Show me your hard babs please

slimslowslider wrote;

Guess you recognise this?

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Yes it's the highest Inn in the UK (apparently at 1372ft above sea level). I've been there twice this year on my Norton travels.

This pic was taken before I got there.



Sorry to go off topic.

I thought showing hard babs was against forum rules?

Well seems English speaking countries aren't ashamed to show off their sheep date and ride, so what's obscene about a mere hard bab or two ; )

I thought that there would be more fans of the hard bab here.

Carrying what I need (Water, tools, first aid kit, raingear,ect) when riding is very easy with lockable water tight bags.
I'm surprised that there are not more who do too.

Mark, that's a lovely ride. Seems to be what the Interstate was intended to be. I think it's a shame that the factory never outfitted Interstates for touring with bags and windscreen as original equipment. Even the Roadster could have benefitted from a factory equipped luggage rack as an alternative to the grab rail. Maybe they figured that the aftermarket industry would pick up on it, but I really wish that the factory had offered more options from the start.

Lovely old world scenes and sensations on cream of the Brit Iron crop made for it!
Here's milder but attractive Ozarks texture, with oil and tools and antiques and refreshments on board but out of view of the movie star like profile. These Bates bags were thin ridge plastic, so only added ~10 lb with the mount struts and Al bracing, that also braced the rear loop, which broke off early on THE Gravel, carrying a 50# feed sack, case of beer with milk crate bungge'd on to carry a carpenters skill saw. I did some much more small errand runs with cargo Commando.





Here's after about a year of wild on-off road exploring adventure and disappointing series of total power mods, too many to reverse in time for my 1st ever cycle trip with my new Cdo buddy 1000 miles away in Ohio for a week. Ms. Peel was out ran by a handful of flashy Cdo on that trip, fractured out rear bearing didn't help either. Forgot to pack that but had whole kit to completely rebuild total bike crank up under cover, plus almost full kit of spares. The rest was just comfort items, 4 seat red table, two man tent, two air bed rolls and sleep bags, a 10x10 five pole awning and half gallon of Ozark Doe's Urine Moonshine and fireworks display. On return had rear drum inside tank bag. 200 miles later on cement seamed hwy, going 90 in 100'F sun, open jacket, standing bolt upright on rear sets, feeling of Titanic Bow viewpoint, Wes comes whizing by be at 115+ to pull me over and show me the dense fog of tire cutting on fender edge from broken axle. Never felt a thing till time to move off, almost hi side at 4 mph but then was fine as ever. Can I take any more of Cdo's scope?


In similar posture on long open boring hwys, I found I'd go into trace state that merged me as Peel, no thought or effort but thoughts to flow ahead, total relaxed only eye balls moving to take it all in and project the future, nothing but road texture slightly getting through over roaring headers matching the wind.

Oh Yeah, deer would run into each other and so can traffic it not for White Tails.

Mark said:

I thought that there would be more fans of the hard bab here.

Carrying what I need (Water, tools, first aid kit, raingear,ect) when riding is very easy with lockable water tight bags.
I'm surprised that there are not more who do too.

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Finding the right bag can be a bit of a challenge. This thread has inspired me to keep looking. Where did you find yours. I must say that they look like they were a factory item for the Interstate. The look flows well.

Russ

rvich said:

Mark said:

I thought that there would be more fans of the hard bab here.

Carrying what I need (Water, tools, first aid kit, raingear,ect) when riding is very easy with lockable water tight bags.
I'm surprised that there are not more who do too.

Click to expand...

Finding the right bag can be a bit of a challenge. This thread has inspired me to keep looking. Where did you find yours. I must say that they look like they were a factory item for the Interstate. The look flows well.

Russ

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commando-road-trip-reflections-what-worked-t7525.html

These seem like really nice bags.

ebay watching is wonderful museum like display of all types of hard bags you can imagine, never know what shows up. I lost biding on a pair of 50's tear drop bags that had torpedo tail lights like Buck Rodgers ray guns. I didn't feel bad though thinking they would be destroyed in short order by me so world may enjoy them way longer if on someone elses bike.
Here's example that may be too big, and just so so styling but appealing functional non the less for not much money $123+shipping.

I saw some Guzzi riders that made bags out of 20mm ammo cans. Looked kind of like the hard bags for the BMW GS's. Might suvive a goat strike. :wink:

rvich said:

Mark said:

I

Finding the right bag can be a bit of a challenge. This thread has inspired me to keep looking. Where did you find yours. I must say that they look like they were a factory item for the Interstate. The look flows well.

Russ

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The babs on my bike are aftermarket Bates Bags, They were pretty big back in the day.

18 years ago............ I got these bags in trade for tuning up a guys Honda CB750.
The crash bar came off of a Yamaha 650 that I had.
The " Interstate " decal on the saddle bags was originally the " Electric Start " part of the side cover decal - I just re arranged the letters.

I like the way it worked out.

Mark, your Bates fit bewteen the mufflers and show a white tail too. If only Norton had offered such a nice set up as yours. Clever decal looks factory too.
I'd shyed away from that style thinking them too clunky but see they fit the Cdo sleekly. I admit good looks matter as well as good function. Carry on further.

When you got a woman who likes to ride with you,,,,,,,,
well..... it's good to be able to carry some stuff along.