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M8 - Motorcycles & Vibration Resistance


Jager

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I have several bikes, but the two that I turn most miles with are a K1200RS and a R1200GS. I'm not really worried about the KRS - that is an exceptionally smooth motorcycle. But the R1200GS is a twin and produces significantly more vibration. And that's the one I most take on trips these days.

 

My camera gear is always carried either in one of the saddlebags (if on a day trip); or in a tankbag (all overnight trips). In both cases they are reasonably well-padded. But I'm not convinced that padding does a great job of attenuating constant vibration.

 

Thoughts? Am I being overly anal in worrying about this?

 

TIA.

 

Jeff

 

I've packed cameras on K's and R's. Honestly, I worried more about the high frquency vibrations of the K's, my last being a K1200GT. I had an R1150Gs that had noticeable low frequency vibration at specific RPM's but generally pretty smooth, otherwise. I would _never_ pack cameras in a saddlebag or tail bag. The mounting generally multiplies low frequency vibrations (think paint shaker). Possible exceptions might be the LT or a Gold Wing as the bags are more 'integrated' in the bike structure. I've always packed cameras in the tank bag or seat bag or a back pack type camera bag lashed to the seat and never had a problem.

 

Good luck!

 

Robbe

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I've packed cameras on K's and R's. Honestly, I worried more about the high frquency vibrations of the K's, my last being a K1200GT. I had an R1150Gs that had noticeable low frequency vibration at specific RPM's but generally pretty smooth, otherwise. I would _never_ pack cameras in a saddlebag or tail bag. The mounting generally multiplies low frequency vibrations (think paint shaker). Possible exceptions might be the LT or a Gold Wing as the bags are more 'integrated' in the bike structure. I've always packed cameras in the tank bag or seat bag or a back pack type camera bag lashed to the seat and never had a problem.

 

Good luck!

 

Robbe

 

I'm leading us further OT, I'm afraid, but of course the Ks vary in terms of how buzzy they are. The K100 was probably the worst. My LT, a 2000, is very smooth at almost all rpms however. As I say, I've been carrying cameras and lenses in its trunk for a lot of miles a year for many years and have only had the one problem with the 35/2.5. That said, the tankbag is probably the best.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I have carried a PowerBook and now a MacBook in the hard bags of my Ducati for years and thousands of miles without a problem. The Duc is not quite the paint shaker but certainly not smooth and I can't imagine that the M8 is more delicate than a laptop.

Mechanically, the Ms are reputed to be very resilient and the electronics are no different that what we find in a laptop, so are we being a little over cautious there?

Also, like Sean, I found it interesting to see so many riders in this forum, and I noticed that the brands of bikes mentioned are not the ones that have the big market shares. Combine that with a disproportionate number of Mac users, and it looks like some kind of profile starts to emerge :)

Jacques

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I spent 3 years riding in Latin America on my BMW R80GS with a tank bag containing Leica M5 and M6 plus various lenses. Never had a problem and that with the rough conditions of the back roads of the Latin Continent. The liner of the bag was made from a piece of closed cell foam and I had cut out room for the cameras and lenses.

 

Since then I have gone away from tank bags. With the riding I am doing I feel that a tank bag is more of a danger to the riding, but that is another story.

 

I also carry a MacBook Pro and earlier PowerBooks of different flavors and had no problems. The computer is always placed in one of my panniers protected by a normal carrying case. I always make sure that the computer has been shut down before going for a ride, not just in sleep mode.

 

Sean, I have enjoyed your web pages tremendously and learned a lot, thank you for all of your hard work. Getting back to using a M camera feels very nice and I am having lots of joy with the camera on this journey. Still I will be using my Eos camera and lenses and together I thing they are a good teem for what I do.

 

Greetings

 

Helge Pedersen

http://www.globeriders.com

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I must confess that when I started this thread I had hoped to hear ringing endorsements of "not to worry, your M8 and lenses will be perfectly fine". It seems, though, that many people - and, happily, the forum here seems to have quite a few riders - share my concerns. As I drove home from work yesterday I was increasingly of the mind that it would probably be wise to just bite the bullet and carry my D200 and 12-24, 28-70, and 70-200 Nikkors. The last thing I want on a motorcycle trip, after all, is to be worrying about gear in the back of my mind.

