Long Distance Touring on FZ6

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Ken

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I'm a relatively new rider. Have now put 8K miles onto my '08 FZ6. Have taken a number of day-only trips,--up to eight hours or so riding. Would like to now try an over-nighter or two, and possibly an 1800 mile trip later this summer. I have a Neilson-Rigg tail pack and tank bag, but have not yet invested in saddle bags. Not sure what to get in this department. Also, am hoping for advice on how to prepare for long trips, i.e. clothing, support, etc. I know I'll need to pack lite--these bags are small. What else can you all tell me? All advice welcomed. Thanks / Ken
 
I just returned from my 1st 1400mile road trip :thumbup:had a blast:rockon:
I used the cortech tri-bag system. They worked great! I was able to put a sleeping bag in one side of the saddlebag and 2 pairs of jeans, 3 LS tees and 3 SL tees along with socks and underware. In the tail bag I had snacks, flashlight, tire repair kit. Thes bags were worth ever penny $188. easy to install and even easier to take off.

pic below show's the saddlebags and tail bag.

View attachment 13207


As far as gear, I have a tourmaster intake jackect and venture overpants. these too preformed great. Both jackect and pants came with a quilted/rain liners.

Have Fun :cheer: and be sure to post some pics when you return.

Dave
 
For touring, you can't beat hard luggage. Cortech soft luggage is the best soft luggage I've used, but the Givi luggage works great on the FZ, and I've really enjoyed it. The lockability keeps my mind at ease, and if they're not waterproof, they're at least quite water-resistant; my shizz doesn't get wet.

I think a lot of people carry too much on long trips; I pack light. One of the things I do think it's important to carry - and it stashes under the seat - is a tire plug kit with CO2 inflater.
 
Hey fellow Hoosier!:welcome:

I have the Cortech bags also. You can fit quit a bit of stuff in them. The down side is the rain cover do not stay on very well. I lost mine somewhere on I-75 between Richmond and Corbin Ky. I just put everything in garbage bags to keep dry. The Givi hard luggage is high quality and looks good on the FZ.

Get a tire repair kit to carry. If you get the CO2 type inflator, get the non-threaded one. That way you can use CO2 cartridges for BB guns which are cheaper and readily available. I have a Slime pump which packs small and works well.

At a minimum get a good rainsuit. Last year I bought used Aerostich Roadcrafter jacket and Darien Lite overpants. They are water-proof, well vented, and have good armor. It is nice to not worry about pulling on a rain suit on the side of the road. There are other waterproof gear available, I just prefer to stay away from the ones with water proof liners.

You may want a taller windscreen for the longer trips to keep the wind fatigue to a minimum. I am very happy with the CeeBailey's windscreen.

I like to ride the Brown County area on Sundays, maybe we will cross paths someday. You are fortunate to live in Bloomington. I have to ride 120 miles just to get to a curve.:(
 
I think that rear-end comfort on a long distance ride is pretty important. If you stay with the stock seat, you might look into getting a set of padded riding shorts,:thumbup: they protect sensitive parts of your anatomy. I have seen the strap-on pads for the seat but they kinda look funny. Nobody notices if you have a pad on your tail bone area of your underbritches...... wait, I do get some funny looks sometimes:confused: Maybe some type of vibration dampening bars would be nice too, I just got a taller wider windscreen and have yet to try it out because my garage is still snowed in.:(
 
Get a tire repair kit. I cary tire plugs (some call them worms), Auto parts store has tire plug kits,
I bought a small 15.00 air compressor, removed the cig. plug and replaced with a plug that works with my battery tender hook up, or use any two prong trailer plugs to make your own to power the compressor.
Flat tires more than an hour or days from home just suck.
 
Hard luggage is nice, no doubt about it. I couldn't swallow the price nor the inelegant attachment mechanisms, so I bought Cortech soft saddle bags. Here is my setup from a 1400 mile bike/camping trip in 2008.

I'll make the same trip this year and am already starting to think about reducing my load - I carried too much crap. Most of my excess came from:
  • fleece in case of cold (only used once)
  • spare Clif bars (not used at all)
  • chargers & spare batteries (mostly irrelevant)
This time around I probably won't even need to carry the tankbag.
 
Welcome!

You have many great questions, and there are several members on this forum that are experienced in LD riding. Many of the answers you seek can be found in the touring subsection.

