The trunk of a Honda Pacific-Coast is the weirdest and most useful feature of the bike. (The other is chill… which I’ll discuss later.) For future adventures touring and (hopefully!) motocamping I need to know how much I can carry. (Image from a ten year old Rider article.)
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the luggage capacity of various motorcycles. I never got much of a straight answer. Maybe because camping ain’t a Goldwing thing? The data I have here came from some random internet location, I’ve verified nothing.
| Motorcycle | Saddlebags | Trunk | Total** |
| Honda Goldwing GL1200 (1984)* | 2 * 38 = 76 | 63 | 139 |
| GL1500 | 2 * 62 = 124 | 69 | 193 |
| GL1800 | 80 total (not symmetrical) | 60 | 140 |
| GL1800 (2018+) | 2 * 30 = 60 | 50 | 110 |
| Honda Pacific Coast 800 | 80 Bedonkadonk is not symmetrical. | Whatever I strap on? | 80 + ? |
First of all, I’ve always thought the GL1500 went a too little far on the “excess boxyness” axis. I just thought it was my bias. Turns out the GL1500 is indeed the mac daddy, imperial star-cruiser, of hauling shit. It feels like the GL1200 was about right and then the GL1500 went for it big time and got almost silly. With the GL1800, Honda’s engineers dialed back the madness (which did piss off some GL1500 owners who refuse to “update”.)
As for my PC-800, I was planning to bolt on a Givi trunk (assuming I can find the right bracket). A Givi case will add 30-50 liters and put the PC-800 in the 110 to 130 total liters carry capacity range. That puts me right in the sweet spot of non-1500 Goldwings.
However, I’ve started to rethink my plans. I’ve grown to like the PC-800’s simplicity. There’s hardly an ounce above belly button height on the bike and it just floats down the road so nicely. I’m having second thoughts about putting the weight and air resistance of a Givi trunk waaaaaay out back and high; it can’t possibly improve anything aerodynamics wise. Also, trunks and mounting hardware is expensive!
Since I ride solo, I’m thinking of a motorcycle drybag strapped across the pillion seat. I think a 30-40 liter drybag would ride nice and easy. I’m not sure about that. Cost would be anywhere from $120+/- to $250+/- which is well under half what a Givi costs. Also I could leave it off when I’m not motocamping.
There’s no rush. I’m sorting camping gear to see what I can use and what is optimized for Dodge and will never ride on a bike. I’ll let the camping gear make my decisions… all in due time.
Wouldn’t it be weird if I dropped $100 on a 30 liter drybag and my little PC-800 bounced into the modern GL1800 class? I’m thinking tent, sleeping bag, and pad… that can probably fit in 30 liters with room to spare?
Anyone know much about dry bags? They all look the same to me. I need something I can order on-line. I’ll probably strap it to the PC800’s pillion grab rails. (Everything else is covered with cladding.) If y’all know stuff about motocamping drybags, please shoot me a comment or private e-mail. I spent a lot of time thinking over bikes but I’d rather not reinvent the wheel over a drybag.
Anyway, I just love that bedonkadonk!
A.C.
*There was some variation in the GL1200 line).
** All volumes in liters.
Gary Walke sells racks on Ebay. I have one and it is well made. You can bolt about any type of plate to the top for your case.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325330498022?fits=Model%3APC800%7CMake%3AHonda&hash=item4bbf3571e6:g:bu0AAOSwckVhmVXm
CDW Anon
That’s very good information. Thanks!
For my last camping trip I purchased some Rhinowalk dry bags. Worked well keeping everything dry and organized. They link together giving multiple configurations when installing them on the bike. May not work for everyone but I was very pleased with them and the cost was reasonable compared to the competition. If I remember correctly I bought them off Amazon. http://www.RHINOWALK.COM
Thanks for the info.
For my F650GS (which had saddle bags but no top case), I bought a 60litre dry bag that sat nicely across. My particular model was https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07W12XQDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A smaller version that you can get south of the 49th is https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Waterproof-Reflective-Luggage-Accessories/dp/B085RN71X3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1XM2X5QZP9REG&keywords=borlini%2Bmotorcycle%2Bdry%2Bbag&qid=1686785949&sprefix=borleni%2Bmotorcycle%2Bdry%2B%2Caps%2C699&sr=8-2&th=1
My advice is to look for a top-opening dry bag, and if it has an air-valve, even better. Top-openers are lots easier to load and find stuff afterwards, compared to the traditional sea-bag style end-opening. One of the nice features of my bag was that it had built-in straps for lashing down, which meant I didn’t need to fiddle with bungie cords.
