These tips and tricks on packing are based on my own experience, camping with motorbike, rucksack or bicycle. For additional information I used Thomas Troßmanns 'Motorrad Reisen' and the tips of Claus Possberg. Both aim at making more extreme journeys through the desert. Under these circumstances packing the right way is very important. The tips and tricks are also very useful closer to home.
Our first holiday on a motorcycle was in 1995. For three weeks oud BMW F650 had to carry the two of us and our stuff. During a short trip we found out that the F650 is rather small with two persons and campinggear. Back home we bought a smaller tent - more a bodybag for two - that weight only 2 kg. Our stuff was in two BMW panniers and a topcase.
In 1996 we made a trip of four weeks, this time on two F650s. Some things stayed at home other things we took with us. A lot of things one simply never uses and it is better to leave them at home. Although we travelled on two bikes we didn't take much extra with us. Last time in Spain we found out we took too much clothes with us. One shirt on your shoulders and one extra is enough. Shorts are very useful going to the showers.
How much you can take with you depends on the maximum load capacity of your motorbike. The factory always gives a maximum total weight of bike and added load. Above this number your bike will not act as it is designed and becomes unstable. The brakes are tuned for this maximum weight. The BMW F650 has a maximum capacity of 371 kg. The bike itself is 189 kg ready to ride. Including pilot and duo you can ad 182 kg as load. Riding with two persons there is not much left. If you ride the Funduro alone you can almost anything is possible... The maximum load is a good target to pack. It is more safe to ride, the bike handles better and the risk you tilt when stopping is minimized. Manufacturers also give load capacities for panniers and topcases. The 10 kg BMW advices (for the F650 only 5 kg is considered safe) is very little, 15 kg per case is still all right. A topcase should never be overloaded.
The stuff you pack depends for a great deal on the destination of your trip. Last years we went to France and Spain. The weather in this part of Europe is not much a problem. However an extra shirt comes handy because some days you'll sweat a lot and the shirt you wear may me dripping wet after a days ride. In a magazine I read a report of bikers that went to Scotland and took a sail to make a cooking-shelter with the aid of their two motorcycles. The famous Michelin roadmaps present useful information about local temprature and rain.
In warm regions it is very important to carry enough water with you. Headache is an impotat sign of starting dehydration. Limonades taste good but will enlarge thirst because of the added sugar. Tasty fresh water is a scarse commodity in many countries. Water on camping grounds and in cities may contain chlorine and taste awful. In southern countries fresh and tasty water is avaliable in all supermarkets. It often comes in plastic bottles of 3 to 5 liters.
Spring 1997 in Spain we always had 4,5 liters of fresh water with us. Eventually this seems enough but should in fact be more. Always save the more tasty water to drink during your trips, the chlorized water can still be used to brush teeth and wash hands. Making coffee or rice with chlorized water hal little or no bad taste. If you find better tasting water you can water nearby plnts with the untasty.
Distribute the water over several bottles - PET plastic ones of 1,5 liter are practical and enables you to distribute weight on your motorcycle. The advantage of several bottles is that you can carry water of different qualities as described before.
The list below gives an impression of the things we took with us on a trip of four weeks. The pack is aimed at camping - on camping grouds and in the fields. The exact weight of the gear is unknown. Every time I looked for a balance of lightweight and practical. Some - maybe heavy - things you might already own, other stuff has to be bought. In a few cases types and brands are given as an example.
Part of your gear is worn during the trip and doesn't
need to be packed. Remember that if you leave home in a sweater and
you reach better weather the sweater needs space in your pack,
preferably waterproof. Things that can be bought during the trip you
don't need to take from home. Do not forget special things (eg. spare
candles for your tentlight, paste to start a stove).
In 1997 we took a tyre repairset with us - spare tube, tyre-irons, glue etc. Some regions we travelled there are hardly any villages or roadassistance. If you are member of a road-assistanceclub remember this service may not be provided on weekends! Apart from the holiday-season this seems to be the case in Germany. In France you have to search a local garage. Information can be obtained from national motorclubs. A creditcard (some insurances and banks give them away for free) enables you to pay for neccesary and unanticipated repairs.
