All I need are big dreams and open highways
Anything goes here. Whatever I feel like talking about or sharing.
I’ve been putting in a lot of miles since i got the Goldwing Bagger. The past few months have definitely been the coldest.
I have a good selection of gear to wear for most weather conditions here at NorCal so I’m set no matter what day brings.
I bought the Goldwing Bagger November 9, 2024 with 4430 miles.
When I pulled into the Manetarium this evening I was at 10,067 miles. That’s 5,637 miles I rode in 107 days or you can say 3 1/2 months. The first couple months I was healing from my motorcycle accident.
At this pace I will have ridden over 20,000 by the end of the year.
Picked up Dave Wongs this afternoon.
It’s getting pretty dang cold during the morning commute. At certain areas the temperature is dipping down to 24 degrees.
Even with upper body heated gear I can feel the cold bite in when my speeds are in the 60 mph range.
I’m having to wear my Tour Master over pants as jeans are not enough to keep my legs comfortable.
The morning I took this photo I was not wearing the over pants and by the time I arrived at work my legs were stinging and numb.
The temperature inside the Manetarium is even chilly. I don’t mess around too much in the shop because of the cold temperatures.
I’m digging the blue light theme that is really visible night riding. I may look into dimming it down just a tad so I don’t look like a giant Smurf at night.
Not really, I picked up some dinner grub on the way home. The Saddlemen luggage rack barrel bag is working out great.
I wasn’t too sure at first using the larger bag due to the aesthetics. After seeing how well it worked for a two meal order I’m sold on it. I think I’ll use the smaller T-Bag on occasions. I just haven’t figured out when that time will be.
I’m using a removable barrel bags for different scenarios. The original bag I got was a T-Bag setup with the large pack and a barrel bag that can placed on top. The main bag is too big to be used daily. I don’t lug any large during my commute. The barrel bag that comes with the rig is just the right size for my daily commute gear but is not large enough for the instances I stop and grab a food to go on the way home from work.
I researched and found a couple of other bags. I’ll post the various manufacturers and models I ended up getting and in one case will not use.
One thing I have found to be limiting is the side hard bag’s capacity. I get they needed to down size the non-touring models bag capacity but it is really small compared to what I am used to.
I have ridden the sled 6 days in a row. I’m racking miles quickly. This means I need to really keep an eye on the mileage as it will accumulate rapidly and require more frequent oil changes.
I took the Goldwing Bagger to work this morning. In the past I would go for a ride the first day of the year. The last few years I haven’t been able to carry on that tradition due to participating in an annual Lowrider event held at Sacramento California. It’s an all day event so there’s not a chance for me to ride when I get home, unload the CaDually.
It was a very nice ride home. I have all the gear to ride in most weather conditions I will encounter in during my short 110 mile daily commute.
One of my favorite views coming home. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees located around the shop. I had to blow off the leaves daily for about a month. As nice as the leaves look on the ground it acts as a slippery surface when moist or wet. The sled doesn’t have any issues, it’s when I plant my foot down.
The days have definitely gotten shorter. When I leave for work it’s completely dark. When I get home from work it’s the same.
I’m still trying to gage if I am riding drier on the Goldwing Bagger or the 5th Generation Goldwing tourer model. Even though I’ve ridden in the rain on the Goldwing Bagger I don’t think I have hit the extreme storm levels I experienced on the 2015 Goldwing.
Both bikes have the Klokwerks flared windshield. In the baggers case the windshield is adjustable to varying heights.
It doesn’t matter what the weather is I’ll be out riding. The one thing that is not so fun is washing the bike afterwards.
It seems the front of the engine area takes a lot of road grime from the front wheel. This is also why you can purchase a front fender extension kit. I’ll be looking into the Show Chrome product, I haven’t seen anyone else that offers the same kit.
After a bit more research I discovered there are rear fender side fillers too. I am aware of these for the Harley Davidson baggers but never heard of them made for a Goldwing.