Loading for long Trips/camping

[Troll]

  I do long trips, have for 50 years. Sometimes I camp, sometimes I don't. A lot depends on the reason, the destination and the time of year. I have a couple of shots of the Drifter packed for travel. The first one was from a trip I made out to Wyoming in the fall of 2011 to check out a wrecked bike for a lawyer, the second is from last year's Drift-In. The trip to Wyoming required me to carry some tools and a bike jack, so I put the old H-D hard TourPak on and the solo seat. The Drift-In ride was a bit friendlier so I just used my soft luggage and the back seat for a gear bag  with stuff I might need to access quickly. I also have a large, 2 compartment tank bag. My saddlebags are about the same size as H-D hard bags and hold a lot...

[LarryInSeattle]

Well... I've put a fairly large load or two on my bike for extended trips lol.  A delivery of 3 thin client PC's became a delivery of 3 thin clients along with keyboards and monitors.  Only 125 miles so it was no biggie lol.

That is a nice looking bike.  I think I would of used my Ford Ranger Pickup for that!  Of course that is just me.

[Jobi]

I have two leather saddle bags and a two-up seat with a backrest. My camping/long trip bag rides passenger. There's enough room that I could pack a lot of stuff and make my riding position nice and snug in order to have a make-shift backrest. I can sandwich a small tent between the bag and the backrest along with a sleeping mat.

[bikerbob5864]

Yea, I'm thinking the trailer route is the way to go for me. I'm like you Larry, I like my comforts when I'm camping........and the morning cup of coffee is a must!(Lifer Juice) Drifter Hitches are like hens teeth tho, and I hate to ruin the style of the rear fender. Oh well, nothing is free, you've always got to give up something to get something. Karma.
Thanks for the input guys........anything else anyone can come up with is appreciated.

Thanks

Bob

[Ironraven]

Well... I've put a fairly large load or two on my bike for extended trips lol.  A delivery of 3 thin client PC's became a delivery of 3 thin clients along with keyboards and monitors.  Only 125 miles so it was no biggie lol.

[LarryInSeattle]

I have been moto-camping for years.  Love the freedom of the road and the price of motels and restaurants always shortens up the amount of time I could spend on the road, so I invested in good camping gear and ways to haul it.

I almost would suggest taking a browse at http://www.motocampers.com and see all of what they do.  Good info there.

A hitch provides quite a bit of the answer for me.  See the hitch rack on my Goldwing.  It would also haul a nice bag as well and goes on and off in just a minute or less.

Stacking and packing the bike never leaves the bike looking super cool as a naked Drifter looks but having the creature comforts at the campsite is worth every bit of the effort.

I do all of my own cooking and make coffee in the morning.

[bikerbob5864]

Since this will be my 1st year with a Drifter 1500, I need some advice about loading this thing for a long trip........like to Colorado........Sturgis........or Arizona. Maybe all 3! I'm debating fabbing a strut mounted rack to carry tent, etc above the rear fender, buying one from Apex that appears to be a Kawasaki Part# designed for the 99-05 1500, or installing the Classic fender rack........on the fender itself and letting the bags assume some the load bearing. My biggest problem is that I'm cheap!! and I don't want to pay alot for the strut mount from Apex(170.00) or pay for a guy to fab one for me.
I've also thought about building a trailer, like the one on Gadgets page, but I'm not sure about the hitch setup.........Just need some advice from those who've taken trips with their Drifters and how they did/do it given the Drifters "unique"lack of luggage space.

Thanks

Bob