New Trike Owner with Storage Question

[ColoNavy]

Ok, finally pulled the trigger and bought a 2009 Wing with a Champion IRS kit and EZ Steer. Just had the knuckles/shocks replaced and it only has 3,700 miles on it, so it should be good to go for awhile!

So I started transferring gear from the saddlebags of my 2008 Wing into the trike and quickly figured out that the storage system I had in the saddlebags and the narrow shape of the saddlebags actually did a great job of keeping loose gear from flying around. Now I have to put all of that stuff into the Champion's trunk and figure out how to keep it from bouncing around in the trunk (Ex. small tool kit, windshield cleaner, tire gauge, tire repair kit, knife, rain gear, gloves, etc). For now I am using small ditty bags to store the stuff in but that doesn't seem to work well except for rain gear.

My question is: "What are the some of the lessons learned and how do experienced trike owners keep gear such as your tools, tied down or secure in the trike's trunk area?"

Thanks, Keith

 

[SMSgt]

Hi Keith and welcome to the funny farm, uh, I mean forum.
I keep my tools in a tool bag and haven't lost anything yet. Rain gear in his and hers bags and a coats.
I really don't worry a great deal about what I have in either of the trunks when I'm traveling things are packed in so tight that I need to PULL things out of either trunks. Things get real tight in both trunks when traveling. Don't waste too many nights sleep worrying about how to pack just pack and have a fun ride. Oh yeah I don't take my tools with me when I'm riding local, within about 300 miles. I just trust the motorcycle and AAA.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

Kent

 

[tfdeputydawg]

Welcome.
First a question - What caused you to need to replace the knuckles/shocks with only 3700 miles on the conversion

I have a Hannigan and the center floor area of the trunk is lower than the sides. My frustration is everything ends up in the center
I suggested early on for Hannigan to develope cargo nets to keep "stuff" in the sides so the center area could be kept clear. Was told that would be considered and nothing ever happened so I just became used to finding tool kit, trike cover, rain suits "fighting" for space in the middle of the trunk:Shrug:.

 

[DeltaDart]

Ok, finally pulled the trigger and bought a 2009 Wing with a Champion IRS kit and EZ Steer. Just had the knuckles/shocks replaced and it only has 3,700 miles on it, so it should be good to go for awhile!

So I started transferring gear from the saddlebags of my 2008 Wing into the trike and quickly figured out that the storage system I had in the saddlebags and the narrow shape of the saddlebags actually did a great job of keeping loose gear from flying around. Now I have to put all of that stuff into the Champion's trunk and figure out how to keep it from bouncing around in the trunk (Ex. small tool kit, windshield cleaner, tire gauge, tire repair kit, knife, rain gear, gloves, etc). For now I am using small ditty bags to store the stuff in but that doesn't seem to work well except for rain gear.

My question is: "What are the some of the lessons learned and how do experienced trike owners keep gear such as your tools, tied down or secure in the trike's trunk area?"

Thanks, Keith

I have three small storage boxes that fit nicely in the trike trunk. They arrange all the "goodies" I carry daily and I still have room for rain gear and jackets. I've had these for years so I don't remember where I got them. I know Wal-Mart has quite a selection... Hope that helps.

 

[mhgoldwing]

I also use bags to store tools and other "necessities" in the lower trunk. I keep light stuff in the upper trunk and NO FLUIDS as the CB resides in there. The bags keep things organized and also lets me add/remove as desired without a lot of hassle.

 

[Lucky]

The first lesson I learned is not to carry stuff that ain't necessary. Most of the time Wally and auto parts stores are pretty close. RIDE SAFE

 

[EnjoyingTheRyde]

I keep my maps, gloves, leathers, rain gear, helmet, and other miscellaneous small items in my tour pack and all my camping gear and small tool pouch go in my trunk. It's pretty well freighted on a trip but the trunk is usually empty for around home rides.

 

[Blueribbon]

I guess I'm a little anal about storage, because I never can find what I need.

