Motorcyles?

[cyrus]

I'm thinking of buying a bike. Do any of you carry your LF gear on motorcyles, such as the touring models? Any recommendations, do-don'ts, etc to share?

[OldBikerPete]

I carry my 5x4 gear in a backpack and the tripod in its own bag also on my back. The bike is a BMW K100RT. I also carry a 35mm camera in a sponge-rubber block inside a tank bag. I have noticed some vibration effects with this camera.

[John Kasaian]

I was into snortin' Norton Commandos for awhile back in the late 70's when I worked for a short time as a dispatch rider for a McClatchy newspaper. IIRC, the vibration alone could probably dismantle a Copal shutter! I don't know anything about other bikes.

Now a Super Cub, man that would be a great machine in which to pack a LF camera!

[Jay DeFehr]

I ride a Kawasaki ZX10, and fabricated brackets that hold two pelican cases that will hold just about any kit I want to carry, as long as I'm shooting handheld. I'd have to build another bracket to carry a tripod, and I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of the time I just carry my XD-11 on my back.

Jay

[Steve Wadlington]

I ride a Harley dresser and carry 35mm and digital over my sholder. I'm going to build a point and shoot 4x5 wide angle to carry the same way. Way to much vibration to carry them on the bike.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5337

[Jim Rhoades]

Two bikes and a scooter. The Gold Wing I carried a Crown Graphic for a long time, now replaced by a Horseman HD. The Horseman is even smaller, lighter and tougher. I use a small Gitzo tripod. On the Ducati I only use a point & shoot 35mm because they vibrate almost as much as a Norton. BTW, a '70's era Norton could turn a brick to dust in a hundred miles. Have a new Vespa that I'll take 35mm & MF. If you get a Bushtec trailer for a touring rig your wife can bring all the clothes she wants and you can take a 8x10 Deardorff. A Bushtec rides very smooth and will not bounce. You do not know it's back there. Until you try to park.

I had a BMW K75RT which is smoother running than the 100 flying brick model. In the tank bag it would vibrate the battery cover off a Lecia M and it sure loosened up a 135mm M lens. My Contax always held together. Never any problem with any camera on my Gold Wing. Because it's so small and tough I really like the Horseman HD for motorcycle travel.

Tank bags are handy for small or M/F quicky shooting. I would keep the camera on top of a sweater or sweatshirt. With L/F if it's a Gold Wing or BMW K1200LT it can be tossed in the trunk without to much trouble. Any other bike I would use some serious padding. With any other bike the best ride for the equipment would be in a duffel full of clothes bungeed across the rear seat.

[cyrus]

So, so scratch that thought...

[Christopher Perez]

Scratch what? The trick is to keep the rubber side down. :)

I used to carry MF and LF gear in Chase saddle bags on a 1975 Ducati 750 GT/Sport.

The bike was incredibly smooth and nothing ever dismantled itself.

There's nothing like riding 750 miles from Steamboat Springs, CO to Boise, ID in a 10hour day and not feeling 1/2 bad at the end of it. Oh, and having a load of images of vintage bikes to show for the effort. :)

[Gordon Moat]

I currently have a 1992 Ducati 900 Supersport. With a LowePro backpack, I am able to carry either a full 35mm outfit, a medium format outfit, or a 4x5 outfit. The only tough item is the tripod. Ideally I would like to find a solution that allows easier carrying of the tripod on the motorcycle, rather than carrying it on my backpack or over my shoulder.

I think nearly any motorcycle would be fine for a somewhat compact outfit. The options to consider are carrying the gear on your body, or packing it into the motorcycle. A motorcycle with saddlebags or carrying racks might seem ideal, but might be less nimble. I have some RKA bags for my Ducati, and had some Eclipse bags before, but they are not very comfortable for carrying your gear once you remove them from the motorcycle. Downside of a backpack is that it creates more wind drag on you, which can be tiring over longer distances.

The advantage to me over using a car, truck, or van is getting easier access to some locations. The other thing I like is the ease of getting around traffic. Parking is generally easier too, though that is something more important for urban photographers.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio (http://www.allgstudio.com)

[Michael Kadillak]

I have a KLR 650 that I purchased new last year specifically to scout for places to make photographs not the other way around. In the back country it gets great gas mileage, has excellent ground clearance and is about as big as I could want to consider for this function.

Taking LF with you on a big motorcycle singularly for the purpose of making photographs is logistically challenging at the very minimum. Weather is always a major issue (as opposed to drinking coffee in the cab of your pickup for the marvelous light that could happen when the storm passes) and you are inherently limited with your ability to bring equipment and are limited by minimal formats so what's the point. You need to get back to your fundamental objective as a photographer. If you want to ride motorcycles, by all means have at it. If you want to photograph, then make that your first priority and give you the best change to make stimulating images.

