Rider Storage/Luggage
It doesn’t matter if you’re on a fully outfitted adventure bike or a motocross bike, storage is hard to come by. Now when you’re at the track this isn’t usually an issue, but even on a race bike sometimes you gotta have at least a way of bringing your phone with you to catch some footie your bros getting loose for the gram. Just as every bike is purpose built so is every way to pack.
Pockets on your gear: This is great for the essentials like a phone, wallet, diary and chewing gum but comes up a little short when it comes to more utility needs like tools and spare parts. As an aged moto kid, I still have my opinions about the lack of coolness of pockets on moto pants and the majority of the riding season is too hot to be wearing a jacket that offers pockets, so you’re very limited as to what you can carry. Not to mention the more you push yourself riding, the more vulnerable a cell phone in your pocket is. I’ve also got an Ogio Flight Vest that has been pretty handy when it comes to trail maintenance and course marking with more pockets than you can shake a stick at. The vest is great for when work needs to be done, but has its limitations as something you would wear when riding hard.
The Fanny Pack: Raised in the 90’s I know my way around a fanny. The fanny pack offers a low center of gravity while riding enduro. Storage is not too extensive, but the Alpinestars pack I have does allow for some tool management along with spare parts and snacks. There are other packs on the market that offer hydration pack integration that could be handy, but would certainly eat up some storage real-estate. Once I got comfortable riding with the fanny pack, I really liked that I was able to keep my body temperature down without having a backpack pressed against me, but while on the same topic, the fanny pack does allow you to wear a backpack in conjunction, maximizing your gross GVWR.
Fender bags and saddle bags: Great for more storage that can include camping gear, change of clothes and even allow you to be a little more prepared for the bigger issues. You can carry tire irons and tubes along with other supplies. On long adventure rides you may find yourself experiencing all four seasons before returning home. The more storage you can put on your bike for this type of riding the better. As you’re traveling for hours at a time, its also nice to be as comfortable as you can and that means if you can spare yourself wearing a weighted down backpack for long periods of time, you’re only going to increase your smiles per mile.
Handlebar storage: Kinda vague topic given the options available and I have mixed feelings. The harder I push my riding the less I like additional crap on my handlebars, I tried an RSI bar pad phone pocket that I thought would allow me to see my phone screen while riding for maps or even lap times at the track. It sounded like a good idea, but in the end, its hard to see the screen, the touch functionality is almost non existent and the more violent the ride the less likely the velcro is to hold up. On a dual sport or adventure riding application, a handlebar bag may be a good place to have quickly needed items available, like sunglasses, phone, spare gloves and tic tacs that you can grab without getting off the bike.
Backpacks: My personal favorite. I’ve got a few different sizes of backpack in various states of condition as well. The hard enduro pack is enough to hold a hydration system, spare set of gloves my phone and of course some snacks. Next size up is about a 14 Liter bag that I can pack just a little more. Then finally I have the bag I use for setting and tearing down our WORRA race courses, which allows me to stuff all the course ribbon in along with any debris like hand guards, radiator shrouds and lever ends that came off of the bikes during the race. This pack from Viking Bags fits the bill on just enough storage without getting too bulky, a hydration pack and the added bonus of a front compartment that makes access to the stuff you need quickly a breeze.
Creative Solutions: In my old Sherco 300SE there was a space on top of the fuel tank where the four stroke models had their fuel pump located. This void of space was handy for a spare spark plug wrapped in a rag and some spare zip ties that were just always with the bike for when the time needed. I see lots of people use some of the space in their air box to stuff some goodies like tools and parts and learned from a couple of the National Enduro riders that can even duct tape some spare levers on the inside panels and under the seat of your bike for when the time comes. If you’re riding a Ural I suppose you can just stuff all your belongings in the side car.
Check out Viking Bags for more storage solution that go beyond dirt. They offer purpose built bags for all sorts of models as well as some cool backpacks that don’t discriminate how you decide to ride.
