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tripod set up for a M9

Paratom

Well-known member
Why not a small tripod which you can place on your motorcycle or on other things like a small gorilla pad or Leica travel tripod?
Depends from where your you usually shoot.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
The camera (M9 typically) itself and a couple of lenses of course go in the tank bag that I line with bubble wrap. In pouches or wrapped with something to keep them from dinging against other contents.

This is just an idea. A lot of the stuff - tripod, bike, cargo plate, Mag's Bags, aren't sold anymore. I use the stock luggage, but for more serious touring (like if I shipped the bike to Asia to ride it to Europe) I'd get Al Jesses.
That was what I was going to ask...M9 in tank bag or pad the hell out of the top box.
I agree long trips no knobbies and better panniers. But I can ride for days here and never touch pavement, western kentucky and southern Illinois.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
Why not a small tripod which you can place on your motorcycle or on other things like a small gorilla pad or Leica travel tripod?
Depends from where your you usually shoot.
Most of the time the bike gets me to a area where I have to hike to the point of interest. I'm getting to old to do to much technical trail riding and I dont want to fall down :D
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
I've been on Tourances for most of this bike's life... (2001 model, bought in 2000.) They're durable, stick well for what they are, and do okay on anything reasonable packed or planed - like fire roads and Sierra mining roads in the dry of summer. Sand, not so great. Which reminds me I should get new crash bars... :LOL: Seriously, even if I ride 5 miles on dirt roads and fire/mining/logging roads I will ride 200 miles on paved to get there...

Do make sure your tripod or any other gear is in something padded. I had an Arca-Swiss ballhead completely disassemble itself from vibrations. Not so fun when you stop to shoot and find your ballhead is in a pile bits and pieces in the bottom of a bag. Even worse if it's NOT in a bag - then'll it'll be left along miles and miles of road! :thumbdown:
 

250swb

Member
Its not going to be a great idea if you fall off onto your spine, but have you considered a waist pack to carry your M9? Your body would act as another shock absorber. The Think Tank 'Change Up' bag can be used as either a waist bag or a shoulder bag, so giving some flexibility when you are on or off the bike. It would also mean your camera is with you all the time and ready for use.

Steve
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
Its not going to be a great idea if you fall off onto your spine, but have you considered a waist pack to carry your M9? Your body would act as another shock absorber. The Think Tank 'Change Up' bag can be used as either a waist bag or a shoulder bag, so giving some flexibility when you are on or off the bike. It would also mean your camera is with you all the time and ready for use.

Steve
I have thought about a back pack... I am worried about vibration.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I have thought about a back pack... I am worried about vibration.
I have always hated wearing a backpack or belt pack while I'm riding a motorcycle. Not only from the standpoint of what could happen in a crash, but because having a bunch of weight on my shoulders and back when i'm trying to operate a motorcycle is restrictive and gets in the way of my enjoying the bike.

My camera gear has always gone into a soft pack on the passenger section of the seat, in whatever bag I use for shooting. I've never had any problems with vibration damaging anything. A tripod ... I always just strapped that on the top of one of my soft panniers. (Never had hard luggage.) Trying to fit a proper tripod inside never made sense to me. Tripods are tough.
 

thrice

Active member
Just get the smallest carbon fiber tripod you can get. My M9 has always been tack sharp even in the wind and sand on a Gitzo 1541T.
 

bensonga

Well-known member
Seems like we're headed in that direction! :D

Notice that in the pic of my friend's 1200GSA, he simply had the monopod (sans head) strapped on the outside of his monster camera backpack. He had alot of expensive Canon L glass and a 1D2 in there, including a 300/2.8 L lens etc. I think he had shipped his 600mm lens to Laguna Seca, simply because it wouldn't fit. The bag was packed with extra bubble wrap around certain items, but even so, I wondered about vibration damage on the long ride from Alaska to California. Sections of the Alaska Highway are about as rough as any road most of us will ever encounter, especially those areas (and there are many) under construction each summer.

Bottom line.....he did not have detect any damage to the camera gear at the end of that trip, which I think was about 6k miles total. Perhaps that outstanding BMW suspension contributed to a smoother ride for the camera gear as well.

Gary
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
My camera gear survived a 13,000 mile long "circumnavigation of the United States" on the back of a '75 Ducati 750GT in 1979, and another 17,000 mile long similar trip on the '73 BMW R75/5 in 1984. I think that how you pack the gear is much more important than what the bike's suspension does. ;-)

Note: the BMW on its journey broke two exhaust mounts (one twice), a luggage rack mount, and two throttle cables. The Ducati never broke anything.
 

bensonga

Well-known member
My personal favorites are any sort of top loading panniers. I have standard Givi side loading panniers on my V-Strom 650s....but my wife has Al Jesse bags on her F650GS (now called the G650GS) and I'm always envious when we are out on a trip together.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
My personal favorites are any sort of top loading panniers. I have standard Givi side loading panniers on my V-Strom 650s....but my wife has Al Jesse bags on her F650GS (now called the G650GS) and I'm always envious when we are out on a trip together.
Jessie's are nice! I had a 2001 F650GS previous to my new one. Never had one issue with it great bike.

I'm going to wrap the hell out of the camera bits in bubble wrap and foam the top box, we'll see how it goes.
 
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