I always try and suggest to anyone buying a tire to go with Metzler. Most people cringe at the price but when it comes down to it and only having two tires to keep you upright it's the best deal.
That pic is awesome. You ride with a lot more stuff than I ever do. I have this weir habit of when I travel far on a bike I will mail my stuff to a hotel or whereever I will be staying at. This keeps me from having to lug too much with me. This way I can just have the basic, warmth and rain protection to worry about. One day when I break down and get a geezer glide I will be able to just have all my stuff with me. :)
"That pic is awesome. You ride with a lot more stuff than I ever do"
Thanks. I've actually taken almost that exact same picture on two occasions, two years apart. This is the better one.
Yeah, I do tend to overpack when traveling, but I like having all my crap with me. The tankbag I like for the map pocket and as a convenient place to keep my rain jacket, camera and other odds and ends. Oh, and my electric vest - those things can't be beat when the weather turns cold unexpectedly. The big tailbag in the pic has my sheepskin seat cover on it, drying out from the sudden thunder shower we hit earlier. It's got a bunch of other junk in it - cable lock, binoculars, Honda spray polish and cleaner (that stuff's excellent for faceshields and bike cleaning), chain lube, blue shop towels, first aid kit, jacket liner and what all else I can't remember now. And then I've got 4 or 5 days worth of clothing changes, shoes, sweats, and so on in the hard bags, since they're completely waterproof. Oh yeah, in the tailsection of the bike I've got the stock toolkit plus a 12" breaker bar and several big sockets for the axles and such, tire plug kit and a small 12v compressor.
Probably way too much stuff, really, and the bike probably weighs nearly 100 lbs more loaded for travelling. I like to be prepared for all eventualities, and you never know what to expect on tour in June in Atlantic Canada. I saw temps from 45 to 95 degrees on that trip, but never did need the e-vest. Some of the adventure-touring guys carry way more stuff, if you can believe it. One guy's got more gadgets on his dash and handlebars than I've got in my den - GPS, satellite radio, CB, variable heat controllers, electronic cruise, and so on.
You should have seen my bike when I had it loaded for camping, too. All that stuff plus a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag and pillow.