Long Distance Riding on a Harley-Davidson Sportster - Part 2

At the first part of this series I wrote about LDRat the bike free. This, of course, requires the license
(Long Distance Riding) in general. The point being thatplate to be moved out of the way. (At least in those
the stock Sportster can do it easily if the rider hascountries that have ridiculously big plates, Finland
good attitude and doesn't want a luxury couchincluded)
experience. Opinions about what is LDR do vary, forAnother adaptation that I like very much is to have
some 1000 miles in 24 hours is LDR, for others itthe license plate moved to the left side of bike, from
may be a month-long journey.its original position. That way, a big amount of
But what could be done to make the journey a littleluggage can be attached to the back side of the
more convenient? A few small and cheap adaptationssissy bar, leaving passenger seat free for some other
might be in place. They're not going to take the winduses. Technically it may be against the law because
away, they just make your life a little bit easier.the plate should be visible in every direction, but I
These days everyone has some kind of electricalhaven't heard of a case (where I live) that
gadget. They're good but they need recharging.somebody would have gotten a ticket because of it.
When camping, no electricity is available. TheseI guess it depends about the policy of the local law
electrical marvels are handy on the road: GPS, radio,enforcement. Remember to use a licence plate light
camera, MP3 player, internet and blog software canto make a good impression.
even reside inside one frame. But even with just oneA tool roll or two might also be in order, to free your
divide, you eventually need to recharge it.pockets from carrying the little stuff. That way,
I think a 12V cigarette lighter adapter is thethose items also are permanently with the bike and
best-value-for-money modification that anybodyare not forgotten. They can be placed as in the link,
could possibly do. With 10-20$, you'll havedown low, to help keep the center of gravity good.
never-ending supply of electricity for your gadgets,There are more tricks, like attaching a couple of
air pumps etc. Even if you know nothing abouttie-down lashing straps under your seat in a way that
electricity, this modification is very easy to made.you can attach things to the passenger seat area
Auto stores also have dozens of luxury items thatwithout needing to go look for the straps. Or just
run on 12V, like coffee makers and such (they'll workstuff them into the tool roll or into your riding jacket.
slower than household ones).My to-do list includes at least auxiliary lightning, the
One important, maybe too obvious, addon is thestandard one lamp just isn't enough. A highway bar
sissy bar. A huge amount of baggage can bewould also be handy, never mind the aesthetics of it.
attached at the back side of it, leaving other placesIt would allow some nice further modifications.