Camping equipment
Kitchen - in old cover of a sleepingbag
Clothing
Other stuff
The tools you will need on your trip depends on the kind of bike you ride and its technical condition. Its better to change some parts (chain, tyres) beforehand at home. This prevents you from trouble where some assistance is far away. Replacement of some parts like tyres or chain can be done during a resting day at a local garage. Never take any parts with you that are ment for repairments that you are not able to do yourself or someone within the party you travel with, or repairments that come very seldom. At very long journeys spare parts for rare problems can be taken if weight and avaliable space allow this. Don't forget to take a repairmanual or copies of the most important chapters with you. Examine the tools that came with the bike and complete the set as you might need. The extra tools you add only take ample space.
Transport of the pack
To take your pack there are several possibilities. Besides panniers aluminium cases or bags made of waterproof canvas can be used. The latter two often are used on expeditions. After falling down they are still usable (plastic panniers shatter to pieces) and they are lightweight. When going on a holidaytrip on paved roads panniers are good. Using a tankbag is practical and improves the distribution of weight on your bike.
When packed the right way, riding with luggage differs hardly from riding without. Packed the false way riding a bike is unneccesary tiring. Following can be helpful to pack the right way:
The bulk of the weight should be in proximity of the biker and the engine. Pack everything as close as possible to the motorcycle. The optimum is not above the buddyseat and not behind the rear axel. At paved roads this becomes less important. Heavy weight gear can be packed in the tankbag or at the bottom-inner side of the panniers. On solo-bikes heavy things can be placed just behind the rider.
Not too much weight at the rear-end, eg. in the topcase. The bike becomes too light at the handlebars and difficult to handle. With two persons use a tankbag with sidebags.
Never attach anything to steering parts. Handling the bike becomes difficult and less direct and fast. Such things reduces safety. Never attach things to the front or rear fork. This would influence steering and enlarges the non-sprung mass of the bike. This certainly damages suspension, bearings and wheels.
Never put any pens in the pockets of your jacket. In case of an accident these things behave like a knife that can penetrate your chest. Never put anything to eat in the tankbag. Research proved that the amount of benzene (from the evaporation of fuel through the airhole of the fueltank) in eg. a candybar from your tankbag is 1000 times bigger than allowed. Benzene causes cancer. A tin with something to drink is no problem. Always keep things at hand that you might need (like a piece of toiletpaper in your jacket...)
The stuff described was packed on our Funduros in the following way:
A lot of things can be put together. The cookingpans can hold the spice, detergent and a scouringpad. Socks and underwear are perfect to fill little spaces in the panniers. The soft side of the scouringpad and some detergent are perfect to clean the visor of your helmet and prevent steamy visors.
Over the years we bought a lot of our equipment. Before we had our motorbikes we went away by bicycle 2 or 3 times. The summer we went by train we put all our things in one 70 liter rucksack. I already had a lot I used with the scouts. If you have to buy all equipment at once it will cost you! I bought a new stove because my old one (a Korean 'Optimus' imitation of only DFL 40) acted strange more often after 10 years of camping. In this case inexpensive is not the same as cheap-worthless. I choose a fuel-operated stove because I can use the same fuel for my motorcycle. Petrol is also cheaper than using agas-powered stove. The fillings cost a lot and are not always avaliable.
Sometimes you can save lots of money on camping gear. Some brands are certainly the best there is, in other cases more inexpensive atlernatives are just as good. If you still have to buy some outdoor equipment here are some hints. I hope stores like Ikea and PerrySport exist outside the Netherlands...
Ikea Family: plates, mugs (really undestroyable), sleepingbags (semi-down mummie with left and right zipper)
PerrySport: caps for photo-film containers, pegs, sleepingmatrasses, candlelights (less expensive than in an outdoor equipmentstore, the candles and glasses should be obtained from 'expensive stores')
Army dump: DDR or Russian army fuel-stove (rather simple ones but indestroyable and inexpensive)
Photoshop: small foldable tripod, you can make pictures of the two of you without help (costs about DFL 15)
Petzl-head flashlight is rather expensive (DLF 55 and up) but is very practical. Looking at different shops can save up to 20%.
Hein Gerickemotorshops all over Western Europe: little waistbelt-bag that can be transformed into a rucksack, good quality metal airpumps (cost DFL 19) and different types of get-your tyre-from-the-rim tools.
Limonade bottles (PET, the transparent ones with the colored foot) are big, very strong and cost almost nothing. Usable as water-canteens of 1,5 liter, easy to attach under tie straps or elastic nets.