Evolution of a touring bike

Evolution of a touring bike

Here are some of the possible combinations of luggage for the 250. If you are creative and pack well, you can be gone for a good, long time on your little Ninja.

1. Bungee cords/nets are the only accessories used to hold this bag in place. Good for sleeping bag, clothes and such. Works well if not carrying many tools.

2. JC Whitney trunk mounted on the grab bar. A good setup for the money. Not much can fit into the trunk alone, for touring purposes, anyway. Middle and right pictures show mounting plate and location.

3. Here is a more serious setup. Still the same trunk, but used in a combination with the Ventura rack. The trunk is used to carry tools/tire repair kit/air pump/oil/chain lube etc. and some items that need to be easily accessed (such as rain gear). The cooler bungeed to the trunk is used for clothes. That touring setup is very good for long trips where you'd stay in motels (or a friend's house) and don't need any camping gear.

4. Same as 3 but with a sleeping bag attached.

5. And here is a serious touring setup. Includes full camping gear and full trunk of tools ... just in case. Rubbermaid Action Packer recommended; Cheap JC Whitney seat cushion not.

Most people don't end up needing the tools/oil/patch kits, (knock on wood), but having them on board may make you less worried.

6. An even more serious setup. 2-up camping trip. Good for a couple of days with a thin passenger, as the rear seat space is somewhat decreased. No rear grab bar, but the tent takes up a bit more space. The saddle bags are from Chase Harper.

7. Another serious camping setup. TourMaster Cortech saddlebags. A $10 compression sack from a sporting-goods store with 1" strapping sewn on by a local seamstress for $10 and 1" male buckles from ACE hardware ($1 each) on each end to mate with the female buckles on the saddlebags. Compression sack holds sleeping bag, pillow, and tent. Tent polls in small bag underneath straps. Sleeping pad attached to grab bar.