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Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle camping’

Packing camping gear on a motorcycle requires flexibility in the thing that will hold the equipment. Often times it isn’t necessarily the weight, but instead the dimensions of camping gear that makes packing difficult on a motorcycle. Many of the popular sidebags and top cases aren’t long enough for tent poles and other long items. This leads many riders to build tubes or just strap things on to the bike.

The Giant Loop Great Basin on my Suzuki V-Strom 650 during a trip last summer.

Personally, I like most items to be stored inside where they are less likely to come loose and fall out while on the road or trail. Strapping things on, such as a sleeping bag is  ok. The fewer items that are left hanging, the more secure I feel.

Hands down, the best solution that I have found for packing camping gear on a motorcycle is the Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag. Those of you who have followed my product reviews for a while may remember the accolades that I gave Giant Loop for the Fandango tank bag. These guys have it going on.

Build Quality – A

The Giant Loop Great Basin is a soft bag with a tough personality. The bottom portion of the bag is made of 1050 nylon ballistic cordura, the top is made of 22-ounce vinyl coated polyester. Top-notch YKK zippers allow easy access to goods and the whole package is sewn together with military-grade thread.

If you hear “vinyl” and don’t think the Great Basin is up to the rigors of off-road and long-distance touring then you’re sorely mistaken. Giant Loop calls it a Bomb Shell material and says it is similar to a trucker’s tarp. That is a very good descriptor. If the material can hold up to hundreds of thousands of miles on a semi-trailer, then you can bet it will hold your gear securely on the bike.

The straps and heavy-duty metal clamps hold the Giant Loop Great Basin securely to any bike.

Speaking of holding it on the bike, this thing isn’t going anywhere once attached to your bike. The compression/attachment straps are made of 1-inch ballistic cordura and Nylike webbing with steel and aluminum buckles. Two similarly constructed straps secure the bottom of the bag to the bike. I’m not sure what the heck “Nylike” is, but these straps are strong.

Ease of Install – A

The straps secure the Great Basin to just about any bike in less than a minute. Racks aren’t needed, which further simplifies the installation process. Some hard bags might be easier to take on/off, but they also require timely installation of racks to hold them on.

The bag sits on the pillion portion of the seat and is then strapped on. The mass is held close to the bike all three directions of the U-shaped bag. This is perfect for adventure motorcycles and their top-heavy nature. The weight is centralized and held close to the bike.

The bag is removed from the bike quickly at the end of the day. I often put it in my tent to rest against it to read at night. Think of it as the motorcycle camper’s big-back-arm-pillow, like the one you had as a kid.

Included removeable and attached internal bags make easy packing of the Great Basin.

Bang for Your Buck – A

The Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag sells for $439. On the surface it seems that there are cheaper products available in plentiful supply. Other dry bag-type saddlebags from high-quality manufacturers such as the Ortlieb Dry Bag Saddlebag and Wolfman Expedition cost $187 and $214, respectively. These bags and others typically require (or at least suggest) the use of side racks to keep the bags from rubbing on the bike. Racks will set you back about $200. The Ortlieb’s 39 liter and Wolfman’s 42 liter capacities are much smaller than the Great Basin’s 50 liter capacity. That is why the Great Basin Giant Loop is a fantastic bang for your buck.

I have not found another product that compares to the Great Basin.

Complaints

A complaint that I do have is that the straps can make access to the contents of the bag more difficult during the day. Pack items that you may need near where the zipper can be opened between straps. Being mindful of where the straps are located will save time during the ride. Another complaint is that the material and zippers of the bag will keep water out, but the threaded areas won’t. Giant Loop provides seam sealer to correct this. Once applied, your gear should stay dry.

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Håkan Söderbom planned for an around the world adventure, we hit eastern Washington instead.

My ride companion and I meet up in Monroe, Washington. US Highway 2 provides a scenic, yet quick escape from the hustle of Seattle. The city of Seattle would offer much to riders if it weren’t for that hustle and bustle. The many conveniences are wrapped in all directions with potential adventure. The mountains to the east, volcanoes to the south and north, and saltwater that splashes the urban shores and calls to us who breathe adventure. It is the weekend and we need to take a deep breath of life.

True adventure is the goal of the weekend. I’m meeting with fellow MSF-coach Håkan Söderbom to SEE if we can find a great motorcycle adventure a short distance from Seattle.

Hakan has planned an extraordinary route for us to open our throttles on and exercise the off-road side of our adventure motorcycles.

Up and over Steven’s Pass we climb and descend through the thick evergreens. Their scent is strong in the air. With every mile we escape further into the possibilities of adventure. The broad pavement of Highway 2 continues east as we connect with US Highway 97 just outside of Leavenworth. Up and over Blewett Pass we travel 25 miles to the Mineral Springs Restaurant.

Mineral Springs Restaurant serves up a decent hot meal. My burger was good, but Hakan’s chili burger looked incredible.

Mt Rainier as seen from 6,240 feet on Lion Rock.

