Cargo carrying

Cargo carrying is a good part of my cycle life style and excuse to take chances in a saddle. Hardest thing I strapped on was a big PU tire/wheel to get fixed as no other craft working at the time. Heaviest loads were two 50 lb feed sacks and 3 cases of beer. The feed sacks straddled rear seat over top of hard bags and the beer on luggage rack with sissy bar to tie to. The first awareness of the rear loop weakness discovered on return off pavement carrying oil and a skill saw in a basket to hear/feel annoying clanging/rubbing to find one side of loop fractured and the over bent down. Heaviest load I've seen a Cdo carry was a heffty man/woman at close to 600 lb total in a bikers parade in city. Each bump in the road bottomed the tire against the mud guard. Biggest load I've hauled was camp gear and repair tool plus spare parts on 1000 mile rally trip. One fun thing to note with good weight behind the pilot is the ease to wheelie and hold it up for many bike lengths. Two cases of beer is about all I like to carry w/o struts on the Z plates to rear loop.

Who says " you can't take it with you when you go "?

show 'em how it's done Hobot.

Well Mark I did discover the weakness of the dumb asxle on the return leg of the Ohio tirp, after accidentally pulling a wheelie all the way across a city intersection to show the SNort to a sports biker and soon after hit big proud cement pad tar seam Hwy. Yet I'd unloaded the 4 place table, the 10x10" awning and a two man tent and empty jars of moonshine, though did carry the emptied ceramic jug back. A heavy loaded Cdo is a smooth operator and fine to fling around, just slower to respond to throttle and brake.

I like to carry everything up front when on a long road trip....all my stuff rides in a "windless" environment and it gives me peace of mind that nothing has fallen off when in route. An added benefit is the fact I can rest my chest on the tank bag...sort of what you're doing in your photo, Steve. It tends to save my arms & wrists when cruising down the highway at 80 mph...sure makes the miles tick by easier.

Hobot,

I thought you were going to mention the plastic flamingos (in the very first photo) were a new type of saddle bag. Do they come in any other colors?

Matt

Not on a Commando, but on an offroad machine, I packed this piece of cargo up a rather steep hill a few years ago.
Under the tarp is a 100 lb bale of Alfalfa hay. It is lashed to a Trapper Nelson pack frame. I'm trying to look as though it is no big deal, but I really want to get on the bike and get it done.
The hay is for the horses. We were on our way up into the Alpine but the first night would be spent at Placer Lake, el 5500 ft. There is very little grass around Placer. The 3 mile long road up to it is a famous 4X4 road that gets written up in a lot of 4X4 ing publications. The campfires at Placer are full of broken suspension and driveline parts from 4x4s. Not such a problem on a Trials bike however.




One of the more difficult sections of Placer Lake Road




A bike that can take me and 100 lbs of Hay up the hill with relative ease and in about one quarter of the time required by the 4x4 drivers:

testing

one word test worked so trying a few more.

Forum 'puter says I'm forbidden to post a response but let 2 tests appear just to tease me like Commando's do too.

cmessenk, I love my big tank bag, Allowed body support to trace out one with the bike for whole fiberglass IS tank worth of flow. I carried a rear hub form DynoDave home in my tank bag from Ohio rally, with some padding below. I'm an early Miami native so Flamingos were around at race tracks and in Everglades. Color varies according to how much red pigment in what they eat.

worntorn, I was going to say how school kid silly it looks to me to see sports bikers with little back packs on back instead of strapped to tank like I used to do. But 100 lb bale of grass looking cool as a cucumber in thin oxygen to hike higher ain't silly - if not for the strong horse back in back ground : (
I do long for a big fat meat with horns on it too for my trail bike Commando. I cleared a path to top of ridge behind my home but its so steep just before breaking out on top I'm not sure if the street tire on Trixie is up to it. I already got 50 yd up one grass steep going too slow so lightly crashed before help to slide back to the car path. But I don't really enjoy off road on un-tammed Cdo's and found they ain't very good in creeks, so may wait for Peel to run up to the top. My ole 4wd short bed with ice spiked big cleated mudders needed low range not to bog the first time up.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT put one of those 1200lb round bales on the Commando.

It may clog the air filter!

Glen

Hehe this is hay cattle country. Once carried a small 'square' bail on Peel when my S.O. insisted on it for her duck coup bedding. After that i kept one round bail for her to serve off of. I was able to push it near the coup after a roll down a slope. When pasture is manicured and bails here and there is makes for a kind of fun slalom course. But better put on bug spray or ticks and chiggers get thrown onto lower legs, unknown till woke up itching like crazy. These critters do love our warm pits too, arms to ugh legs. Loaded down gives nicer ride on the Rough stuff. Peel has air shock load levers now. Big load on back is great way to practice wheelie balancing act w/o much speed or power danger and is something I now keep in mind zooming off from stop as must touch down with forks straight or bad juju happens. With hard bags on it makes a wider platform over more strudy frame area - in case that ever matters to anyone else.