First rides, farkles and fixes: show off your bike here!

A little history on Jesse and HT. Jesse was a pioneer of sorts in the luggage market. He catered to the world traveler wanna be's that BMW helped create with the GS market back in the 70-80s. He sold(sells) thousands of sets to the GS folks. The choices of luggage were slim back then(BMW or Jesse and maybe a couple others). Then the adventure segment of motorcycling expanded to the KLR and others. Those riders had fewer choices (GIVI,ammo cans,etc) for a budget bike. Jesse didn't seem to want to expand his market to other bikes(he was selling all he could build to the GS guys!). HT and some others saw the potential market for the budget buyers. They could build and sell to the guys that Jesse either wouldn't or couldn't cater to. Now, there are several choices of manufactures that sell to all budgets. BMW factory bags are probably the most expensive with Jesse following with all the others in the market. The durability of the products(and customer service) doesn't necessarily follow their price tag.

It boils down to fit, finish, durability, cost, aesthetics and customer support. GIVI hits several of those as does some others. Hitting all the marks is hard to accomplish in such a broad market. Aesthetics can be the hardest to accomplish with all the bikes out there(can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear!) One has to make the choice by weighing these things to suit their needs/wants. I've had several different brands of luggage(and bikes). HT has improved their operations while containing cost and expanding to many different bikes. It makes them a great choice for those wanting the durability of a metal case that looks like a tool box. If bang for the buck outweighs everything else, the HT bags(boxes) are a great value.

It's been almost ten years since my last purchase of Jesse Luggage. Back then, he seemed a bit strung out. Fit to some of the Jap bikes was not very good. His customer support was poor. Getting in touch with them was not easy. Although, they would eventually respond helpfully. At some point since then, they have shifted sales and support to somebody else. I don't know if they have improved their operations or not.

Some(Honduh, Suzuki, KTM, Moto Guzzi) of the OEM bags are designed around second party products and sold as OEM. Most are not so durable but, look the "business" to some extent. The mounts can be(are, in some instances) the sad part for what might otherwise be great luggage.

Lots to consider

Doing that would had to have been coupled with not working for nine days, a luxury I don't have, right now.

Excellent post Greg. Funny how a post can be informative without being condescending.

I'll address this one part. I have heard that Jesse is hard to get in touch with. There were horror stories from 10 years ago about months long delays and broken promises. When I bought my Strom bags they were using an outside vendor (Xplormoto IIRC). Those guys seemed to be on the up and up, but at some point (after I bought mine) they dropped the ball.

Jesse sales are once again handled in house. I called and talked to them when I bought the bags for the Tenere. All calls were either answered or a message was left and returned in a reasonable length of time. They explained that there would be a delay as they had underestimated the demand for the Tenere and they were in the process of building more racks. They gave me a timeline and everything arrived as we had discussed.

My customer service needs were met.

Also, the racks for the Tenere are much better than the 'Strom racks. No trips to Lowes required.

Bored a bit are we

I wouldn't have wasted my time on all that

And yet you post up post after post belittling and ridiculing the rest of us for our lack of riding skill, mechanical prowess and general common sense.

Frankly, I prefer Greg's "post less with good quality" approach.

Oh, and: . Cause it's just a forum after all.

Edit: Forgot to say thanks to Greg for that info: "Thanks!" Greg!

Whatever flips your lid supah and as I've said before and I'll say it again for good measure and the hearing/reading/internet sensitive types. I really don't give a shit what the hell any of you do or don't do. All this is here is a comedy hour for the few that think they are funny anyway, no one here wants solid helpful info.

I thought everyone knew where the origin of a metal pannier came from, I mean damn I'm in romper room for ADV

Next discussion will most likely be the invention of the knobby tire...

:d

I couldn't find any info directly related to the knobby tire, but here is a start for you Roy, taken from this website: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltires.htm

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">[SIZE=+1]History of Tires[/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">[SIZE=-1]Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in 1844 that was later used for the first tires.[/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="TOP">
</td> <td>
</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table align="RIGHT" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="170"> <caption> </caption> <tbody><tr> <td> <center></center> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#CCCCFF"> <td>[SIZE=-2] More of This Feature[/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#EEEEEE"> <td valign="TOP">[SIZE=-2]• History of Gas Fueled Cars[/SIZE]</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CC0000"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#CCCCFF"> <td>[SIZE=-2]Related Resources[/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#EEEEEE"> <td valign="TOP">[SIZE=-2]• Automobile History[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]• Bicycle History[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]• Pneumatic Devices[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]• History of Rubber[/SIZE]</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CC0000"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> </tr> </tbody></table> [SIZE=-2]By Mary Bellis[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in 1844 that was later used for tires.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1888, John Dunlop invented the air-filled or pneumatic tires, however, his were for bicycles. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1895, André Michelin was the first person to use pneumatic tires on an automobile, however, not successfully. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1911, Philip Strauss invented the first successful tire, which was a combination tire and air filled inner tube. Strauss' company the Hardman Tire & Rubber Company marketed the tires. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1903, P.W. Litchfield of the Goodyear Tire Company patented the first tubeless tire, however, it was never commercially exploited until the 1954 Packard. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1904, mountable rims were introduced that allowed drivers to fix their own flats. In 1908, Frank Seiberling invented grooved tires with improved road traction. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]In 1910, B.F. Goodrich Company invented longer life tires by adding carbon to the rubber. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Goodrich also invented the first synthetic rubber tires in 1937 made of a patented substance called Chemigum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Pneumatic Tyre (Tire)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) was a Scottish veterinarian and the recognized inventor of the first practical pneumatic or inflatable tyre/tire. His patent was for a bicycle tire, granted in 1888. However, Robert William Thomson (1822 - 1873) invented the actual first vulcanised rubber pneumatic tire. Thomson patented his pneumatic tire in 1845, his invention worked well but was to costly to catch on. Dunlop's tire patented in 1888 did, and so he received the most recognition. William Thomson also patented a fountain pen (1849) and a steam traction engine (1867).[/SIZE]</td></tr></tbody></table>


