dillema

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:18 am

OK, since I bought that big trailie DR800 I am not sure what to do...
you remember - I started work on making and installing side panniers on my Storm, and it is 90% completed - I only have to weld few more bits to rear carrier bit and cut spare pillion plastic to allow panniers to sit tight.
But now I got DR, and it is ideal for 2-up tours (not high speed, but I do not take big roads anyway). DR got top case and way easier to attach side panniers to. Shall I abandon VTR-carrier and re-use all that for DR? Or do both?

cupasoop · Post by **cupasoop** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:48 am

Will the DR seat be as comfortable as the vtr for your pillion? Looks a bit narrow.

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:38 am

It is indeed way more comfortable...low passenger pegs too.
My wife sat on it as pillion and she loves it - it is padding in the seat is a bit hard, but I can fix it by replacing some part of padding with something softer - easy job. Passenger seat is just flat and longer than Storm pillion seat. Generally it is very relaxed position for passenger and top case have "back support" pad on it...oh, I really do not know what to do now. Ideally I'd buy second set of "fixation frames" and will be able to click panniers on one or another bike when I want, but for Storm I did it in complicated way - made special fixation points and re-welded pannier click-on frames so that they tight to subframe (hence pillion plastic cutting) and overall width of Storm is only 85 cm with panniers on.
So, to change from "touring Storm" to "eghoist Storm" I need to:
1. remove pillion plastic
2. unbolt rear fixation points from subframe and remove rear carrier
3. put original pillion plastic back on
For DR pannier frames will stay on permanently - I will not even bother making it look nice, since bike is realy "scary b8stard hardcore enduro" look.

Post by **sirch345** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:46 pm

It sounds like the DR for touring to me

How smooth is the engine

Chris.

Rich,
I like your rock band

Wildfire · Post by **Wildfire** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:50 pm

I reckon the DR for touring and get the VTR back to standard for some more sporty fun IMHO

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:54 pm

i agree with twiggy, unless your going to tour the VTR leave her stock

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:54 pm

Thank you, fellow Stormers

This was last nail in the coffin then. DR it will be. Engine is not smooth AT ALL

800 cc thumper...
But vibes not annoying at all, as strange as it sounds. I guess this is why quite a few people toured round the world on DR800s and DR650s.

I do tour with Storm every year, but we do what I call perfomance touring. We shoot off Belgium to some south of Europe and we do up to 4000 km in 1 week without using toll roads or any big motorways.
But for that I just use roll bag strapped to pillion seat and it is too mad riding style to do it with panniers anyway

It's just I feel a bit sorry about all work I have done to the date to get panniers to fit Storm...but Ok, I'll let it go.