I use a combination of: 1 gal freezer bags, cloth draw string bags (like what a helmet comes in) and regular good quality (Tupperware) plastic boxes.

I use the gal. freezer bags for stuff which I may use frequently, but don't want laying loose in trunks. Example, rain gear, jacket liners and polishing cloths. On my black rain gear pants and black jacket liner, I use 3 X 5 file cards on either side of the bag to identify what is in it.

Cloth draw string bags, for larger stuff, which doesn't fit neatly in a plastic box. Believe it or not, I had a laminated (a typed inventory on address labels, stuck to a business card, and laminated with heavy duty packing tape.) In this bag, I have two inexpensive bicycle red flashing lights, which I can clip to my antennas during a night time break down. I experimented, and on 2 AAA batteries, they will run more than 10 hours. (Lucky, I have yet to use them.)

What fits nicely in plastic box. In one box I have emergency electric tire pump, tire repair kit, valve stems, and tire caps. In another box, I have rubber gourmets for side panels, push rivets used on glove box, screws for inner trunk lid (which I always seem to loose), and other related bike parts. In another, I have a very serious first aid kit. Inside some of the plastic boxes, are pill bottles (of course labeled) with stuff like fuses, small screws, small high quality volt/amp/ohm meter and I don't know what all else. In all, I think I have 6 plastic boxes. All boxes labeled in large bold fount so it is easy to read at night.

It is important to keep the labeling up-to-date, else it really is no good. Without the labels, I'm screwed!

Some stuff is just in pill bottles, but those get lost easy, so I have the small front-to-back clear plastic bins either side of the upper trunk. Good for pills, micro flash lights (great ones from Harbor Freight), chap stick, . . . .

In my left front "glove box" I have a micro flashlight, tire gauge, and some plastic freezer bags I can put over my "car" GPS and XM radio, which are both mounted on left handlebar.

 

[Ozarkryder]

In the lower trunk on our 2006 Champion body on a "04 wing there are rectangular compartments over the wheels. I keep little used items in there, a tool roll, trike cover, an extra sweatshirt for both of us, and there is a bit of room left for a few small items like the helmet bags and we want to take on a trip-specific basis but don't use very often. Gloria doesn't ride on either of the 2 wheelers, so her rain gear, chaps and a pullover wind shirt. We have a Kuryakyn trunk lid organizer that is removable with 1/2 turn fasteners. I keep a set of motorcycle jumper cables and the raincover for the seat behind there, and a bunch of little items, like a few pens, small tablet, flashlight, air gauge and such in the organizer.
When we got the trike there were some little clear plastic pieces that hald small items against the side walls of the upper trunk. They made that little shelf on the sides useful, and we keep a bottle of ionized water and a few rags for cleaning the windshield, some latex gloves, a small bag for a very few tools -a hex key for the seat bolts, a small multi bit screwdriver and a few of those strange pins Honda uses to keep some of the 1800 panels and pockets in place.

The above stuff stays on the trike even if we only use it once a year, as it is too much of a hassle to pack it up every time we need it. There is ample space in the trunks for other stuff we use on a case by case basis.

 

[1800 06 Champion Trike]

There's plenty of room in my Champion. The lower trunk does have extra storage over the wheels and I keep things there that I only need in a emergency.
Rain gear is stored in 2 marked bags, one for me and one for my wife , small items are in the top trunk. We do tow our trailer on rides where I keep covers, tools, misc things.

 

[ColoNavy]

Don, with your Kuryakyn trunk lid organizer, is that attached to the Wing's trunk lid or the trike's trunk door?
I got to thinking that maybe there is a way to attach those organizers to the walls of the trike trunk to take care of a lot of the small stuff?

Keith

 

[dirtdobber]

If the Champion is like the roadsmith the coarse side of velcro will stick to the liner of the trunk. I just use velcro straps to hold everything in place so they don't slide around.