Let me know if you need any more motorcycle knowledge.

hey guys, i read several posts back and feel ya'll are missing me. so, here's a catch up:

yes i got a new bike,,,, surprise! it's a klr ! 08,685, bash plate ,lime green. an old friend ,who obviously bumped his head that morning, put it my possesion for safe keeping. it's way to clean for this old dog...

mainly, i've been in a fight with a woman.. that bitch, mother nature... first a tornado totally destroyed an old aunt's house in sw mizzippi, then, last thursday, a tree fell on my overhead power line. and that was the easy part.
an electrical direct power to ground happened in the meter base,heating up wires in that 55 yr old house. and, thats when the fire started..... still all good tho. i put it out quik.nobody was hurt. god was watching out for children and idiots that day,one or both i am.

i did ride satty, to get the old car,and rode sunday to come back. i rode the new bike today. back into the garage.
so life is good!

i see the talk has been luggage. and other mods ( i'm trying to stay on point). hard soft happy jesse,,, whatever. just pack em and ride em. new bikes old bikes, don't matter. the gas we burn, the tires we wear out ,don't amount to squat either. it's not where or how far we ride either....

IT'S THE PEOPLE WE MEET, GET TO KNOW AND SHARE TIME AND STORIES WITH !!!

at least for me,i have gained something from everyone i have crossed paths with in riding carreer, mostly good, some not. just remember this,,,

"IT'S JUST RIDING"

jeffrides
1931 ford truck streetrod
1934 ford coupe streetrod
1938 Packard 12 touring sedan
1955 chevy truck
1973 sl70 honda
a bunch more
oh yeah ,,,klr's rule!!!

Hey jeff!

Man, I'm sorry to hear about the house fire craziness! So, your aunt is ok?

Good to hear from you. Hope to see you soon!

Sorry to hear about the mishaps. Glad your tuned in so you can proof my BS history lesson. Not sure about the accuracy, just my take on it!

G2

Sayeth Rev. JeffRides...

Well i tried to go riding yesterday. pulled the Old XL out checked the air in the tires and noticed just how bad the rear has got, well i headed out and the weather turned me around, but I hit a few gravel roads on the way back and that was enough to realize I needed to put the new rear I got from Roy on the thing.

so today I went out and rolled the raptors striped carcase out of my shop and put the XL in. I havent had to fight a tire off like that since I changed the last one on that bike. I got the first side off fairly easy but getting the second off was a pain. well i got it off and put beside the new one to compare the two.

i was still concerned it would fit.



well I sprayed it down with the tire lube i have and slipped it on, took me 45 minutes to get the old one off. 15 to get the new one on. it fits but I really need a longer chain to get the tire back a little bit more on the swing arm. it's close to say the lest.



but it looks good on there



then my youngest came out and one of my dogs came into my shop.



she wanted to go riding but I didn't feel like it so i told her to put the bike up and we'd go ride the quad. she couldn't quite push it up the hill.

Your day was more productive than mine.

I came home about 11:30 after being gone since Friday, drove in to the garage and smelled gas. LOTS of gas. Sniffed the Tenere, nope, not there. Sniffed the DRZ... yep. The entire area under the carb/intake was saturated. Rolled it out of the garage and tried to crank it out of morbid curiosity and it spun over once and hydro-locked. Yay, the "failed vacuum petcock" issue.

So now I have a cylinder filled with gas, oil that is contaminated with gas, and a petcock that has to be replaced, and no time to do it. At least it's non-ethanol.

Sorry to hear that anti. We missed you at breakfast yesterday.

could have been worse, nothing a oil change, new plug and and new petcock wont fix.

Wish I could have made it. Parenting stuff, yada yada yada... The usual.

You reckon it will hurt anything any worse to leave it sitting until Saturday?

Sounds just like my 4wheeler, but it was ethanol!!!

no. i would go ahead and pinch off the fuel line or take the tank off so it doesn't keep poring gas in there and maybe if you can get to it take the plug out and clear the cylinder, but the gas in the oil wont hurt a thing, as long as you don't crank it up.