Over the past year and a half, the how-to articles that we’ve compiled have begun to attract a number of comments from the more ardent riders & campers in our club. In rounding up this year’s crop of articles, we looked for some aspects of the art that went uncovered last year.

Two-up riding & camping came immediately to the fore. It is a special art, a complex balancing act, and one that personally I wouldn’t even think to try. You see, I can get my wife to ride with me and I can get my wife to camp with me. But for a n umber of reasons (like: I carry too much stuff myself, let alone my wife!) I don’t even dare ask her to ride and camp with me.

Fortunately, braver souls do exist among us and they are kind enough to share their strategies for success. This article presents how two couples have evolved two different solutions, with some interesting similarities. And both have led to successful & rewarding riding & camping experiences.

Classic packing technique for a classic tourer. Cathy Carrington has a place for everything on Anthony Fodero's R100/7.

Dave & Cindy – a relationship that refines itself over time

The Grider’s approach has evolved over their 30-year marriage and 11 BMWs. Back in 1969, after another buyer swept the H-D Sportster of his dreams right from under his nose (he was in full-blown "Then came Bronson" mode at the time), Dave "settled" for a black 1969 R50US. In their words: "So it all began with the R50. It was truly a slug, while our new KLT is a rocket. But the two bikes have something in common besides the BMW emblem. They have allowed us to escape to some of the most beautiful places in the country. At first out of necessity and now as a matter of preference, we camp. Initially we did not camp well. Our inventory of failed and partially-successful equipment, packing methods and odd experiences would fill a book. The evolution of our camping prowess has paralleled the abilities of our BMW machinery." Indeed, the Grider’s progression from airhead to K, from Beverly Hillbillies-style packing to a complete packing system, and 200,000+ miles of refinement to their strategy has led them to a riding & camping style that emphasizes comfort, composure & safety.

Dave and Cindy Grider don't make any compromises when it comes to camping and comfort when riding 2-up.

The similarities & the differences

Here are a few of the "rules" that both couples use to keep things comfortable:

The Grider’s rules led them to a couple of interesting conclusions: "The key component to meeting all our needs, without affecting the pleasure that riding a motorcycle can bring, has been the selection of high-quality backpacking equipment and the addition of a custom bag/carrier rack. The standard KLT back trunk is useless when packing for camping two-up. I don’t care for its looks or the limitations imposed by its shape. Cindy prefers a backrest but the trunk does not provide one all that well. Attempts to find an aftermarket seat with an integral passenger backrest have proven futile. With the trunk in place, the back rack is occupied and, after packing, most of the camping gear is still laying on the garage floor."

The solution was an innovative, custom-fabricated aluminum rack that attaches securely to the KLT and provides space to attach some custom-made soft luggage and a comfortable backrest and armrests for the passenger. The material used is 50/50/1 aluminum square tubing, MIG-welded with similar wire by a local fabrication shop. Dave cut a ¼" plywood pattern to define the flat surfaces, and the slope and location for the backrest was determined by analyzing the Reynolds rack on his R100RS. It is attached to the bike with a strap that goes over the saddle, padded angle clips and friction buckles.

The soft luggage is made of waterproof ballistic material by a friend of the Griders who sews cargo bags for the local river-running community. The luggage is quite similar to commercially-available U-bags, but it is in 3 separate pieces joined together with straps and D-rings. Each bag has heavy-duty zippers covered by flaps, internal adjustable baffles, separate pockets and compression straps. They are connected to the rack by slide-on pockets sewn into the front of the bags and friction straps around the rear. The side bags measure 10"x10"x18", with the rear measuring 10"x10"x18."

Dave says that: "the net result is a system that is only a little ugly with a capacity that allows you to travel and camp until the money runs out. The benefits are:

1. the aluminum rack with soft luggage weighs only 8lbs., 6lbs. less than the BMW trunk.
2. Load height is lowered and distributed toward the front of the bike.
3. The backrest, adapted from a Reynolds product, is much more comfortable than the trunk-mounted rest.
4. The passenger has lateral support for the sleeping bags on either side. Cindy says the ride with the rack is the most comfortable she has ever experienced.
5. The saddlebags can be removed in approximately 10 seconds without disturbing the camping gear. This is especially nice for the nights at a motel or a friend’s house.
6. The whole thing can be packed on a picnic table and then loaded on the bike."

Of course, a custom set-up like this isn’t for everyone, which is why the packing approach that Cathy and Anthony have developed is a much more common site at rallies and across the country. And the two are no less satisfied with their set-up:

"It’s a great feeling of self-sufficiency and freedom to pack up and ride in the early morning without sheepishly throwing everything into a car trunk. Everything goes in tidy stuff sacks, straps onto the bike, we put our helmets on and get back to what we love to do: tour."

However... there are certain compromises that a couple must make in order to pack their bike safely and stay as comfortable as possible while riding the world. This may be why Cathy comments that "we are planning to have Anthony enjoying a new R1100RT soon. And now that I’ve learned to ride (no more hanging back with the tent poles!), our days of motorcycling and camping two-up will be fewer. The possibilities of splitting up the camping load are now endless, Anthony and I outwitting each other with unnerving logic and good judgement. But won’t the gorgeous RT look so bare, so ‘basic,’ so lacking the character of our current beloved monstrosity? I think so."

Two-up riding and camping is fun and eminently do-able. This article has summarized many of considerations you must make, but the number of ideas probably matches the number of couples out there riding two-up and camping. So feel free to send us your ideas. We’ll summarize them and publish them in a future issue.