaded up for a similar trip if you need some packing ideas.
That's pretty much the setup I'm planning and trying to get with my holdfast sissybar. That's the tallest one that HD makes at the moment. It's the one thing that I am frustrated about with my current setup. Would prefer one about 6" taller without having to go to a rigid mount.
For more info on the meetup, go here: greategretmoto.com/web/mmm2019/ and here: th-cam.com/video/H3IzXqFtQpI/w-d-xo.html or google midwest moto meetup 2019. The plans for the group rides sound like amazing fun.
Dude... you have all kinds of space on that bike... You can strap a bag on the back seat, on the luggage rack behind the sissybar, and also you can strap a bag to the front of the handlebars. Looking forward to meeting you and several others at the MMM.
Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't thought about strapping something to the handlebars. I've got a dry bag for my luggage rack (really important because of the spray from that rear tire) and I'm thinking about going with a Kuryakyn Road Warrior to HD Touring bag for the seat side of my sissybar. Will likely make that decision this weekend. Really looking forward to meeting you in person in a few weeks!
HD is killing me with these short Hold Fast sissybars, man. I'm hoping they announce a taller one with the new accessories at the dealer gathering this month. I really don't want to go to a rigid mount.
I had the exhaust problem on my Honda Shadow as well. I ended up just throwing a pair of Wolfman Luggage Skyline Saddlebags over the back seat in combo with a tank bag and a 30L Dry Duffel.
Whatever Saddlebags you end up going for, it's still better having the weight evenly distributed as low as possible, than having all the weight stacked tall on the back! It does make a huge difference in handling.
Do you have a tank bag? It does make a big difference keeping snacks, water, cameras etc at easy access in front of you.
My other recommendation is that whatever bag you pick for the back, do yourself a favor and don't use bungee chords. Try to use Rokstraps, or even some Utility Straps to secure your stuff to your back seat. (Like these amzn.to/2ZmuxL8 ), bungee nets or'cargo nets' are great for slipping stuff like extra layers under when you don't want to dig in your bags, but should not be relied upon to hold your bags onto the bike by itself. Speaking from a lot of long trips experience lol.
Great tips!!! I totally agree with you on placing as much weight as possible down low. I did a few hundred miles a couple of months ago with a vertical setup and hated what it did to the handling.
I ended up ordering the Thrashin Escape saddle bags. Not huge, but large enough for what I need. I think that those, combined with my Enduristan 25 dry bag on the rack and a medium sized seat bag, will do the trick. Maybe a little more than what I need for this trip but I think it will cover pretty much anything I decide to take on in the future. Definitely taking my tank bag as well, although I'm thinking about downsizing that from my too big Cortech 2.0 18-liter. That bag was great on my Iron 1200 but feels wrong on this bike.
Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback. I've studied a lot of your videos over the last year to get insight into traveling on a bike. Love your vids!
You and I have similar tastes. I have the same bike, same color scheme, with the same Ends Cuoio bags (on both sides). I love that Rare Bag. Might have to put that on my Christmas wish list.
You’re gonna have such a fun time hanging with those dudes!! Give DCycle and Great Egret fist bumps for me! You have tons of room to put bags on your bike. You got this dude. 👊🏻
I certainly will! Wish you were joining in the fun!
Being Here Now, with Percy same here man
Man! 900 miles! That's crazy and awesome at the same time.
That's funny. Those were my exact thoughts when I pulled up Google Maps! LOL
If I had your setup I'd probably go with a large bag strapped to the sissybar and something small and light on the luggage rack. I'm sure with you not having to pack a tent it'll help you stay light. One thing I've learned about traveling long distances on the sportster is you dont wanna have a backpack on during the ride...it really wears down on you after awhile.
