Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

I'm not sure what questions/answers you got, so if I throw in my two pennorth here & you've already covered it, you'll have to excuse me.
Don't forget that your saddlebags (if leather) are likely to touch, or nearly touch the exhaust pipe (muffler?), so to stop the heat damaging it, you may need to fix a heat shield under it. You should be able to find the post for it. It's just a case of cutting a piece of aluminium to fit under the bag, & then fixing it with half a dozen pop rivets or nuts & bolts. :tup:

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Thanks, alantf! I attached them as high as possible and indeed they are still very, very close to the exhaust pipe. I'll start checking out my heat shield options.

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Is it safe to assume you have saddle bag brackets to keep the bags away from the rear wheel ? Did you find the Penny Tech solution by one of our members ?

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Yes, brackets, definitely. I installed everything this weekend (posted about the experience briefly under a different Index ... summary: Pain in the butt!).

I wanted the saddlebags to better support the GZ as a commuter bike, can't ride the bike wearing "office formal" wear. I'm not sure how much help they will be in that regard though, the saddlebags are tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! :-)

"Penny Tech"?

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Penny Tech............. a home grown item, procedure or fix that is virtually free compared to dealers, aftermarket vendors and anyone else out there wanting too much money.

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

My saddlebags are only of use for the stuff I don't need to get at very often, such as waterproofs, luggage nets, bungee cords, rope etc. For the stuff I need to get to easily (like when I go to the supermarket) I've got a luggage box. It's much more practical.

http://www.postimage.org/Pq1OERf9.jpg

The only problem is, that to be able to open the box, you need to remove the backrest (sissy bar?) to allow it to hinge forward. It's not really hard to adapt it, & my wife (who rides behind me) says that she prefers the box to the backrest. I've never found any problems with weight or handling, by having a large box, so it might be worth your while investing in one if you want your clothes to be relatively crease free.

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Thanks for the advice, and the pic, alantf!
So no problems with passengers with regard to the GZ's power? Living in New England US, I have many, many hills to navigate. Lots of fun, but I'm not convinced my little bike could handle the extra load. What has your experience been?

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

If you don't insist on going too fast and don't think you HAVE to use 5th gear, then you should be fine........depending on the size of the hill AND the size of the passenger, of course! :whistle:

Re: Newbie saying hello!
 

Well........... we live up in the mountains, so EVERY journey back home means riding up VERY steep roads. I weigh around 160 lbs & my wife about 130 lbs. I've never had the slightest problem going up, & we use the bike more than we do the car. My only advice would probably be to wait until you're Completely at ease riding (as riding 2-up is a completely different feel to the bike, as regards braking, balance etc.) & also wait until the bike is well run-in, so you can give it more revs without worry. So long as you're happy going up (& I mean really steep hills) at 30-40 mph there's no problem. Having said that - my bike is the European (Spanish) spec, which runs slightly richer than the American spec, but I wouldn't think that it would make an excessive difference.