Still working with one hand but cast comes off on Monday
then rehab for a couple more weeks. I am definitely ready to get this off my
hand.
In the meantime, I received the Grand Loop (GL) Great Basin
bag and did a trial fit on the CRF. So far I’m pretty happy with the GL and it
appears to be top quality construction. Even though the GL is made of
waterproof material the seams may or may not be watertight. The GL does come
with three (2 small, 1 large) dry bag inserts that would keep your necessaries
dry even if the seams do leak in a heavy downpour. In addition, the GL comes
with a heat shield (1) that straps to your pipe in case the bag is mounted
close to the tail pipe (won't need to use on the CRF).
I stuffed the GL full of clothing to give it some shape and
then put it on the CRF. With the RotoPax fuel tank on the back it pushed the GL
too far forward thus limiting my seating area. Luckily the RotoPax can be
mounted in–line (current position) or across the back rack so I rotated the
mount and reinstalled the GL. That works much better. I still need to finalize
the final tie down concept but it does look like it will be perfect. In
addition, I can still tie my medium size watershed bag on top of the RotoPax
for additional storage while still keeping weight low on the bike. My final
configuration is shown in the multiple views below.
Summary:
Pros - I bought the larger GL bag to ensure I had room for
all my stuff and this looks like more room than I will need counting the
Watershed bag. It mounts low helping stability and it even provides a great backrest.
When (not if) the bike is dropped I won’t get injured if trapped under the bag
like I would be with hardshell bags.
Cons – Bag is stiff and it will take effort to take clothes
in and out of the bag especially with the location of the zipper in back. The
attachment to the bike is yet to be finalized but it won’t be quick on/off
unless I work out some quick disconnect ideas. I will do that but need two
hands. Plenty of time during cold months before launch.
Pictures also show how well the jack works on the CRF. I can
actually move the bike around the garage on top of the jack with no fear of it
falling off.
That’s all
for now.
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