Out West particularly where there are plenty of back trails the optimal context for a motorcycle and LF is with a tow trailer pulling a light 250cc bike with a hand held GPS unit and a small digital camera scouting for places to photograph. Come back to optimal locations discovered when you have your full compliment of gear and the ability to be patient and wait for the right light and do it right.

Just my $0.02.

Cheers!

[Jay DeFehr]

Michael,

we're not all landscape photographers. I have property on the South Fork of the Payette River, a beautiful hour and a half ride along the Payette, from Boise. When I get there, I like to photograph my family and friends as we play in the river and hot springs. A P/U is decidedly less than optimum for my uses, and a lot less fun.

Jay

[Tom Duffy]

Taking LF with you on a big motorcycle singularly for the purpose of making photographs is logistically challenging at the very minimum. Weather is always a major issue (as opposed to drinking coffee in the cab of your pickup for the marvelous light that could happen when the storm passes) and you are inherently limited with your ability to bring equipment and are limited by minimal formats so what's the point. You need to get back to your fundamental objective as a photographer. If you want to ride motorcycles, by all means have at it. If you want to photograph, then make that your first priority and give you the best change to make stimulating images.

I come down a bit on Michael's side of the argument. I currently have a Gold Wing and have carried a Fuji 6x9 rangefinder or a 6x4.5 SLR with tripod. Don't think I would consider carrying my Sinar P2 on the bike. (actually I did consider it briefly before reason reasserted itself.)
Traveling solo would help - can you imagine trying to set up a view camera and waiting for the right light with your tired, grumpy wife?

Still, we may never pass this way again. Better to have the largest negative available for those great shots that come along while touring on the bike. I think a 4x5 Technica is problably the upper limit that I would consider carrying on a motorcycle.

[Michael Kadillak]

Michael,

we're not all landscape photographers. I have property on the South Fork of the Payette River, a beautiful hour and a half ride along the Payette, from Boise. When I get there, I like to photograph my family and friends as we play in the river and hot springs. A P/U is decidedly less than optimum for my uses, and a lot less fun.

Jay

I have no problem with this statement simply because the objectives are realistic and consistent with the variables. At the end of the day we all make images of various subjects from A to Z. All I am saying is that even 4x5 gear takes a considerable amount of space and that needs to be taken into consideration. If you have a Speed Graphic that folds up with a lens in it and you can work with a couple of Grafmatics that is realistic. Just think about how you normally shoot and how "different" the shift would be to a minimalist scenario. Will this be acceptable to you?

[Keith S. Walklet]

As with any gear, the question is whether it will impede your creativity or enhance it. I spent two summers travelling on a motorcycle photographing. The bike got me to a lot of places I'd never have gotten to in a four-wheeled vehicle, and in fact this ability was a filter of sorts, helping me to lose the majority of the public when the going got rough.

The quantity of gear pretty much dictates the need to ride solo. As for a rig, I had a 750 Sabre and a Venture 1000. The first of two trips to Alaska on the 750, I used all soft gear (saddlebags and a backpack attached to the rear rack with fastex clips). The second time around, I went with hard cases on the side, because my biggest concern was leaving gear unattended.

The backpack served as a lower lumbar support (it was lying flat on the seat lengthwise behind me) and I had quick access to everything I needed. The pack could be detached in a few seconds for a journey on foot.

Weather can make things messy.

The hard cases of the Venture were better suited for urban situations. What would have been ideal would be a shorter version of the long hard cases like those mounted to ski racks in which I could have dropped my entire pack, instead of having it exposed to the elements (criminal and weather).

But being on a motorcycle was a wonderful way to see the world. You are out in it and you can move quickly from one place to another if necessary.

I sold mine only when it became clear I was too easily distracted to risk riding all the time.

[Jay DeFehr]

I have no problem with this statement simply because the objectives are realistic and consistent with the variables. At the end of the day we all make images of various subjects from A to Z. All I am saying is that even 4x5 gear takes a considerable amount of space and that needs to be taken into consideration. If you have a Speed Graphic that folds up with a lens in it and you can work with a couple of Grafmatics that is realistic. Just think about how you normally shoot and how "different" the shift would be to a minimalist scenario. Will this be acceptable to you?

Hi Michael.

I'm a minimalist kind of guy, and the only camera I normally use on a tripod is my 8x10 Deardorff, which I haven't packed on my bike, because of the tripod issue. Any of my other LF, MF, or 35mm outfits are easy to pack into the two Pelican cases, and don't hinder my riding, so there's not much of a "shift" for me, except when I'm dropping a gear or two to pass a caravan of Winnebegos.

Jay

[Jim Rhoades]

Wow, I never though that so many L/F photographers would also be Ducatisti. That's a sub group of a sub group.