 

[cjmitch]

My question is: "What are the some of the lessons learned and how do experienced trike owners keep gear such as your tools, tied down or secure in the trike's trunk area?"

try these, they are slim and take up little space.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-12inch-utility-case/p-00965284000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[geol]

Not sure how this thing is attached after reading the JPCycles.com description so you may want to check the KuryAkyn site but it looks like a good way to stash/organize small items:

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/722-246

 

[Ozarkryder]

Don, with your Kuryakyn trunk lid organizer, is that attached to the Wing's trunk lid or the trike's trunk door?
I got to thinking that maybe there is a way to attach those organizers to the walls of the trike trunk to take care of a lot of the small stuff?

Keith

Haven't visited the computer for a few days, sorry I haven't' answered sooner.
The Kury organizer attaches to the top trunk lid with 1/4 turn fasteners so it can be removed and taken with you when you leave the trike. I don't ever remove it, but i use the space behind it for storage. Most other lid organizers screw on to the lid and its hard to get to the rear of them. I have seen organizers that attach to the back of the top trunk body, they are a lot smaller than the lid organizer. I am sure with a little ingenuity an organizer can be adapted to the trike trunk door and/or the sides of the trunk.

 

[dirtdobber]

I make my own tool kit. Contains more than I hop I will ever need. Found a cheap set of tool with a small zipper closure. Used the organizer to put what I wanted in it. Keep a tire repair kit with gas bottles in case of a flat.
Since I have had and have a Harley I use the tourpak bag and my Goldwing bag. I fill 2/3-3/4 full. This way both will fit easy. Full they won't, not easy any way. I then use saddle bag liners. half full. Now I can fit the chaps/leather jackets. Wife's and mine. If I carry extra helmets I put the rain gear inside the helmets, if I don't then I roll up the rain gear. I still have some room.
If we are on a long trip, 10 days or more, I use this. The one by the rear fender.

It will hold as much or more than the Honda tourpak. It's rare we use it. It is a cool way to increase storage though. Lockable and all.

 

[hocnsoc]

Bank Deposit Bags

The zipper type bags are handy and you can add Velcro to the side to keep them in place.
Adding a section of mattress cover padding to the floor of the trunk will reduce the impact of stuff bouncing off the floor at RR crossings and the famous Western NY potholes.

 

[ColoNavy]

FuzzyWasHe, how do you keep the Rotopax tied down in the trike trunk so that it doesn't slide around?

 

[ColoNavy]

I like the idea of the bank bags. Where do you buy those at?

 

[dirtdobber]

I use Velcro to secure things. The rough side sticks to the felt liner real good. Tools, I have a tool pouch I got. Made like a book with zipper on it. It contains everything I may need.

 

[DPK]

Packing my Trike thatj

I ride a Valk with a Preditor Conversion - one trunk on the small side, a top rack & sissy bar - not much space.

Things i I find useful are:

"Film Wrap" as sold in rolls by U-Haul. The size of anything fluffy like clothes, rain gear etc. can be really reduced by using this stuff. Also, it makes a really good waterproof covering & is good for tying things down to the rack and sissy bar & many other things yet imagined.

Clear plastic zippered cases are good for miscellaneous small stuff not deserving its own container. Clear zippered cases also for tie-downs, cargo netting etc.

Small camera case for tools, tire pressure gauge, nitrile gloves, extra screws, nuts, bolts, zip-ties, electrician tape, small roll of good duct tape wrapped around R/X bottle of small items, blue loctite...the list goes on and on.

The case has six or so individual pockets to sort out things.

I carry " shorty" wrenches and have found it to require less space to carry tools loose in the bottom of the camera case.

I carry a small waterproof sea bag that's handy for keeping things dry, keeping wet things in, and on good days putting things in. Also keep one tightly rolled contractor's bag & an assortment of zip lock bags.

I carry a complete first first aid kit that originally came with a German automobile.

I always carry a small small aeresol can of "flat fix".

I try try to keep things so that anything not fitting into the camera case is contained in or small enough to be tucked into void spaces & nooks & crannies.

I was was unaware of the Kuryakyn organizer until reading this thread. I'm ordering one today to replace the webbed net I now have on the trunk door.

I'll make some changes based on things I've learned from this thread.

Dan