Good Lord the Storage

After my business trip to beautiful Colorado last week I had to carry my computer bag and other work related garbage back to work with me this morning.

But the weather was just too damn nice for a cage, so I wanted to ride the Swing. My computer bag is a rolling carry-on type made by American Tourister, and it is large so I can carry all kinds of useless computer junk with me on the road. It does have hidden shoulder straps so it can be worn like a backpack so I figured that would be my last resort.

After putting my regular everyday bag (my wife calls it my "purse") under the seat I laid the computer bag over top of it and almost unbelievably, the seat would close over them both!

The first thing that attracted me to a scooter rather than a motorcycle was the storage, and I have to say the Swing holds an absolutely amazing amount of stuff.

If I remember my camera tomorrow I'll take a pic of the bags. Away from the Swing you'd never imagine they fit.

I regularly commute with a small rucksack and laptop bag under the seat.

Eat your heart out big wheelers with all your worldly goods carried externally!!

I went to Costco yesterday and bought just the right amount of food and extra's to fit inside my top box and under the seat.
I took a short video because I was so amazed at how well everything fit. I wanted to download the video here but am limited to my knowledge on how.
In the meen time I will just spell it out. Haha
24 eggs
2 loaves of bread.
14 sponges.
1 bag of apples.
1 bag of hydration multiplier packs.
1 box (30) nut bars.
1 bag organic coffee.
1 bunch of bananas.
3 half gal milk.
1 bag healthy heart nuts.
1 electric air pump and my 6 lb. Dumb bells.
And a Partrage in a pear tree. That's all folks.

I'm not scared of getting three full shopping bags into the topbox and under seat cavern.

My Partner and I visit family in Belgium with everything we need for a 10 day holiday on the SW. No bags, rucksacks or panniers.

Just another bonus point for the SW

One of the better decisions I made was to stop using a tunnel bag. It was once an essential part of my touring gear in the same way a tank bag was in my biking days. But over the years clambering over a tunnel bag to get on and off a maxi and having to remove and reattach it at fuel stops became a nuisance.

For groceries I prefer to use a rucksack and store it all in my Givi E55 top box. Perishable items go in a cool bag with ice pack and I only use under seat storage for cans and dry items like pasta, rice, and flour.

I made a 190 mile round trip over to Cumbria last month just to buy and fill my cool bag a shed load of traditional Cumberland Sausage.

Can't you buy it in Morrisons?

Loosemarbles wrote:

Can't you buy it in Morrisons?

Cumberland Style Sausage is available in most supermarkets, and Traditional Cumberland Sausage is produced by butchers within  Cumbria. Or the old county of Cumberland before the 1974 boundary changes.

The pork originally used was from the Cumberland pig, it became extinct in the 20th Century as tastes changed and people wanted leaner pork and bacon. Family butchers all use their own recipe for the spices and seasoning,

Apart from the traditional thick coiled Cumberland sausage, there's now varieties with cubed black pudding, caramelised onion, and other additions which are all very good too.

It was just an excuse to have a ride out and replenish my freezer stock of sausage, nowadays of course I could have ordered it from this butcher online. We don't eat it all at home, some of it goes down South when we visit family members who all enjoy it.

What I didn't expect that day was the sheer volume of traffic going over the A66 Pennines, staycationers going into the Lake District etc.

So it was no surprise to read reports of inconsiderate and selfish car parking are blocking access to Police, Ambulance, and Mountain Rescue Teams in places like Borrowdale and Wasdale.

The A66 has been like that for a while due to a combination of staycationers, weather, lockdown lifting and furlough. It even worse on a Bank Holiday.
These days I'll either go up Teesdale or, if I'm not in a rush, through the network of minor roads either side of the A66 and just accept I'll get lost at some stage but will no doubt find something interesting in the process.

Don’t forget the annual Appleby Horse Fair which has been moved to next month. Then if you’re unluckily enough to be on the A66 heading West, you'll be slowed to a fast walking pace as traffic stacks up behind one of those bow topped caravans being pulled by a horse.

Glad I'm back down South.

you want storage?

now that's storage!

And very nice storage it that.

Ooh I like that!

How was the weather on your ride? No doubt it got better as you came further south.

We had some rain and strong winds on Thursday/Friday here on the south coast, but I wouldn't say it was a storm.