Wow that's some architecture
Road Trip to Silverstone for MotoGP
I'm just back from a 4 day riding trip from Dublin to Silverstone for MotoGP. I spent a lot of time studying the map and planning my route, but I was still somewhat unaware how amazing the biking is over there. I will definitely be back! The scenery in mountains in northern Wales is breathtaking, and the roads everywhere I went were in great shape. Some of the best condition roads I found were in the middle of nowhere, where you barley see other vehicles.
A couple of pics from the trip:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
A couple of pics from the trip:
10
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Yeah, no problem. I was starting from scratch with luggage when I got this bike. I wanted something relatively cheap, but decent enough I could keep it for years and use it for longer trips. It needed to have a good amount of space, but completely come off the bike and not leave anything behind as I only use it once or twice a year. I didn't want to go down the route of saddle bags with the undertail exhaust for fear of melting them, and I didn't want to have to try and fabricate a complex mounting system. I figured a tail bag would be a better way to go.
I found the 50L AutoKicker Cargo Companion Tail Bag and figured I'd give it a try. It worked out really well. As long as you don't slide it all the way to the rear of the bike, it has an inch or two gap above the exhaust cans. It comes with loads of different buckles and straps for securing it, and nice little elastic loops for tucking away the extra strap length. Seems well built and holds a lot. If I had to complain, I would say that the rain cover they provide is totally useless. The fabric the bag is made out of seems like it would do a good job of keeping water out, but I'm not sure how much rain it would take before things start getting wet. They include an extra waterproof cover for it, but it's too small in my opinion. I could never get it stretched over the bag in a way where it wasn't blown off within minutes.
As you can see in the photos, I have a Ogio Mach 3 backpack that I strapped on top. The AutoKicker tail back has a load of elastics as well as extra buckles and straps so you can secure stuff to the top of it. You can even get a second smaller tail pack they make specifically for that. It was nice to have a backpack for the day trips and carrying stuff around the circuit.
The GPS mount is a custom item I put together. I started with a cheap Ebay waterproof phone case. I used to have one on my R6 that mounted down through the steering stem, but that doesn't really work on the Gen 2 ZX-10R because the steering damper is in the way. So I made a custom bracket that goes between the steering damper and the steering damper bracket on the tank. I found a piece of metal (I believe it's brass) and curved it so it comes toward me, up, and then back toward the front of the bike in an arc. Then I painted it black and screwed the phone holder screws onto it. This way it clears everything, doesn't obstruct my view of anything, and is easy enough to glance down at. I also don't have to worry about my phone when it starts raining, which happens a lot over here. My one complaint with it is that the tiny bit of flex in the bracket means the phone can shake around a bit at higher speeds. It isn't coming off, but it isn't as solid as I'd like. Might look at improving this in the future.
I also wired in a waterproof voltmeter and a waterproof clock through a relay, so they both come on when the bike is on. If anything ever happens to the charging system, I want to know before the battery dies. I think everyone should have something like this on their bike. The clock worked really well too, especially since I was on a tight schedule for a good chunk of the weekend. It has a built in battery so it keeps time when the key is off. There is also 2.1A 12V USB charger on the side of the bike to keep my phone fully charged.
3
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
