naked bike luggage

If you've read very many of my posts you know I have a preference for naked bikes.  My Harley Strreet Bob and vintage 75 GL1000 are naked most of the time but sometimes there's just no getting around it, you have to carry something.  Maybe it's your lunch that you're taking to work, or maybe it's a couple of things the significant other needs from the grocery store, or parts from the dealership.  What do you use to carry stuff and still keep the sleek naked look?

When my only bike was my Honda I got by for a long time just putting things in the shelter.  The shelter is a small space inside the faux gas tank.  It is handy for a lunch, a few papers or odds and ends.  When I started going on long trips with my brother, I bought a small Tourmaster bag with built in bungee cords that would attach to the back half of the seat.  I would go for 4 days or so and if it didn't fit in that bag it didn't go.  The nice thing about that little bag is at the end of the day I would just unhook the bungee cords in 10 seconds and carry it into the motel.

I travel light when I'm on the motorcycle.  I also pack clothes to wear that are mostly worn out so at the end of the day I just throw them away.

The Harley Street Bob was a different story.  There was no faux tank to stash my stuff in the Harley.  I rode it for quite awhile before I finally gave in and bought and installed a luggage rack to my Harley.  It's small.  It's black.  It isn't very noticeable, and it works pretty well.  I bought another Tourmaster bag that had a profile that fit the Harley better than the bag I use with my GL1000.  Even though this bag is small it still holds enough for a 4 day trip.  If I really need to I can stack the two bags on top of each other and the bungee cords hold nicely.  They both have a rain cover that work perfectly.

I have a third bag that I use quite a bit with the Harley.  It's a tank bag with magnets that hold securely.  This fits nicely on the tank and it even has a clear plastic compartment that allows me to write out a list of the highways I want to take on my trips and I can stay on course with a quick glance to see what junction is coming up next. More often though I use the tank bag on my daily commute.  Its magnets hold tight to the luggage rack in back and is just the right size for my lunch and a few papers or a book.

       
You have to carry things from time to time but the best thing about these bags is that when you don't want them cluttering up the look of the bike you can just take them off and you have a naked bike again.

putting the bikes away for the winter

The Harley and the Naked Goldwing are not quite tucked away yet because it has been such a mild winter so far. Christmas Day was so nice I had to take the naked Goldwing out and then the Harley Street Bob as well. On Monday my youngest son and his wife came for a late Christmas so he and I took the bikes out for a ride. AMH rode the 2012 Harley and I rode my naked 75 Goldwing.

But now it's time to get serious about putting them away.

Gasoline. I already filled the tanks up and put in the Stabill.

Oil. I took my Harley in for the famous 1,000 mile checkup just a few miles back so it has fresh oil in it. So now I need to change the oil in my Goldwing even though I have only put about 1500 miles on it this year. No need to let old dirty oil sit there all winter long.

Wax. I try not to let my bikes get dirty so I never really wash them, only use something like Wizards Mist and Shine about a thousand times throughout the riding season. The guys who painted my bike gave me that bit of advice.

Carburators. I ran my naked wing up into the garage and turned off the petcock to let it run out of gas. I don't like the noises it makes as it is dying but I suppose it's okay. I will probably run it a few times during the winter so I suppose I don't really need to do all that.

Battery. My battery in the Goldwing is somewhat suspect so I'm not too optimistic about how good it will be next year. I will trade the battery tender back and forth between the naked wing and the Street Bob all winter long. My brother brings his battery into the house for the winter but I'm sure if I did that I would spill battery acid on the carpeting.

Covers. I know a guy who shrink wraps his hobby vehicle during the winter but all I do is throw a bedspread or sheet over the bikes. That seems sufficient.

But then if it's nice on New Year's Day I might take them out for a spin after church.

Street Bob in Mace, Indiana

I got the naked Goldwing out to take a ride, but it had a problem, so I took my Harley Street Bob instead. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to take advantage of the warmth. Before long the nice days to ride will give way to snow drifts. As I was riding I came across this simple gem of yesterday architecture; the roadside gas station. The massive self service gas station/convenience stores commonly seen along the road elicit only ambivalence from me. Exaggerated pricing on everything from a bottle of soda to a dreamcatcher to hang from your rear view mirror is enough to create a major hit on your bank account if you linger very long.

On the other hand, I love these nostalgic roadside reminders of the days when people didn't have to drink pop and eat Slim Jims while they drove.

I believe this prim and proper former gas station serves as an office for some rental property but whatever its use my compliments to the owners on a nicely maintained building. It also serves as a nice frame for a photo opportunity.

Naked Goldwing Vs Harley Street Bob

For nearly a decade I have been the owner of a 75 Naked Goldwing motorcycle. For two of those years I, with some help from my friends, brought it back to life. I have continued to maintain, repair, and improve my Goldwing.

This year I won a 2012 Harley Street Bob. A Street Bob is a big engine and a minimum of everything else.

When the Naked Goldwing and the Naked Harley are sitting side by side in the garage they seem a lot alike. I call them kissing cousins. Both bikes are black with just enough chrome. Both bikes have lots of power. Both bikes insure a lot of interaction with the environment since neither has a windshield or fairing of any kind. Both bikes encourage getting away from everything since there is no place to put anything on the Street Bob and the only place to put anything on the Goldwing is a compartment inside the faux gas tank or shelter as it is often called.

The Harley even discourages taking a friend along since it has a solo seat. So get on and ride, go fast, go loud, cast aside everything that so easily entangles and enjoy God's masterpieces that rush by in the constantly changing scenery.

The Goldwing encourages a friend to ride along behind on its two person seat. You can still go fast, and shed the cares of the world, but there's someone doing life together with you. The Goldwing is even quiet enough that you could talk to each other a bit at a stop light.

When I ride alone I ride the Harley, when my wife goes with me, I take the Goldwing. It seems perfect, until I consider that maybe I should sell them both and get a bike that can provide the best of both bikes. But what would that be?