More advice - lightweight protection;-)

[billinom8s]

when u go away, instead of your normal t-shirts etc, just buy cheap stuff from places like lidl or tesco and then just throw it when you get to your night stop(use them to clean bugs off bike first) that way when you head home you have more space, lighter bike and less washing.

dehydrated bristol to falmouth ? try switching the engine on instead of pushing it then.

[Dailaughing]

It was seriously hot in Bristol last Tuesday. I left in the rush hour so 10 mph and getting lost didn't help.

We don't normally buy anything as posh as tesco t-shirts but the principle is right! Must admit I hadn't thought it through fully. Take old ones and dump them to make room for biking goodies from Belfast.

[TLS-Moose]

What luggage does the Dullville have? And just how much are you taking?

From my experience, you often don't need to take much more for two or three weeks than you do for one ....... When going abroad for two/three weeks, we used to have a pair of panniers, a stuff-sack/sports bag over the tail-piece, and a tank bag. Into that we fitted clothes, wash kit (incl the vital, for her, hairdryer!), towels, tent, sleeping bags, stove, cooking kit, tools, etc., for two of us. When going for a long weekend/week, or if not camping, then just the panniers were plenty. When we went to France for a week a year or two back, staying at a B&B, I fitted pretty much all I needed into a tank bag fixed to the pillion seat.

As Graham has said, thinking about how you pack (keep weight low down, leave no "voids", etc.), and taking only what you really need, is important.

[Dailaughing]

The Deauville has fixed panniers (wide lids coming) which will probably carry quite a bit less than my old throwovers at their most expanded but can be left on the bike reasonably securely and stay dry. Same for the big top box but we are thinking no tank bag partly because I find them a distraction but also my magnetic one will not work because of all the plastic trim.

Due to the accident we are a few weeks behind having planned and tested it all on the zzr and now looking at longer stints between breaks because of more comfort and slightly reduced luggage. Not a problem just want to go prepared so we enjoy it. We should be able to do a test pack this week and then ride it up to Bristol but at the moment it has a puncture and I haven't got the time to get it sorted until Friday. You know what it's like the first time you do anything you either under-prepare or over (in this case we will almost definitely over-pack) and then you can get it right the second time.

Edit: just watched that Rukka review (why do American sales people have to talk like that?) and it sounds great but for now I'll keep the budget to at most half that. Preferably sub-£150 for any one piece. If we get on well this year that may well change.

[PeterM]

OK so I ignored all your advice and got a Deauville anyway.

Oh Dear Oh Dear

Only Joking

Bet you get a Pan next

Clothing

I like Draggin Jeans Style But I have found them to get ingrained with dirt when travelling for a few weeks

I like the tip about Buying/throwing old tshirts away

I travelled the 350 miles back from Belgium yesterday in my Draggin jeans and Hein Gericke but it was not as hot as when I went Over

My Other half swears by her Joe Rocket jacket that I have considered a few times but its weird

Its not waterproof, Showerproof perhaps, as such. If it rains you wear a waterproof liner (Supplied) under the jacket. The best bit then is that if the sun comes out you remove a section that turns the sides and sleeves into a type of mesh jacket

I think Joe Rocket makes jackets for Honda so it might be worth looking at their gear as well

Boots

Altberg All the time

I can wear Altberg boots all day and they are so comfortable for walking in as well

I have had the same pair for over ten years. You Can even have send them back for a service

http://www.altberg.co.uk/category/motorcycle-boots/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Clicky Linky Thingy

Happy Riding

Peter

[Dailaughing]

Sort of followed advice here but also not.

We spent a very enjoyable two days at Castle Combe and Bristol. I will be wearing leather (and carry waterproofs) when I can bear to but bought a stupidly cheap RST mesh jacket (£60 at J&S) which I would heartily recommend for very hot days after a short ride with it on. It's not the heaviest protection but for toddling it seems fine. Only real criticism was no zip to attach to trousers. The gentle waft of cooling air even at moderate speeds was heavenly riding around a Bristol which was hot enough that my side stand sank half an inch into the tarmac at one point.

The mesh trousers I tried (without an underlayer) really felt unpleasant - polyester against sweaty skin:-( So back to Kevlar jeans for when I can't bear the thought of leathers. Got some at Bridge (route one) which seem a nice compromise between safety and practicality and claim to have some sort of coating to prevent too much soiling. I can sort of see that a wicking layer with mesh trousers over might work but if I'm having two layers surely I might as well stick to (pun intended) leather?

I did also get a decent pair of armoured fabric over-trousers to wear on top of normal clothing for ease of quick change when arriving at destinations. Mostly for the daily commute.

I completely failed to find a boot solution though so back to my battered sidis and I'll carry waterproof over boots until I can find some Altbergs or similar to try on during our travels.

Oh for the simplicity of the eighties when you just bought a leather jacket and then suffered.