Food now down the hatch, we continue a few miles to Liberty Road, Fire Service Road 9718 and FS 35. The route up to this point would leave most riders satisfied. The adventurer comes out and plays from here on out. The road surface quickly changes to dirt and small rocks. Our bikes handle the terrain with ease. The road climbs quickly. With each foot of elevation the views grow in magnificence. We climb up to 2,000; 3,000 and 4,000 feet. As we climb the road becomes a bit more challenging. Our bodies sway gracefully directing the motorcycles’ wheels over slight ruts and avoidable boulders growing in diameter. The road climbs to 6,240 feet. This is the lookout at Lion Rock Spring. The views stretch for miles. The Table Mountains and the rest of the Cascade Range are in full view. Mount Rainier pokes above the mountains far to the west.

The very rocky road could easily eat the vulnerable underside of the Suzuki V-Strom. It is still relatively easy to navigate up to this phenomenal viewpoint. There are a few primitive camp spots at Lion Rock Spring. We pitch out tents to reserve a place to sleep for the night.

It is 2 p.m. by the time that we have camp set and Hakan has replaced his street tires with proper knobbies. This guy comes prepared. We mount up and head down the mountain and into Ellensburg via FR 35 and Reecer Creek Road.

Leaving Ellensburg on Umtanum Road we carve the few miles of pavement to Durr Road. This is the route that we came all this way to ride. It soon becomes double track with two way traffic. This is fine as we only come upon one 4×4 the whole time that we’re out here.

Umtanum Creek water crossing. Bounce, bounce, splash and wahoo!

The road curves around the south side of a hill to allow a view of the canyon below. Just a couple hundred feet down is Umtanum Creek. It crosses the road and will be my first water crossing. The road passes under the water for 25 feet. Fairly large rocks exercise my suspension as I follow Hakan through the water. The BMW 1200 GS Adventure glides through the water. To my surprise, so does the V-Strom. Hakan was slow to pull out the camera, so I oblige him with another photo-op run. It felt great to make it through and make it look so skillfully done. Thanks for the photograph my Swedish pal.

The trail on the other side of the creek quickly becomes filled side to side with the same large rocks as the creek bed. “Clunk” goes each rock under the bike. Each time the familiar terrain meets metal sound makes me cringe. No skid plate under my bike means that the metal noise is likely the center stand hitting, but perhaps the oil filter or worse.

Second gear is too fast. I slow and shift to first gear only to get bounced around even more. Powering on, the bike becomes a bucking bronco.

I used to break horses on our 50-horse ranch as a kid. I can hold my own when it comes to rodeo-style rides. After dropping my eyes and looking for the very next rock and buck thereof, I go exactly where I was looking. Instincts kick in and I muscle the bike down to the rocks as softly as I can as I tuck and roll off into the ditch.

The trail ate my right blinker, GIVI crash bar, body panel, headlight bezel and passenger foot rest mount that day. The views were spectacular, but the roadway brutal. That first fall laid the groundwork for what seemed like a dozen more.

Durr Road and the trail that we jutted onto was made of softball to football-sized rocks. Beware the underside of vulnerable bikes.

The hills rolled up and down with each slope becoming steeper. We arrive at a “Y” intersection and we turn left. Let me tell you, left made for one hell of an adventure. Turning right would have taken us right into Selah. This, by the way, was our intended destination.

Durr Road is a primitive road with minimal maintenance. It runs from Umtanum Road south of Ellensburg to Selah near Yakima, Washington. Durr Road runs through the heart of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. This area is as much of an adventure as you can find. It is adventure motorcycling at its best. If you’re going to attempt this journey, then I suggest a good map, GPS and travel with a suitable riding partner. Hakan travelled this route solo a year prior to our visit. Now that I’ve done it, I wouldn’t go back without someone to help lift a bike off of me in a sticky situation.

Back to the adventure. We’re now several hours into our ride and exhaustion is setting in. Our intended route became too steep to traverse. With the sun hanging low in the sky, we turn around and head back the way we came. The more difficult sections are now more complicated by the harshness of the setting sun pointing blinding light directly into our eyes. We would have been just as well off had we shut our eyes completely.

This is exactly what we could see as we climbed the hills directly into the setting sun.

We find our way back, but not before the fatigue catches up to me. Yet again, the bike bounces off of the rocks and concern for the underbelly causes my wrist to react. This causes a chain reaction that ends in the final dirt nap of the day. This time Hakan has ridden up ahead. My ankle stuck between the side case rack and some rocks. There wasn’t any way that I could lift the bike or wiggle my leg free. I was trapped.

After a few futile yells for help, I resorted to honking the horn. Hakan heard my beeping pleas for assistance and came back to lift the 500-pound hunk of bike off me.

With wheels back on terra firma, we make it back to the “Y” intersection, cross Umtanum Creek and head back to Lion Rock Spring campground for the night.

We uncork a bottle of wine and toast to the pursuit of adventure and to sleeping under the stars at 6,240 feet above sea level. Despite a few tumbles, the day was amazing. Stamina and skills were tested and with that comes accomplishment.

Close estimate of our route (had technical issues loading full map to page).

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