Need a good laugh?? NGC

[Ncdan]

Tap on picture for full shot.

[wirespokes]

Where does she sit???

Or is that HER bike?

[moto-uno]

  My better half just split her gut laughing  . Peter

[PhilB]

That's amusing, but when you need to carry the stuff ...

I went 30 years without owning a car, riding Ducati Monsters every day, everywhere.
I am a freelance engineer, and travel to where the jobs are, carrying everything I need to live there and work for a year or so at a time.
Here is a pic of my traveling rig, on my current Monster, the last trip -- from NH to MN for a project.

PhilB

[nc43bsa]

Tap on picture for full shot.

WTH is that under all the luggage?  A V-Strom?

[Ncdan]

That's amusing, but when you need to carry the stuff ...

I went 30 years without owning a car, riding Ducati Monsters every day, everywhere.
I am a freelance engineer, and travel to where the jobs are, carrying everything I need to live there and work for a year or so at a time.
Here is a pic of my traveling rig, on my current Monster, the last trip -- from NH to MN for a project.

PhilB

Dang Phil, I can’t see where you had room to ride yourself 🤔

[Kev m]

Jenn would likely howl at that photo laughing her ass off, but for a completely different reason:


ME, when I travel:



Her, when SHE travels:



I like to tell her it's because her clothes are less than half the size of mine....

[Lannis]

Yep, those little filmy clothes really pack light!

When we took off for a month on the road, two up, I handed Fay the near-side pannier from the Triumph and said "Our spare riding gear goes in the top box.   Glasses, camera, and stuff goes in the tank bag.   All of your clothes, shoes, makeup, everything for a MONTH goes in this pannier, and all MY clothes, shoes, toiletries, everything goes in the OTHER pannier."

Most women, to be honest and as the picture jokingly (?) indicates, would not take that challenge.  She did, and we had a great time ...

Lannis

[Lannis]

That's amusing, but when you need to carry the stuff ...

I went 30 years without owning a car, riding Ducati Monsters every day, everywhere.
I am a freelance engineer, and travel to where the jobs are, carrying everything I need to live there and work for a year or so at a time.
Here is a pic of my traveling rig, on my current Monster, the last trip -- from NH to MN for a project.

PhilB

I really like that philosophy.   I'm amazed that you used a Ducati Monster to implement it, though; there are bikes that make better mules, including a number of Guzzis ... ?

I lived without a car for many years, but when I started my first proper job, it was ties and jackets every day and I got tired of getting dressed at work rather than home, plus I sometimes had to use my car to pick up customers, vendors, etc.   Looks like the way you work, you don't have that issue.

It's still one nell of a commitment to the riding lifestyle, and I say Good on yer.

Lannis

[PhilB]

I really like that philosophy.   I'm amazed that you used a Ducati Monster to implement it, though; there are bikes that make better mules, including a number of Guzzis ... ?

I lived without a car for many years, but when I started my first proper job, it was ties and jackets every day and I got tired of getting dressed at work rather than home, plus I sometimes had to use my car to pick up customers, vendors, etc.   Looks like the way you work, you don't have that issue.

It's still one nell of a commitment to the riding lifestyle, and I say Good on yer.

Lannis

The Monster was a fantastic all-around bike.  When I bought my first one, right when they came out in 1993, it was damn near perfect.  I rode that one for 24 years, as primary transport, and 265K miles.  We got taken out by a hit-and-run driver 3 years ago; otherwise I'd still be riding it, and be over 300K by now.

The minivan broke my poor Monster in half, but fortunately I did not sustain any permanent damage.  My ex-wife had the matching 1995 Monster I had bought her for riding together, and she wasn't riding it without me, so she gave it to me, and that's the yellow one in the picture.

I'm traveling more these days, and carrying more stuff, so I'm looking to go more of a sport-touring bike next.  Which, indeed, is why I'm on this site -- a Norge or a Griso are candidates.  Probably one of those, a Ducati 939SS, or a KTM SDGT 1290.  The Motus was on my list, but they're out of business.  I still need to get a testride on a Kawasaki H2 SX SE; that's about the only sport-touring bike I haven't had a good chance to look at closely and take a test on.

PhilB

[Huzo]

If you’re gunna’ put your helmet on the ground like that, you’ll be needing a bitch slap from the get go...

[Lannis]

The Monster was a fantastic all-around bike.  When I bought my first one, right when they came out in 1993, it was damn near perfect.  I rode that one for 24 years, as primary transport, and 265K miles.  We got taken out by a hit-and-run driver 3 years ago; otherwise I'd still be riding it, and be over 300K by now.

The minivan broke my poor Monster in half, but fortunately I did not sustain any permanent damage.  My ex-wife had the matching 1995 Monster I had bought her for riding together, and she wasn't riding it without me, so she gave it to me, and that's the yellow one in the picture.

I'm traveling more these days, and carrying more stuff, so I'm looking to go more of a sport-touring bike next.  Which, indeed, is why I'm on this site -- a Norge or a Griso are candidates.  Probably one of those, a Ducati 939SS, or a KTM SDGT 1290.  The Motus was on my list, but they're out of business.  I still need to get a testride on a Kawasaki H2 SX SE; that's about the only sport-touring bike I haven't had a good chance to look at closely and take a test on.

PhilB

Sounds like a lot of fun.  With THAT philosophy, you can make almost any motorcycle ever made into your Personal Work Bike ... and there's a large selection of a LOT of them.

Did you do your own work (valve checks, belts, etc) on your original Ducati?   Some people tell me that even the air-cooled 2 valvers are hard to do, other say that you can sit on a seat on the off-side of the bike with a tray of hex wrenches and shims and Bob's yer uncle .... ?

Lannis

[SmithSwede]

That's amusing, but when you need to carry the stuff ...

I went 30 years without owning a car, riding Ducati Monsters every day, everywhere.
I am a freelance engineer, and travel to where the jobs are, carrying everything I need to live there and work for a year or so at a time.
Here is a pic of my traveling rig, on my current Monster, the last trip -- from NH to MN for a project.

PhilB

Thanks for that photo Phil.  I admire your grit and dedication. 

[PhilB]

Sounds like a lot of fun.  With THAT philosophy, you can make almost any motorcycle ever made into your Personal Work Bike ... and there's a large selection of a LOT of them.

Did you do your own work (valve checks, belts, etc) on your original Ducati?   Some people tell me that even the air-cooled 2 valvers are hard to do, other say that you can sit on a seat on the off-side of the bike with a tray of hex wrenches and shims and Bob's yer uncle .... ?

Lannis

I did some of my own work, but preferred to pay when there was a good mech around.  I took a class in adjusting the desmos, but never actually did it on the bike.  It's not too hard.

But (a) since I'm often traveling for work, I usually don't have workspace or tools wherever I am, and (b) I found it valuable to have a top mechanic put his hands on it once a year or so, to see anything I didn't catch because it had snuck up on me.  Lots of times, the change is slow so you adapt as you go, and don't see the changes.  Then a fresh set of eyes and hands gets on it, and immediately says that my steering head bearing are worn, or something like that.

PhilB