Caseless in Seattle

[madmike2]

When commuting I use a top case and no panniers. This makes my bike "narrower" for sharing lanes.

When on fun rides on secondary roads, the panniers are mounted. As Heidi says, I want to appear as much as a touring bike as I can when entering the local Gold Country towns in the Sierra foothills. Er...uhm..."Not me, officer, it must have been those guys on the crotch rockets!"

As to handling, if losing the 20# makes that much difference, I'm riding over my personal safety zone on public streets.

[SIZE=8pt]Caveat: At 6'2", 240 lbs, with a Tanji fuel cell w/ top case I'm not exactly the "sporty" type.[/SIZE]

 

[Old Michael]

... if you are a big guy in the 300+ range ( purely hypothetical! )....

giggle.

 

[user 6393]

... if you are a big guy in the 300+ range ( purely hypothetical! )....

giggle.

you "giggle"?

[SIZE=8pt]I have learned so much about you this week.....*smirkle*[/SIZE]

 

[Barabus]

You really don't need all that shit you are carrying in your hard cases. Strip them off and you will see that I speak the truth.

 

[Mooseonagoose]

... if you are a big guy in the 300+ range ( purely hypothetical! )....

giggle.

NOT! ...hypothetical that is.

 

[jzzmusician]

The side cases are removable?

 

[wfooshee]

You really don't need all that shit you are carrying in your hard cases. Strip them off and you will see that I speak the truth.

Rain suit: need

Liners: need, but only this time of year

Laptop: need

Groceries: definitely need

Unless I'm getting large items, like cat litter or garbage bags, I go to the grocery store on the bike. The top case will hold a large laundry detergent (the kind with the spigot built in), 3 2-liter beverages, various amounts of meat, hot dogs, frozen dinners, cans and whatnot. Milk or rotisserie chicken (or both) goes in a side case, bread and produce in the other side case.

If the bike wasn't the daily driver, then you speak the truth, but then, I'd probably have an FZR or something. As daily transportation, one needs storage.

 

[Phugedaboudet]

when I go canyon carving with my buddies, it's "cases off, windshield down". Commuting, it's "bags/trunk on, windshield up". Jeckyll and Hyde, like buying two bikes at once. Now if I could get exhaust systems that popped off and on as easily as the bags, and paint that changed color at the flip of a switch....and a motorized handlebar adjustment instead of having to unscrew the thing..

:thumbsupsmiley: Well one morning last week after a lot of rain during the previous days commute the bike was really dirty. I especially felt the need to clean off the lighting, mirrors and windshield at the very least so off came the side cases and the quick wash started. It was time to go and I had not cleaned off the cases yet so left them home for the day and off to work.

Wow, their really is a sport bike hiding behind those cases!

My previous bike being the BMW LT ( Light Truck ) I had grown accustomed to always having storage and had a mental block about considering riding FJR without them. But it was such a pleasure not to have that extra weight on the bike that it will demand a repeat during some of the day rides I would like to take in the next few months. Maybe find some place under the seat to stow the tire plug kit and or some other essentials.

I'm sure some of you probably ride this way often but if you haven't I encourage you to try it. It also encouraged me to check out what was in the cases just to make sure I haven't been hauling things around I don't need.

Enjoy the ride

 

[Phugedaboudet]

on "spirited" rides I notice an improvement in fuel economy with the bags and trunk off. Spend a lot of time north of 65mph and I get ten miles or so less per full tank.

I am always mystified when folks think that the FJR handles sportier w/o the (empty) bags. If those cases are empty... what do they weight... maybe 7 lbs a piece? I've always assumed that it is a mind over matter thing.
Agreed about the looks... but not about handling. & me... I like to look like I'm with the pipe & slippers crowd. Bags are always on.

 

[NightShine]

Safety counts. The saddle bags are your rear sliders!

 

[Jetmaker737]

Cases off all the time! Feels better, looks better. I have a tail bag. For really long trips where I needs lots of crap then the bags go on.

