Being prepared while riding naked ...

LucienLeFranc

Running like a top
Thread starter
Maybe a bit trivial of a post topic, but just in the off chance that it helps repay at least in some small trivial way for all of your advice to this CB1100 noob, who, with your help, now has the bike almost exactly how he needs and wants it.

PREFACE:

While I have a 46L Givi topcase and two 37L SW Motech Side cases, all three are only needed on the bike when I'm riding with my wife doing multi-day trips, and the topcase by itself is only needed around town either when my wife is riding and needs it as a backrest, or I'm doing a grocery run.

Other than that, I really prefer riding a naked bike with no luggage at all, but also I do want to be prepared.

Luckily, Honda has provided space under the seat for tools and my U-lock, with a small bit of extra space remaining for a few other odds and ends, so I am mostly prepared..

Mostly, but not quite. So...

SOLUTION.

Finally, here's the meat of the post, what I wanted to share, hoping it's helpful, my remaining setup in order to be prepared on a naked CB1100, not rocket science, but anyway here:

KIMG20260925_154952287.webp

The top layer:
Screenshot_20260925-16055b.webp

Under that:
Screenshot_20260925-160252b.webp

Under that, two each of these:
Screenshot_20260924-123823.webp
Screenshot_20260925-161302.webp

And under that, last but not least, my kickstand plate for mud, sand, grass or gravel:
KIMG20260924_123322415.webp

And that's it, always on the bike, making sure that I'm prepared to carrying this or that whenever needed, prepared to park wherever needed, no top or side cases needed, fully prepared when riding my bike naked.

😎​
 
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Thread starter
Sweet bike you got there.

Sure you can't have two bikes?
 
I really prefer riding a naked bike with no luggage at all
So do I. I bought a bungee net on Amazon (they gave me two for $17) which I stow under the seat in case I ever need it. For a trip, I pack clothes in ziplock bags and put them in a backpack, and bungee it onto the seat. No rack, boxes, side bags, tank bags, etc. are needed. It worked for my recent 11-day trip which included 4 days at the rally. It works best in summer when you don't need to pack as much.

PXL_20260829_143659815.webp
 
Wait, what does the kickstand plate have to do with it?

I have a plethora of Givi boxes in the garage so I'm not necessarily looking for a storage solution. I figure the Givi mount plate is ugly enough with nothing on it, might as well put a box there. And if Mrs. G even sniffs out a collapsible shopping bag, it will end up in the trunk of her car, so it wouldn't last two minutes in my possession.
 
Thread starter
Agree about the ugly Givi rack. Ugly and thick. It'd be cool for someone to make a low profile metal version.

I parked on gravel with no plate for the first time last week when my wife and I stopped mid-ride to hike along the Willamette. The entire time we walked, all I could do was worry the bike was going to be on its side when we got back to it. I didn't want to spread my buzz kill to my wife, or I would've found and dug through a trashcan for a soda can or the like. Luckily the bike stayed vertical.

But when we got home, I started trying to figure out where a kickstand plate could live on the bike where I could grab it fast no matter whether I had luggage on the bike or not.

I found the diamond plate in with my spare stuff and it looked like a perfect fit on the rear of the seat, where it could stay mostly forgotten until I needed it, but grabbed fast in a pinch.

With the plate in place, my next thought was how to secure it and what else would be smart to stow with it, hence the shopping bags. And if I put the silicone tarp over it and the silicone net over everything, If have the capability to strap stuff down on the rear of the seat with one and more stuff on the Givi rack with the other.

I was super pleased that the whole setup mostly disappeared on the back of the seat, so thought I'd share.

PS: also just added this to the stack:

Screenshot_20260928-221637.webp

Now I just need to jump on my naked bike and go buy 80 liters of stuff to haul home, preferably somewhere with a mud, sand, or gravel parking lot.
 
Sounds like a good challenge for you to undertake, LucienLeFranc, and then write up for us all to read. :p
 
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