Im sure you've seen my setup but I use a Army Drash Tent Pole bag for all my stuff and then I loop my backpack straps around the sides of that bag. I can pack everything I need for a night and even have room for food but I try to distribute some of the weight down to the saddlebags
That's the general setup that I have planned out. I have a nice dry bag roll for the rack already. Just really struggling with what bag to put behind me. I actually watched your camping video from last winter again to check out your set up. Forgot how cold it go up here! LOL
Cool, dude! Nice Harley....saw you over on the Geared Raven's channel. Yes a little more storage would be nice, and you could just strap a couple of bags to that sissy bar and call it good. Then you aren't changing the look of your bike--very temporary...came to give you a like and a sub!
Thanks for coming over to check out the channel and subbing!!!
Percy....check out the Exfil 80 and Exfil 115 both are able to be strapped to seat sissy bar situation...the numbering is for how many beer cans you can fit in the systems....the Thrashin supply bags you talked about are an awesome produce and they make a bit larger style that might fit on your bike. Also a tank bag might be a consideration and all of this can be removed
I've been looking at that Exfil 80 for a long time now. It's definitely on the list. I'm just not sure it would be as functional as the Kuryakyn Road Warrior or Vagabond. This is when buying on-line instead of being able to check this stuff out in a store sucks. LOL
Being Here Now, with Percy Super glad to hear your coming!!! I think I still have you beat in distance just a little bit!!!!
Dryspec D38 bag fits great on the rack. Then you have the taller sissy bar you can get a decent size sissy bar bag on there. I have done several long trips on the Fatbob it is fine. The only issue I had after a while on a long trip was the bars being to forward I would get a knot or something in my shoulder blade but it was fairly painful. Now I have a set of risers much better. Safe trip.
Which risers did you go with? I put some 1.5 inch risers on a few weeks ago and can't believe the difference just that made. Placed the bars about 1"-1.25" back towards me in addition to the height.
I put 2 inch risers from a guy on the HD forum. I was thinkin 1 1/4 would be enough but didn't want to do it twice I love it. Now that I look at the video again yep same thing you have.
i biked to italy with my fatbob 2018 last summer 2500miles for 2 weeks. i had leatherpros sidebags and a big rollbag behind sissybar. me and my wife. it was okey. but then i dont have the doubble upp exhaust, therefor i could have 2 side bags. i can email pic if you want.
good luck with the setup and the nice ride to come.
Thanks! I would love to see a pic of your setup if you don't mind.
@@withPercy i dont find your emailadress.
I dont have FB.
You may want to consider a taller sissy bar. it will allow you to stack your gear. Dont do a throw over set of saddle bags. you have it exactly right with the exhaust issue and bags. when you load your main/big bag, load it on the passenger seat and use it as a back rest. this then opens your luggage rack for another bag or bed roll or whatever you may need. i have pics of my 07 fat bob loaded up for a similar trip if you need some packing ideas.
That's pretty much the setup I'm planning and trying to get with my holdfast sissybar. That's the tallest one that HD makes at the moment. It's the one thing that I am frustrated about with my current setup. Would prefer one about 6" taller without having to go to a rigid mount.
And lol simplify the process.... bungee cord a small duffle onto your rear rack!
Where can I get more info on this moto meet up? Im in Milwaukee but I'm originally from Illinois! Let me know
For more info on the meetup, go here: greategretmoto.com/web/mmm2019/ and here: th-cam.com/video/H3IzXqFtQpI/w-d-xo.html or google midwest moto meetup 2019. The plans for the group rides sound like amazing fun.
Dude... you have all kinds of space on that bike... You can strap a bag on the back seat, on the luggage rack behind the sissybar, and also you can strap a bag to the front of the handlebars. Looking forward to meeting you and several others at the MMM.
Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't thought about strapping something to the handlebars. I've got a dry bag for my luggage rack (really important because of the spray from that rear tire) and I'm thinking about going with a Kuryakyn Road Warrior to HD Touring bag for the seat side of my sissybar. Will likely make that decision this weekend. Really looking forward to meeting you in person in a few weeks!
A taller sissy bar,and you can put bags on the back and front
HD is killing me with these short Hold Fast sissybars, man. I'm hoping they announce a taller one with the new accessories at the dealer gathering this month. I really don't want to go to a rigid mount.