When I first got a mountain bike and rode it off-road, I got seriously sore wrists but after a while they hardened to it and it's never been a problem since. At speed, I have no problem at all with my 999 but at town speeds, I do get a sore neck from the effort of holding my head up. A carbon helmet has alleviated this but I never get any wrist problems. Maybe the answer is to get off-road on a mountain bike and toughen up those wrists??
I've been a full-on gravity slave in the recent past, frequenting Chicksands bike park and wobourn quite often. Even at my peak of mountain biking i still used to get sore wrists riding the Duke. I suspect some of it is mass related and the rest is the riding position. The bars do not feel like they are in exactly the right place for me, i think the angle might need to be different. To be fair it's only slower speed riding that is the issue but i forsee a lot of slower speed riding when on tour. It's still a good suggestion though, looks like i need to dig out the Orange
I put cyclecat bars on my base 05 999. I think they're american and no longer made, I got these secondhand. They have concentric taper bar inserts so swivel around how I want them, but I couldn't get them max height without glove interference with the fairing if I ride with hands fully inboard. The reserviors and all fittings were part of the kit. Standard hoses fit fine. I had the bike about 6 months before I fitted them and they made a big difference to comfort.
My Rocky Mountain has rigid forks, guaranteed to give your wrists a good pounding. I think the Orange Clockworks and P7s did as well...
I fitted the M7's to my 999 about 6 wks ago...no problems with grip in wet or dry.....they reckon they last pretty well also.
My brother did 760 miles to Sachsenring in one hit on a 996 with no gripes at all. I did too, but I was on a nice comfy TL1000S. I wouldn't give you tuppence for a big touring bike, sportsbikes are much better for pounding out the miles. Most of my trips have been on sportsbikes, but I've had 3 sports tourers; an ST2, Triumph Sprint RS and a Sprint ST1050. Can't really fault the ST2 other than to say it was a bit short on power, but the two Triumphs were too compromised to be fun on the interesting roads, the 1050 especially. The 1050 is especially annoying; it took me to Brno at very high speed without a single ache or pain, and I even lobbed it round the Nordschlieffe for a few laps; it should be my ideal bike, but it left me cold. When I flogged it I never looked back once. Stick to the sportsbikes; once you're up to speed they're comfy enough, and putting luggage on them should be seen as a mere challenge. You'll be grateful once you hit the hills...
I'm more of a tail bag fan, myself. You can check out some of my photos. I find that tank bags "cramp my style". Of course, if you have a monoposto, you may not have this option. It is to have this option that I have a biposto.
Tailpack and a small tankbag for me. I've had 2 bikes with rigid panniers and they just get on your nerves after a while, they're just as fiddly to pack as a tailpack, weigh a ton and do nasty aerodynamic things to your bike (the ST2 was reduced to 115mph top speed with the panniers fitted). I find a small tankbag invaluable though.
We travel really light with low tank bag for my stuff plus security lock and cable. 999 has no storage space at all so I clickystrap any spares/tools to the bike under fairing. GF has small backpack, although last year to E.Germany I made a small rack for her stuff. We ride in waterproof hiking boots that are good to go out in so no need to carry bulky shoes.
Thanks peeps, some good information on here for us first timers. I'm going to have to use a tank bag on my 999 as it's a mono, i'm looking at kriega's at the moment but i am unsure of the best fit for size. We're away for 2 weeks, the other two bikes with me have a lot of storage so i don't need to worry too much about it to much, but i want something to throw clothes and bit into and the R30 was looking very tempting (as it's also fully waterproof) plus the little pouches might be useful. So, leathers or textiles? My preference is leathers with a waterproof rainsuit when i need it. Thoughts?
Textiles are water resistant but not as good as dedicated waterproofs in the event of a deluge. (In my experience) I would go the rainsuit + leathers route for touring, usually,
Get the R35 and a rucksack liner. Perfect for the mono as the extra size is not a problem as you don't have a pillion to worry about. I'd go textiles with a back protector, gives little extra space as you don't need to carry waterproofs.
Waterproof textile jacket/leather trousers is good combo. Jacket is lighter to carry and waterproof cuts out neeed for overjacket, you just need leggings and i use overmitts, or waterproof gloves. All our stuff is lightweight and only good for about an hour of monsoon though.
Sod the clothing, wear what you've got. Sod the luggage, if all else fails just gaffa-tape it to the bike. The most important thing is just to go. Just get your arse onto the bike and initiate the journey - go, in other words - and everything else will pale into utter insignificance. You will have the time of your bloody life, I promise you. The first time I hit the continent on a bike I had never owned a leather jacket or a pair of waterproofs, and I was chasing down two litre sportsbikes and a 750 on my trusty MZ... Just go mate, and stop fretting.
I gotta fret, it's what i do. I've never really done any distance so it's all new. I've got no worries about the torture rack, i'm sure it'll be fine. I just don't want to be wet and cold while i'm at it. I've done the riding through winter lark when i was younger and there's a reason why I have a car I can't wait to go yet i'm also shitting my pants................I think that pretty much covers it