 

The recent posts by Jacques and Helge have me back on the fence, however. Jacques' Ducati and Helge's R80 both produce vibration in amount and frequency similar to my R1200GS. And I agree that carrying a laptop has very similar concerns to carrying camera gear.

 

BTW, I have several books on the coffee table in my living room - Pasi's LEICA, WITNESS TO A CENTURY, Rafferty's DUCATI, a couple of recent MOTOCOURSE annuals, and... 10 YEARS ON 2 WHEELS, by Pedersen. Helge, it's good to meet you - in cyberspace at least!

 

Jeff

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Guest guy_mancuso

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Jeff to be honest i would worry more about a DSLR than a RF to begin with. There are many more parts normally on a DSLR like a whole mirror box assembly with focusing screens , mirrors, pentaprism and such.

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Sean, I have enjoyed your web pages tremendously and learned a lot, thank you for all of your hard work. Getting back to using a M camera feels very nice and I am having lots of joy with the camera on this journey. Still I will be using my Eos camera and lenses and together I thing they are a good teem for what I do.

Helge Pedersen

GlobeRiders® - Your Motorcycle Adventure Tour and Multimedia Company - Come Ride the World with Us!

 

Hi Helge,

 

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it. I get a lot of joy from the M8 as well and my other system is also EOS. We should grab a beer one day.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I'm forever worrying about my equipment except for when it is put away in a Pelican case.

 

The Pelican cases are waterproof, impact proof, almost bulletproof and do as good a job as can likely be obtained of isolating cameras and lenses from vibration and shock damage.

 

A M body, several lenses and accessories easily fit into the foam inserts of a Pelican 1200 box. With outside dimensions of 11x10x5 inches it would easily fit into a saddlebag.

 

I carry a Canon Pro1, Ricoh GR1v, accessory lenses, etc. in one for extended wilderness trips and am setting up my M8 is a similar box.

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I use a Think Tank Bum Bag. It is small and fits on your belt. You can put it any where but I put mine on the right side and it rests between my stomach and upper leg. I carry an M w/a lens attached and there is room for another lens if need be. I carry extra film in a small front pocket. I think this is much better than putting it in a bag that comes in contact with the bike. It also has a pull out rain cover if needed. It is very well made and cost only $34.00.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just to bring some kind of closure to this... I went on my first overnight motorcycle trip (three days and about 900 miles) of the season a week and a half ago. And, yes, in spite of my initial concerns, I took my M8 kit. I simply placed my A&A ACAM 7200 bag - a bag that's already well-padded - inside the tank bag on my BMW R1200GS. Everything worked exceedingly well.

 

If there were to be problems with vibration, they likely wouldn't show up for many, many months and miles of riding. So there's nothing definitive yet to be drawn from this. But my sense on that first ride was that this is all ok.

 

I will say, that after many years of carrying an SLR/DSLR (my recent travel kit included a Nikon D200, 12-24, 28-70, 70-200, and Nikon strobe) the weight difference when removing the tank bag to gas up was remarkable. Of course, the NIkon rig is exceptionally versatile - more so than the Leica - but it sure was pleasant not having to haul all that gear.

 

I'll be leaving in another couple hours on my next trip - a five day adventure. And once again I'm taking the M8.

 

If anything bad develops somewhere down the road I'll report it, but I think this is all going to work out just fine.

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Jeff

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I leave friday on a 10 day trip through the northeast US to Laconia NH on my 2000 HD Softail. I will be camping and expect hot, humid, cold an rain on the trip. I always take my cameras and have never had a problem. I have taken the M8 on some short rides but this will be the first lengthy road trip so I will report when I get back.

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Hello

 

My new M8 is carried on a waist pack on my body at all times. Yes, I agree that this is not the safest in case of an accident, but so is life at times, we have to take some chances.