Late last May I met up with Michael and he took me into the Colorado high country shooting from his pick-up. We live 1788 miles apart and it took me three and a half weeks to get to his house. Why so long for a three day drive? I started off heading south into Mississippi to shoot in some swamps I had found while on a bike tour. I only had a 35mm with me on this tour and the swamps begged to be shot in B&W L/F. While I frequently carry 4x5 on my motorcycle trips it depends how long and how far I'm going. This was a solo two week trip. Space was limited. I found many spots that I wanted to come back to and so I did.

Now Mike left out some details that should be explained. To him, 4x5 is a miniature format. He likes to shoot 8x20 or even 12x20. A step ladder is part of his photography equipment. My Jeep CJ would be to small and cramp his style. He needs 4WD and a 8 foot bed. Thus his belief that motorcycles are for scouting.

His only other fault is encourging others in go into ULF. No not 7x17, something big, that you can sink you teeth into. He always leaves out the fact that he about the size of a linebacker. I would think that that has a bit to do with his lugging a 30 pound camera around at 10,000 feet.

Now re read his posts.

[Jay DeFehr]

Hi Jim.

I understand why a motorcycle might not be practical for Michael, but I'm not Michael, and I suspect some others here aren't either.

Jay

[Michael Kadillak]

Wow, I never though that so many L/F photographers would also be Ducatisti. That's a sub group of a sub group.

Late last May I met up with Michael and he took me into the Colorado high country shooting from his pick-up. We live 1788 miles apart and it took me three and a half weeks to get to his house. Why so long for a three day drive? I started off heading south into Mississippi to shoot in some swamps I had found while on a bike tour. I only had a 35mm with me on this tour and the swamps begged to be shot in B&W L/F. While I frequently carry 4x5 on my motorcycle trips it depends how long and how far I'm going. This was a solo two week trip. Space was limited. I found many spots that I wanted to come back to and so I did.

Now Mike left out some details that should be explained. To him, 4x5 is a miniature format. He likes to shoot 8x20 or even 12x20. A step ladder is part of his photography equipment. My Jeep CJ would be to small and cramp his style. He needs 4WD and a 8 foot bed. Thus his belief that motorcycles are for scouting.

His only other fault is encourging others in go into ULF. No not 7x17, something big, that you can sink you teeth into. He always leaves out the fact that he about the size of a linebacker. I would think that that has a bit to do with his lugging a 30 pound camera around at 10,000 feet.

Now re read his posts.

Ha! Thanks Jim for the pleasant reminder of our recent exploits while you were here in Colorado. I would encourage everyone to share your time and favorite places to make images with fellow LF's as there is nothing quite as nice as sharing your passion with someone cut from the same cloth. I got to see Jim's marvelous 5x7 Deardorf and we had our share of tales from our younger days plus as a flat lander Jim did not freak out once at nearly 10,000 ft of elevation. I got a nice print and a sweatshirt out of the deal - a truly marvelous time. I still lug the heavy Wisner 8x20 around Jim, but Keith Canham assisted me recently with a lighter 8x20 back for the 8x10 woodie that is about 1/2 the weight of the Wisner.

Onward!

[Steve Wadlington]

Sidecars are another possibility, though the it wouldn't appeal to Ducati folk. My son rode with me for 6 years and we used a sidecar to carry all our camping gear. I took it off a couple years ago when he stopped riding. I'm thinking of putting it back on for a crosscountry trip this summer. Mount a lockable alluminum box in the sidecar for all the gear. Sidecars are "different" but fun in their own right. Riding in rain is fun, powerslideing around corners is a riot. I've ridden in a blizzard too.

[Jay DeFehr]

Hi Steve.

My eldest son and I ride together quite frequently, and it's a lot of fun. He has his own bike, which makes it hard not to collect speeding tickets, racing just a little, along those winding roads. On a trip last fall, I returned a day ahead of my son, and got caught in a hail storm, which turned to rainshowers, and then sunshine again. I was actually dry by the time I got home, but soaked through for a while. Next summer my youngest son will join us when his brother trades up, leaving him his old bike. Good times!

Jay

[Steve Wadlington]

I started with the sidecar because my son is a "special needs child" and I needed an excuse to get away on trips. "Honey, Chris can ride with me now. He and I are going camping for 3 weeks."

[Jay DeFehr]

Any man who overcomes life's many trivial demands in order to spend time with his kid has his priorities in order. I hope I see you on the road one day, and if you're ever in Idaho, I know a great spot on the Payette that you're welcome to use.

Jay

[Steve Wadlington]

Thanks Jay. I've been over highway 12 (Locosa-Clearwater river) 3 times and it is fabulous. I tried attaching a pic from my our trip in 98. I'll see if it comes through.

[Jay DeFehr]

Wow! That's quite a rig. My son lived in Missoula for a while, and we drove that road several times; it's beautiful country. I still have a good friend in Missoula, and I plan to ride out there this summer, to visit. Thanks for the pic, and ride on!

Jay