12 DAYS ON TWO WHEELS: THE GEAR

CHOOSING THE RIGHT GEAR FOR A LONG TRIP ON A MOTORCYCLE…

… requires knowing that bike inside and out.

And how much room there is inside directly impacts how much room you will need outside the bike.

I use a motorcycle backpack and duffle top that sits right behind me on the back fender. They work as a back rest as well.

The challenge is to keep the motorcycle balanced, so we try to keep as much as possible inline with the frame.

I have two saddle bags that hold far more than I expected them to when I first got the bike.

These bags have doors that open out instead of from the top down and that presents some good aspects and some negative aspects as well.

What is good is that you can reach most everything with the door down. The negative is that sometimes things can shift and fall out when you open the door.

Not a problem unless you are parked in mud.

Ya know.

My bike: 2008 Kawasaki Nomad 1600CC V-twin.

As you can see, it is a big motorcycle. And notice the trunk on the back. 

That is where I put my cameras. It is lined with two layers of bubble wrap to keep the vibrations down, and the camera bodies and lenses are also dampened with bubble wrap. 

There is a lot of vibration on a motorcycle and I don’t want anything coming apart.

I have removed the passenger seat and replaced it with a luggage rack so my overnight bag sits there.

The clothing I am taking reflects the possible highly diverse weather I may face. 

Warm weather:
Two long sleeved tee-shirts.
One short sleeve tee-shirt.
One button down western shirt.
Motorcycle jeans (with Kevlar sewn in).
One pair of regular jeans for when I am washing the other pair.
One pair of swim trunks in case I need to wash both pair.
Two pair of warm weather socks.
Sneakers for wearing off bike.
Baseball cap and Harley hat.

Cold weather:
One long sleeve wool sweater.
Long Underwear.
Two pair cold weather socks.
One cold weather jacket.
One cold weather face mask.
One cold weather Ascot for keeping the neck warm.
I use packing cubes to keep all of the stuff organized.

Riding gear:
One pair riding gloves warm weather.
One pair riding gloves cold weather.
One warm weather riding jacket with kevlar.
Wolverine boots.
Rain gear and boot covers.
Neckerchief.
Full face helmet with full visor to keep out the cold air and rain.
Three pair of sunglasses: one pair very dark.

Camera Gear:
Nikon Df DSLR
28, 35, 50, 85, 180mm primes + 24 – 120 zoom.
Nikon F4 analog camera
Ten rolls Kodak Gold ISO 200
Hasselblad with 50MM f4 Planar (maybe)
Small tripod.
Very small tripod for selfie stick and video.
iPhone 7 for video.
Rode mic for iPhone.
Wind guard for Rode mic.
LUMIX DCS60 for video/stills

Miscellaneous
GPS Tracker for real time tracking.
Battery jumper and USB charging battery unit.
2 very bright flashlights.
Assorted chargers and cords and such.
Pociket knife.
Waist knife.
Hatchet.
Mini camp chair.
Umbrella.
First Aid kit.
Mini road flares (2).
Two USB chargers for iPhones
Toiletries bag.
Bike cover.

Communications:
iPad with keyboard.
MacBookPro 13″
iPhone Max

I also have a couple of waterproof bags in case it rains torrents. Fits all cameras and electronics.

That may seem like a lot, but I do indeed have space in both of my saddle bags for something I may need to purchase along the way. I also have to have room for water bottles and a small bottle of single malt. 

Don’t judge.

Imagine if I was packing to go on a camping trip! I have two more packs that fit on top of the saddle bags for camping gear, but I would probably have to rethink a lot of above to get all the gear on. It ends up piling very high, being very heavy, and really worrying me when I leave the bike.

All the gear goes into saddle bags, the trunk, and the travel pack I have on the seat behind me. It is covered with a waterproof cover, and is bungee corded from both sides to hold it stable.

I will show you some photos from the road once I get it squared away… I figure by Ely, NV I should have it nailed down.