Touring Mods and Accessories

[LeMonstre]

Monsters may not be purpose-built for touring, but I just rode mine from San Francisco to Dallas, TX and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it performed. I'm going to present you with my tips and mods:
1. Omni-Cruise Throttle Lock: Oh my God was this thing worth it! Seriously worth its weight in gold. It allows you to go as long as you want keeping your throttle in position so you can relax your hand. I had zero wrist fatigue in 1000 miles of riding.
2. Zero Gravity Sport Touring Windscreen. It fits without modification, and it's a little taller than the stock one so as to alleviate more windblast. Totally worth it.
3. AirHawk Small Pillion Pad: I think it may be a bit overpriced, but I also think it really does help, provided that it's not over-inflated.
4. Sedici Toscana Saddlebags: They are universal fit, and they will touch the exhausts. The Termignoni carbon fiber exhausts don't get too hot so I had no problem in nearly 2k miles. However, there's nothing keeping the bags from rubbing on the tire, so I had to make a bracket that would keep them apart. No big deal, cost me 5 bucks to make. They also make the seat a bit harder to latch but again, no big deal.
5. Handlebar Risers: Generic risers for the monster from amazon. No mods necessary, just plug and play. It really helps alleviate back pain.
As for some tips, I do wish i had brought some of those tear-offs for my helmet for when too many bugs are splattered on and blocking my vision. I learned to use my frame sliders as leg rests so I could recline. Also you can use your passenger pegs to take some pressure off your ass. At times I even rested my feet on top of my saddlebags and laid down Superman-style. Instead of GPS, I just put a small piece of tape on my tank and write directions on it. Small metal thermos bottles work well for keeping a little extra gas. They're like 5 bucks at Walgreen's. I keep 2 on me. Portable phone chargers are a must-have if you're like me and you like to listen to music or podcasts while you ride. Don't forget duct-tape and emergency tools. And earplugs of course.
Anyway, that's my write up. Hopefully you enjoy

[Dochunt]

Great advise.
Which monster do you have?
Can you post pictures of the luggage bracket you made?
Thanks

[LeMonstre]

http://postimg.org/image/lbsfo7a7x/

That's a picture of the bracket. It doesn't really attach to the bike at all. All it does is push the bags outwards so that they don't rub against the rear tire.

I have a 2008 Monster 695

[Dochunt]

Excellent.
Looks light and simple.
Thanks for posting the picture

[LeMonstre]

Yeah it's just a small aluminum bar. Cost me 5 dollars at Home Depot. I put the bar in a vise grip and bent it 90 degrees, then drilled holes. It was very easy to do

[cayman s]

For an excellent read about a Monster ride from Alberta, Canada, to Austin, Texas (and a whole lot more reading material), may I suggest Riding with Rilke.

http://www.amazon.com/Riding-Rilke-Reflections-Motorcycles-Books/dp/0393330745

[Dochunt]

Seems somewhat like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

[LeMonstre]

I used Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for this trip. There's a list of items you should bring in chapter 4

[Dochunt]

It is one of my favorite books,
Just reread it this fall.