A bigger bag is generally OK, you don’t have to load it right full (but human nature means that you’ll be tempted to add ‘just one more….’) Depending on your camping gear, 30litres might be a tight squeeze for tent, bag and pad.
Good to know. It’s hard to mentally picture what 30 liters means in the real world. Now I know to look a little larger.
I just found out my air mattress / sleeping bag combo which I’d carefully stored several years ago has air leaks. That was my “go to” small & lightweight camping setup. It was stored while I rambled around using a Dodge to carry gear. That means all my recently acquired gear is more suitable for a tank than a motorcycle. The Big Agnes pad is no longer made and my sleeping bag was built specifically for that pad. I guess I’m in the market for something new.
Thanks for the links.
Two words: tank bags. For many years I used one of these on a variety of bikes: Eclipse Sportpack. Doesn’t interfere with riding and makes a good place for maps or I-devices to be visible while riding.
http://www.eclipseluggage.com/sportpack-tankbag.html
Good idea.
Glue some large washers on the underside of the fake gas tank and then you can use the magnetic tank bags.
Be very careful when removing the Tupperware (look online for videos) as the tabs are old and easily broken.
I’m trying to get a copy of the service manual before I even think of pulling the Tupperware of this critter.
I traveled from upstate New York to Anchorage Alaska then San Diego and back through Colorado to home with a sleeping bag inside it’s stuff bag with a garbage bag to waterproof it secured to the tank with three pieces of 550 cord. There was a great place to put a bulky item and it was a soft item in case I had to meet it in uncertain circumstances. It was simple and worked and I lived off that bike for 3 and 1/2 months that way. There was a forward and aft loop under the tank and over the bag that secured it and then I ran a tightening loop around the 4 points where it came up from under the tank to stabilize it. Worked a treat. Left more room behind me for tent and other stuff, including the guitar. 🙂
Ha ha ha … the guitar just puts it over the top!
I also appreciate the utility of a trash bag. I’ve gone cross country several times on my cruiser with a bike pack lashed to the sissy bar and various junk in the passenger seat. Whatever was on the passenger seat was always in a trash bag.
Was at a hostel in western Canada for the night playing guitar on a couch and sharing it with various other folks. One person commented that they wanted to bring theirs but had no room.
“What are you driving?”
“Ford station wagon.”
“Oh….”
Was a good way to meet people and make friends along the way. When I got on the Marine Highway ferry at Prince Rupert and parked the bike for that leg of the trip I discovered that the way I had stowed it in it’s soft bag against the sissy bar had caused the strings to press against the frets and get sawed through! When we made a half hour stop in Ketchikan I was first off the boat, grabbed a taxi, “Take me to a music store”, which turned out to be the general store and bought two sets of strings. Last back on the boat before they lifted the ramp!
If you didn’t get a cabin you got deck passage which was a chaise lounge chair under a cover on the aft deck with some infrared heaters above. There were about 30-40 of us doing the cheaper option and between us we had a fair pickup band each night for a few hours with a few guitars, harmonicas, penny whistles and other road instruments. On the return trip a month later there were even two cellos.
I’d love to do the trip again. They were just starting to pave the Alcan when I made the trip. Was actually my first experience dirt riding, on a GS750!
I owned a Buick station wagon once. Best car I ever had. Room for a thousand guitars, and all your stuff, and when you fold the back seat down you can lay a sleeping bag out like it’s the lap of luxury.
I’ve never done an AK ferry deck ride. It sounds like fun, just never had the chance. Maybe someday.
Have a sleeping pad but was never comfortable so I went with a Kingcamp cot. Takes a couple minutes to set up but slept like being in my bed at home. Very compact and lightweight. Believe I found it on Amazon. Just another option.
I can see cots as better than a pad. I love my Teton XXL cot but it’s just too darned huge for a bike. I’ll check it out.
I have used these folks products for many years. Not the cheapest but good quality IMO.
https://touratech-usa.com/store/Touratech-Extreme-Waterproof-Dry-Bag
Thanks.
https://wingmanoftheroad.com/
I’ve checked them out several times. They look amazingly cool but from a practical standpoint I think they’re probably less comfortable than a normal tent. I really like the fast setup though.
I like having a dry bag to strap across the pillion seat when I go on long trips, even though I have a GL1500 with a big trunk, because I can use the bag as a backrest.
I have acquired a dry bag. Can’t wait to test it.
I’m sure you’ll let us know what you picked when you’re ready…
I’m in the process of gearing up right now. However, logistics for the Pacific Coast 800 are temporarily is delayed because I’ve been blasting around the mountains on my other bike (Honey Badger… a Yamaha TW 200).