 

[Chris Prior]

I agree, it is fun to not have the side cases on. I also have the Yamaha top case. Add all three cases together and you're carrying an extra 50 pounds.

Chris

 

[Silverbullet]

Bags off unless I'm going to be gone overnight. On my first FJR I rode with the bags on almost all the time. But, my garage/driveway situation makes it easier without the bags. After awhile I just came to like it that way. I have a Yamaha tankbag and a T-Bag for the rear for the days where Jenny and I are doing a day ride around the sound and need to carry extra gear.

 

[Bokerfork]

The only difference I notice is the speed at which I split lanes. Bags on, I'm a little more cautious. Bags off and I love to see just how tight a gap I can slip through.

As for the bags acting as sliders... I don't want to be one with the bike in that case. She can go her way, I'm going mine. That's my plan and I hope I never have to exercise it.

 

[GPRIDER]

I ride mostly with bags on. I tend to use them quite a bit. If I didn't use them, they would stay off.

GP

 

[mehaffydr]

I also normally ride with the bags on I cant believe that the weight can make much difference remeber this is not a track bike!

It weight 600 lbs that makes the bags about 3 percent of the weight. I cant believe anyone can fell that. Its kinda like adding a power comander that adds 3 horsepower and someone thinking they can tell the difference just riding. As far as at speed I would think the aerodynamics might be able to be noticed. But I think that if you want to take off the bags for a sportier feel in your mind that is a good thing. Hers a pic of mine when I take off the bags. It seems to kinda of transform.

 

[UselessPickles]

I am always mystified when folks think that the FJR handles sportier w/o the (empty) bags. If those cases are empty... what do they weight... maybe 7 lbs a piece? I've always assumed that it is a mind over matter thing.
Agreed about the looks... but not about handling. & me... I like to look like I'm with the pipe & slippers crowd. Bags are always on.

Don't know for sure but perhaps it has to do with the riders weight. For example if a rider is in the 160-190 lbs range and rides with the cases adding say another 15 or 20 pounds you are still well within the fun zone capabilities of the FJR. But if you are a big guy in the 300+ range ( purely hypothetical! ) then maybe adding or taking off the side cases makes a more pronounced difference because your loading the bike just past the fun zone.

Actually, a lighter rider would experience a greater benefit to losing the weight of the bags. Removing a fixed amount of weight from the bike/rider total has a greater effect on the weight/HP ratio if the weight is lower to begin with.

Examples:

If you weigh about 160 with gear, the total weight is about 800lbs. Assuming stock WHP of 127, the weight/HP ratio is 6.3 lbs/HP. Removing 6.3 lbs. of weight will result in the equivalent of gaining 1 WHP.

If you weigh 300 lbs. with gear, the weight/HP ratio is 7.4 lbs/HP. You'd have to lose 7.4 lbs (1.1 lbs more than the lighter guy) to get the same equivalent 1 WHP gain.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I know all you knuckle heads are far smarter than me, but when I ride longer distance to rides in adjacent states or further, I am usually packing heavy in the bags.

Once I get there to ride the squiggly roads with the locals, I keep the bags in the motel room and just ride with the essentials in the tank bag.

It DOES take 2 heavily loaded bags off my bike, and gives me a little extra margin in case I have some crappy undulating pavement in a turn, while braking, etc.

It does have an effect. You say its small - fine. Seems big enough for me to notice.

 

[UselessPickles]

I just weighed my empty side cases at 23 lbs.

For a 160 lb rider (including gear), removing them is like gaining almost 4 WHP.

For the 300 lb. guy, it's like getting a 3 WHP gain

But with the overall weight still much higher than the lighter guy, it would be similar to the light guy gaining only 2.7 WHP. So the lighter guy gets about 48% more benefit from removing the bags than the heavier guy.

[edit: last calculations were incorrect and a bit too optimistic; fixed]

 

[wheatonFJR]

I don't see it as a horsepower/weight thing, but as a positive suspension load thing