Helge Pedersen

 

Not wanting to be a spoilsport, 'cos I know how much we love our bikes and cameras, but carrying a camera, or anything else, on your body whilst riding a bike can have massive implications for you and your family. I deal with people who suffer life changing injuries every working day.

 

I've just sold one of these vehicles to a rider knocked off his bike whilst he was carrying a stainless steel thermos flask in his backpack which severed his spinal chord. Not only has he lost the use of his legs, his wife, most of his friends, it's taken ten years to find a vehicle he can drive.

 

Accidents happen, reduce the risk of devastating consequences.

 

Rolo

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Touratech makes 2 different "photographer" tank bags. They are water proof, padded and have adjustable dividers for lenses etc. They also convert to a backpack or shoulder bag.

I also use OR's "padded cells" which are foam padded cases that fit a M8 and lens perfectly. as added cushioning inside the tank bag.

 

http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?sku=055-1076&-session=touratech:F2BC0C6339A2B0A796B541F15AD44952

 

http://www.summithut.com/catalog/remap/product.asp/pfid/16241/

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Not wanting to be a spoilsport, 'cos I know how much we love our bikes and cameras, but carrying a camera, or anything else, on your body whilst riding a bike can have massive implications for you and your family. I deal with people who suffer life changing injuries every working day.

 

I've just sold one of these vehicles to a rider knocked off his bike whilst he was carrying a stainless steel thermos flask in his backpack which severed his spinal chord. Not only has he lost the use of his legs, his wife, most of his friends, it's taken ten years to find a vehicle he can drive.

 

Accidents happen, reduce the risk of devastating consequences.

 

Rolo

 

I agree and we actually were discussing this earlier in the thread.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I've two towels sitting in my right-hand saddlebag. One for cushion for the bag, one for me, in case I suddenly need to take a long ride (I like to sit on a folded towel if I've got to sit on the bike for hours and hours). I put the camera on top of one towel, and use the other to fill the empty space so that the camera doesn't bump around.

 

Upshot: I've never had a camera break. This bike is an R1200RT. Before that it was an ST1300, and before that it was a V-11 Sport (Moto Guzzi). Years of riding, years of photography. I've carried around a Contax III-a, Mamiya Universal, Leica MP/M6/M3, Contax G2, Nikon S3 and SP, Voigtlander Prominent, and until a bit ago, a 5D. I plan to carry the M8 the same way.

 

No problems. I don't worry about it. Things are well protected, don't rattle around. I can straighten a rangefinder if I need, but I've not yet needed to do so, as a result of the motorcycle.

 

This is just my experience, not a recommendation. I might well be hard on my cameras, but to date, none have ever broken as a result of my shipping. Dust? No more a problem than anyone else seems to have experienced. I'm happy with my solution.

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Not wanting to be a spoilsport, 'cos I know how much we love our bikes and cameras, but carrying a camera, or anything else, on your body whilst riding a bike can have massive implications for you and your family. I deal with people who suffer life changing injuries every working day.

 

I've just sold one of these vehicles to a rider knocked off his bike whilst he was carrying a stainless steel thermos flask in his backpack which severed his spinal chord. Not only has he lost the use of his legs, his wife, most of his friends, it's taken ten years to find a vehicle he can drive.

 

Accidents happen, reduce the risk of devastating consequences.

 

Rolo

 

Hi,

 

Thank you for sharing. I am always asking my wife to not keep her purse over her shoulder and UNDER the seat belt for exactly the reason that this "soft" item contains a lot of hard items, and they can do serious damage if you get into an accident.

 

I have not, however, considered the risk to myself while I carry my satchel over my shoulder while on my motorcycle.

 

I was curious about the thread as I have just ordered my R1200S - pick it up tomorrow - and wanted to see the results from the vibration issue.

 

This I had not thought about.

 

Thanks.

 

Per

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Leica and BMW motorcycles somehow go together. Most of my hits on my photoblog in my signature come from this forum, and 1/3 of the hits are from Macs. Macs and Leicas also seem to have an affinity, as this is way above the normal ratio.

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