Deuce Budget Bagger
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Haymarket, VA
As djl said, I admire the inginuity involved, but since my wife is not able to ride(MS) I don't do trips at all & have no need for saddlebags, etc. & don't like fairings on Softails. I love my Deuce as is & would not make a bagger out of it, if I should ever have need for one it would be a RK or SG.
Last edited by streeteagle; Jan 3, 2014 at 11:44 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Tallahassee, FL
He is.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: san antonio
Originally Posted by phanowel
Ah, and therein lies the beauty of this... You don't have to 'go there.'
He is.
He is.
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Joined: May 2013
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From: Los Angeles
I admire the ingenuity and dogged determination it took to try and make a touring bike out of a cruiser but as a Deuce owner, I just can't see hanging a bunch of luggage on a Deuce. I have mounted a detachable saddle bag to the left side of mine to carry tire repair, extra shirt, bottle of water, etc., have a tool bag strapped to my Ness Lo Fly bars and a tank bag; you do have to be able to carry some basic stuff. But tour packs, bat wings, windshields; sorry guys, no offense intended but I just can't go there.
Freelander, you are focused on luggage carrying capacity and while that is important, you should be as focused on comfort for you and more importantly your female passenger. The Deuce is a softail and even with the counter balanced motor, softails have an inherent buzz in the bars and foot pegs that you don't notice on short trips but will definitely notice after a 500 mile day. If you have not taken the Deuce out for a 500 mile day, you might want to take a shake out run, luggage and all before you embark on a 7-10 day road trip. Nothing worse than discovering the bugs in your modifications before the end of the first day on the road.
If you want your female passenger to be comfortable, get rid of that seat and replace it with a Mustang or Corbin. Both of you will have a major case of monkey butt in about 100 miles on that seat. She will be miserable from then on and the trip might not be as much fun as you are anticipating. If you don't believe me, get a buddy to ride you around on that pillion for 100 miles and see how you like it.
The photos look like the rear suspension has been lowered. If that is the case, raise it back up to stock ride height. The bike will handle much better and the extra travel might save your passenger from a few bone jarring jolts when the lowered suspension bottoms out.
I will also tell you that I don't think you will find the stock bars very comfortable on a cross country trip. The ergonomics may be just right for you but the stock bars were not designed for touring; pretty hard on the lower back after a long day in the saddle.
Seriously, not trying to be a smarta$$, just sharing what I have learned over the years. I now also own a 2002 FLHT and once you get on a real touring bike, you will understand. A 500 mile day on that old FL is a walk in the park.
Freelander, you are focused on luggage carrying capacity and while that is important, you should be as focused on comfort for you and more importantly your female passenger. The Deuce is a softail and even with the counter balanced motor, softails have an inherent buzz in the bars and foot pegs that you don't notice on short trips but will definitely notice after a 500 mile day. If you have not taken the Deuce out for a 500 mile day, you might want to take a shake out run, luggage and all before you embark on a 7-10 day road trip. Nothing worse than discovering the bugs in your modifications before the end of the first day on the road.
If you want your female passenger to be comfortable, get rid of that seat and replace it with a Mustang or Corbin. Both of you will have a major case of monkey butt in about 100 miles on that seat. She will be miserable from then on and the trip might not be as much fun as you are anticipating. If you don't believe me, get a buddy to ride you around on that pillion for 100 miles and see how you like it.
The photos look like the rear suspension has been lowered. If that is the case, raise it back up to stock ride height. The bike will handle much better and the extra travel might save your passenger from a few bone jarring jolts when the lowered suspension bottoms out.
I will also tell you that I don't think you will find the stock bars very comfortable on a cross country trip. The ergonomics may be just right for you but the stock bars were not designed for touring; pretty hard on the lower back after a long day in the saddle.
Seriously, not trying to be a smarta$$, just sharing what I have learned over the years. I now also own a 2002 FLHT and once you get on a real touring bike, you will understand. A 500 mile day on that old FL is a walk in the park.
Thanks for the info. I guess I should have followed up after we did our trip last summer
This setup was for a one time trip and I took the tour pack off after. I do have saddle bags but I didn't have them in the pic. Ive kept the fairing and the saddlebags and I love the way it all works out. I use the bike as my daily driver and I need the space to haul gear around with me. In LA this has been the best of both worlds. The bike is small enough and nimble enough that I can split lanes and get around town but now has enough storage that I can use it for work. I do about 7-8K miles around town every year on my bikes.
I agree, its not for everyone and wasnt really my first choice. But part of what I love about bikes is taking what I have and can afford and making it work for what I want it to do. I hope to one day own a touring bike but in the meantime I make due with what I have.
So, the report on the trip is this: It was amazing!!! We spent 7 days on the bike doing 12-14 hour days. It wasn't perfect but it was extremely comfortable and held up great. The main problems we had were some buffeting issues but we worked those out in the first few days. 2nd, the Legend suspension setup I had had a complete and utter break down. Every component except for the shocks themselves broke at some point along the trip. And the last 24 hours we had to ride with no shocks at all. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad.
We started in LA, rode Route 66 all the way across Arizona, cut up to New Mexico then up to Colorado and back down through Nevada and back to LA. Lots of heat in Arizona and lots of rain in Colorado.
So, yes, my setup may not be for everyone but it was perfect for what I needed it for. Hopefully next time Ill be able to make the trip on a full tourer.
Ride safe.
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Joined: May 2013
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From: Los Angeles
Handling was actually fine. I noticed a small difference once we were loaded up but I adjusted quickly.
I do have 2 saddle bags, the brackets just hadn't arrived when I took those pictures.
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Joined: Apr 2012
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From: south africa
To reply to djl,my take on things, Taking a bike and adding storage items to create convenience is in itself is not a bad thing, we all use our bikes and own them for different reasons, I often take mine out for short rides when I have to do chores.......shops.....etc, so having some form of space for storage is great, I know the deuce is an awesome looking bike, however I look for any reason to get on and ride, id rather take the deuce than climb in a cage . My wife and I are often on the bike and being able to take both rain suites, tyre repair, water and so on is a bonus...
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