Skid Mark wrote on 08/13/09 at 08:22:01:
 I'm not trying to be a smart alec but loading your bike down with weight will prematurely wear out your tires, drivetrain and engine. Practice the art of countersteering. That will get you through a high wind situation. I got caught in the edge of a tornado in West Va. A police officer came by and knew I was in trouble (there was no shelter available) He told me to follow him to an abandoned warehouse. The winds were 70+ mph. I made it to the warehouse by countersteering into the wind. Once inside the warehouse I parked my bike and got in the car with the police officer. Never been so glad to see a cop in my life. He probably saved me and my bike. I'm not claiming to be a great rider. I'm 54 and I still learn something new every time I ride. Motorcycle modifications will never get you through a jam like good riding skills.

bill67 wrote on 08/13/09 at 12:20:51:
There are a lot of variables, your weight and your partners weight, weight of luggage etc. Think about it, when you increase weight you increase the load on the tires, drivetrain and engine. The manual recommends putting extra air in your tires when you double. The reason for the extra air is the increased load on the tires. A surefire way to find out your clutch is slipping is to ride double. I plan on doubling my wife on my Savage. When I do I will increase the air pressure of the tires. I will not lug off the line. I will remember I can't stop as quick and I will allow for this. When riding double if you realize what's going on with your bike and allow for it you can keep the extra wear and tear to a minimum. Ex., if you have a pickup with a load capacity of 2000 lbs. how long are the tires, drivetrain, brakes and engine going to last if you keep 2000 lbs in the back of the truck all the time?

Midnightrider wrote on 08/13/09 at 12:49:56:

   I been riding for 38 years a lot of double riding and I've aways had a truck since  1957,but after all the years I learned something today

Getting too comfortable with any process is clearly a problem.  I'd do audits and safety analyses lots in the past.  Looked at lots of accident reports.  Doesn't matter what field.  Getting comfortable with the process is usually part of the problem.  

The people without accidents tend to be the nitpickers.  Fighter pilots and the like.  It's pretty clear after interviewing lots and lots of people.  Can't tell on the surface.  Sometimes the laid back fellows are tuned into everything and can recite the best way to do any part of their job.  I've turned their methods into procedures and training manuals.  And sometimes the superficially meticulous folks are off in their heads and fail to react well in the real world.

I must say that bicycling really helps me.  The long-term situational awareness training has helped so much.  Motorcycling is quite a lot easier in many ways, and remains nicely scary.  I remain surprised when folks actually see me!  

I've been watching the moto world for a long time.  My brother in law was a pro rider.  Had a couple of nasty accidents.  And a bit of a personality disorder.  He doesn't ride any more.  Kind of a shame.  He's a great rider - acknowledges that he's an average rider, that I'll probably shift better.  Also full of real insight.  And he knows older bikes very well.  I've been watching the various types on the Dragon for 20 plus years, since before it was "The Dragon."

The people I never see in trouble are the guys on dual sports loaded to the gills, dressed in day glo cordura, and taking every corner as if there's a semi around it.  There are semis around one every once and while.  The people I see in trouble are the squids on sport bikes and the laid back cruiser riders who accidently get in over their heads.  I think we might tend to get into that latter category.  LS650 seems very easy and light, quite flickable.  Possibly relatively easy to accidently hit a corner a bit hot.

Regardless, I suspect motorcyling will be dangerous.  I suspect that a light bike on an Interstate at fairly high speed will always present special challenges.  

I'm developing a pretty standard ritual including tire check (with a gauge every other day), wheel check, suspension check, lights, oil, grip, and attitude/alertness.  If I'm not alert and feeling calm, I won't ride.  I talk to myself a lot when riding, too!  

And I wouldn't feel comfortable at all on an Interstate.  I don't like them in cars.  Even though I know my Ranger truck doesn't really offer me much protection and it gets blasted around by truck wash almost as much as a bike would, I still have that illusion of safety.

horseshoe_george wrote on 08/13/09 at 17:26:40:
 What upgrades have you done? I'm in the process of jetting my carb and I have a Supertrapp on the way.

bill67 wrote on 08/13/09 at 18:10:57:

Jetting the carb makes the engine run cooler and extends engine life. Back in 99 I owned 5 motorcycles, 4 of which were large displacement sport bikes. If I wanted to ride fast I would own another sport bike. I'm only interested in having enough power to get out of the way and extending engine life.

Midnightrider wrote on 08/13/09 at 12:10:50:
Deliberate countersteering is totally non-intuitive, and makes perfect sense once one thinks about it.  When you're hit with a gust of wind from, say, the left, and leaned over to the right, push ahead on the left handlebar.  That steers the front tire contact patch under the bike's present center of gravity and gets you stabilized.  Push harder to lean the bike into the wind and get back on track or to hold your original path of travel.

When adding a passenger or heavy cargo load, increase the shock setting as needed to avoid bottoming out.  When the weight is off, set the shocks back to avoid topping out.

Both Metzeler and Dunlop recommend inflation pressures 3 to 4 psi above the pressures shown on the stickers on our bikes.  In any case, we always want higher cold pressure when starting out on a hot day or fast hot ride.  Metzeler shows the pressure recommendations on their web site's general info section.  Dunlop has it on the Savage/S40 tire recommendation chart.