InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

When we went in 2012 it was pretty miserable and it rained nearly all the time.  We hardly had chance to get out of our waterproofs the entire weekend. The weather forecast id looking better this year - but do we trust weather forecasters at all? So what to pack? And more importantly what to wear on the ride down? And what to pack it in?  I have the Klicbag panniers but they are rather small for a long weekend away and need something extra.  Okay, four days and three nights away. When Claire and I went  to the Somme for the centenary I bought the Saddlemen sissy bar bag. It is enormous. Superb for two of us for a long weekend including dress-up suits and dresses. Later the same summer I used it for Czech for the GP in 2016 and It was great for a longer trip and I was able to stash some wine bottles in it.  So I need to find space for pants/socks/.t-shirts for three days, jeans and trainers (that take...

Well. Mostly packed. Just sponge bag and the new pocket atlas* to go out and be stuffed into the Saddlemen bag. It's a bit full as I wanted to save the panniers. The left one contains my Kent Fire Brigade "Biker Down" first aid kit and... two bottles of English white wine from Chapel Down Vineyard (never call it a winery!) That's about 15 miles from home.  Both bottles wrapped in bubble wrap and then on a travel blanket. The right one has my Triumph waterproof over jacket and trousers.  Plus a lock and a bag for race day. I was going to manage without my tank bag, but I need somewhere for my passport and spectacle cases!  Now I have to decide on what to wear. Vented jacket obviously but it looks like Hood jeans over leathers. So. It's nearly 10.30pm and I have to be up early to be on the train to France at 8.50am. * useless!

Profligate that I am I decided the used bag wasn't going to work properly as it is simply too soft and doesn't hold its shape. Looked at a few Saddlemen options and with my refund from British Airways I bought a new bag. The quality is instantly evident. It came from a UK Harley dealer and luckily isn't badged HD at all. It had its first outing on the Somme trip and was perfect  it swallowed all our "duds" for the Ceremony and more. Saddlemen FTB3600 with waterproof cover The bright yellow waterproof cover came in handy in some terrible weather and no water got in. The cover is big enough to fit over the main bag and the top bag. It looks a bit flimsy but worked well. At £138 inc taxes and delivery it's not cheap but you'd have to pay more for hard luggage and a rack to mount it. The standard setup was the right size for my sissy bar pad and I used two other supplied straps to keep it tightly in place on the little rack, should...