Touring - Yamaha FZ6 Forums - International FZ6 Motorcycle Community Forum

In addition there is also a thread I put together with luggage reviews. I am always searching for more reviews, so if anyone has some bags that arent in this review, please do a detailed write up and let me know, so I can create a link.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/touring/10852-luggage-luggage-more-luggage.html

-bryan
 
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Make sure everything has two layers of plastic in between it and the rain. If you have covers for bag, put everything inside the bag into a heavy duty bin bag. Rain sneaks under things - but it can't sneak through two layers.

Plan out what you're going to take and if you can reduce the size of it or bring less of it. Even bringing a smaller tube or toothpaste helps. The biggest thing is shoes. Try to get some of those boat shoes that take up sod all space. Also, micro-fibre towels pack to half the size or normal ones.

Get a sat nav. You can usually put them into a waterproof bag on the mount. Mine is hacked to be able to play MP3s at the same time as telling me where to go through the headphones.

I'd advise at least buying a lockable top box. The Yamaha one is pricey but the rack is good. Then you have somewhere secure to lock your phone etc. You can use panniers and tailpack with it too. Last time I brought too much - but there was still enough space (this included tent, sleeping bag etc):-

Here and here.
 
Oh yeah and if you're camping, get one of those plastic things that go underneath the sidestand to stop the bike sinking into the mud! :rockon:
 
One other thing I didn't see mentioned:

Get a hydration pack.

If I'm taking a pleasure ride, that is the one mandatory item for me. It greatly increases my comfortable range and endurance.
 
We went 2 up from France to Denmark and back last year and it was easy.

I have a 2006 so I changed the stockseat because it is useless.

I have Kappa boxes on mine and I never take them off. They are great for stuffing all my riding gear in so I can be in shorts and t shirt when I get where I am going.

Get a GPS I have a car GPS, my last one lasted 30,000km without any rain protection. I still have it but I upgraded and my new one is a car GPS. It is a TomTom 350T and is all bluetooth including the traffic reports.

You did not say if you were travelling alone because if you have a passenger I would suggest at least a top box and passenger peg extentions.

Steve
 
I have been getting ready for a 6-7000 mile road trip this summer. My graduation present to myself. Hers a list of some of the stuff I have been getting for it:


"Slime COMP04 Portable 12-Volt Air Compressor"
$14.99 Amazon.com

"Slime 22038 Deluxe Reamer Plugger Kit with Storage Handle" $8.45 Amazon.com

Crampbuster $11, crampbuster site

Vista Universal Cruise Control $28, ebay

20 degree sleeping bag, REI sale $45

Black Diamond Hooped Bivy - Standard $ 154.97

Mini-Stove, REI $22

REI Camp Bed 3.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Large $35 (my one concession to comfort, this thing is huge)

Bradley Strap Mount Tank Bag [$15.00], newenough

Nelson Rigg Saddlebags, not sure how much I spent on these. Not much $70ish, but they are kinda small.

Reserving my rear seat to use the ever useful

BikeBandit.com Black Cargo Net 2 for $5.98

I probably have forgotten some misc. crap like cookware and such that I picked up at REI. Being a poor mofo I am doing this trip strictly camping. Well, maybe one night in a hotel with a hot tub :)

Good Luck on your trip, keep the rubber side down!
 
SANGER_A2 said:
Oh yeah and if you're camping, get one of those plastic things that go underneath the sidestand to stop the bike sinking into the mud! :rockon:
Click to expand...

Or do what I do. When you get to your destination for the night, pound back your first beer, flatten the can and use that under the kick stand. It's free if you're going to drink beer anyways.
 
steveindenmark said:
We went 2 up from France to Denmark and back last year and it was easy.

I have a 2006 so I changed the stockseat because it is useless.

I have Kappa boxes on mine and I never take them off. They are great for stuffing all my riding gear in so I can be in shorts and t shirt when I get where I am going.

Get a GPS I have a car GPS, my last one lasted 30,000km without any rain protection. I still have it but I upgraded and my new one is a car GPS. It is a TomTom 350T and is all bluetooth including the traffic reports.

You did not say if you were travelling alone because if you have a passenger I would suggest at least a top box and passenger peg extentions.

Steve
Click to expand...

I sent you a PM in a while back, may not have gone through. But I was asking about where you picked up your axle extensions or how you made them? I have access to a machine shop at my disposal, judging by your pictures, they shouldnt be too difficult to make.

-bryan
 
RangerG said:
Or do what I do. When you get to your destination for the night, pound back your first beer, flatten the can and use that under the kick stand. It's free if you're going to drink beer anyways.
Click to expand...

I use the bottom half of a destroyed cell phone I found in a gravel parking lot once when I needed a bigger kickstand foot. It is even cheaper that the beer can!
 
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