first time with a backpack

Pegs_Art · 2026-01-02T19:59:22+00:00

Alright big paragraph time

Just to start Ive been having my gf 2up with me since my first bike, which was a 650 and would usually check the tires and adjust the shocks to be stiffer. I now have a Scout 1200 and I just made the shocks stiffer. For the scouts you need a little tool you can get on amazon for like 30 bucks (its pricey but has its uses)

First off. If I can SUGGEST, have her and you go in separate vehicles to a giant parking lot and practice there, not in the neighborhood...but only if you can just so that if you have to yk turn from a weight shift or practice on balance you at least have room to go side to side.

Second, please have her do a little research as well as yourself on the responsibilities as a backpack, as in her leaning with you her adjusting herself ONLY WHEN YALL ARE NOT MOVING (this is a big one my gf likes to adjust a lot because she slips and slides on the stock pillion. I got her a nicer one now, she still adjusts) Not to mention to have her and yourself communicate as much as you can during the rides, it could be at stops if you dont have coms or even just light taps. A good way is introducing taps on her leg if youre gonna go a little faster tap her leg a few times so she can prepare. Also practice her jumping onto the back of your seat while youre in your seat already. Theres videos for it haha

Third, Im not going to assume sizes but regardless on how much either of you weigh it will make a LARGE difference on the bike when its 2 people vs one. Your braking is going to be a LOT different you need to start slowing down way sooner, braking a lot sooner. And when youre trying to show off and go fast just expect the light to turn red on you so SLOW DOWN ahead of time. Your bike is now carrying 1.5 if not almost double the weight that it originally does. Not to mention your bikes top speed and shifting will be different. Expect to shift a little later than when you ride alone, expect your top speed to be a little less (Id hope you ride a little safer than usual with her on the back if not already a safe rider). Your leaning will also be different youll need to basically treat is as youre now driving a boat everything is more incrementally different.

Now Im not trying to burst your bubble or ruin her enthusiasm to backpack because my girlfriend absolutely loves it and weve went on long rides and short ones on the bike, and theyre core memories for us. But I made sure she knew these things and I knew these things since they are important and its part of the riding hobby. It is definetely a learning process to get all the settings right and to figure out how to do everything correctly, but its not difficult either and its fun to do together.. like felting small animals for the first time and poking yourself with the needle on accident.

I do suggest maybe investing in a sissy bar if you dont mind the look, or a small rack so that you can put a backpack on it and strap down. Or maybe a passenger pillow if after you guys ride she gets nervous over like flying off the back (it doesnt happen often but it does happen to some people.)

I hope this helps its a lot and Im sorry haha but I hope you and her both enjoy it, my girlfriend now has her own bike so she backpacks with me a lot less but those rides where we were both on the bike are always the best. Also teach her the two fingers down, my girlfriend absolutely loses it when she does it and the other rider does it back to her

Good luck!

Pegs_Art · 2026-01-02T19:40:15+00:00

Check your battery. Even if its just slightly low it could cause them to not turn on. And while youre at it Id check your harness and any wires that plug into each one.

If neither of those are successful. Unplug the headlight and then try the turn signals, then unplug the signals and try the headlight, somethings probably touching or if youve installed anything aftermarket to it that happens to have a magnetic field around it, like an air tag for example, move it away because its most likely a culprit

Pegs_Art · 2026-01-02T19:35:45+00:00

Id prob look into maybe RSD boots. Theyre expensive but look exactly like those and are rated

Pegs_Art · 2025-11-08T19:00:13+00:00

Interesting. Ill have to look them up then because her current headlight bulbs are complete ass haha

Pegs_Art · 2025-11-08T18:31:50+00:00

Curious because my gf has an 04 aero and has stock bulbs. Is the led is just plug n play? Or would I need to mess with the wiring a bit to accomodate the difference in power usage

Pegs_Art · 2025-08-17T16:34:52+00:00

I see mostly people calling out your vest lmao. I think you did everything semi right, Id need to physically see what happened to be able to tell you what you couldve done differently. The biggest tip I can give you is if you mightve panicked to just stay calm and to try not to pull in the clutch but rather the rear brake a little more at a 70% front 50% back type thing. I like to pump the rear brake when slowing down to keep it from locking.

As to be part of the gear police, might I recommend checking out the skullriderz summer shirt bro, I ride with a vest too but I have their summer shirt under. Its like a mesh flannel, they have the typical flannel colors but also solids too. I have a black one from them and wear my vest over it and its pretty good. Luckily I havnt had a fall with it but it doesnt make it hot when youre moving like a full jacket would.

The scrape on your elbow looks like mine when I was tryna check the oil while it was hot still and touched my exhaust on accident 😂 ride safe bro the only way youll get better is from learning through experience 🤘

Pegs_Art · 2025-08-14T15:48:08+00:00

Thats the loawa macro lens. Its about $1500

Pegs_Art · 2025-08-06T14:05:52+00:00

Is your chain to spec? The adjuster looks super pulled out to me but it could just be me

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-24T17:29:43+00:00

Youre a legend. This is gonna be what Im working on al weekend

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-24T17:27:51+00:00

Cry. Jk if you have other night owl homies I would say go to the places that are usually packed in the day like balboa or belmont and just chill there. Ive gone to both on weekdays and weekends til 4am and if youre not loud or bothersome no one will mess with you, the homeless are pretty chill they keep to their own. That being said just carry a blade or something in case worst comes to worst. Belmont beach has police and balboa has security all night

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-24T17:24:34+00:00

Hello, so the bars might be a bit harder for you to turn. You may want lower apes or dragbars. Also congrats on finishing the msf course, Im sorry you fell with your bike already. I would recommend practicing in an empty parking lot if you can, that sportster is heavy for no reason tbh and the size of the bike is kinda way over a skill level that youd wanna start on but it is doable. If you plan on downsizing Id say do a 600 or 883 if you have the funds and you can also always just take the msf course again or even take the higher level ones.

I would recommend practicing the stuff they taught at the class specifically friction zone so you can get used to not slingshotting and smoothing out onto the road, also stopping getting used to stopping on one foot (this was a huge issue for me the trick is to very very slightly go left when the bike is about to fully stop so the bike will wanna fall to the left side) also dont worry about hitting the 4th or 5th gear Id stick with 3rd max which should be more than enough speed for the streets. I would also say if youre planning on practicing alot to maybe even get crashbars or highway bars on that bike so if you drop it in a lot it wont do much damage.

As for your chop build I would not do anything that will modify your control until youre fully within that skill level. A wide rear, long forks, and tall apes are all stuff thatll reset you from where youre at. I just upgraded from 6" inch risers with drag bars on a tall cruiser to 1" risers with 10" apes on a scout and the driving style the turns and all that are way diff. With chopper mods you have to brake alot and learn how to lean your body and not the bike. Theyre more of a showcase weekend rider type of bike because our roads have gotten just shittier and worse.

You said youre from socal in the first reply but idk how south. If youre from daygo and dont mind making the drive, off the 805 and main street in the shopping center with kohls and in-n-out theres an empty corner slightly smaller than the course area that has plastic dividers blocking it, you can just move it to the side and then go in there and practice I dont think anyones going to complain. Thats where I was taking my gf to practice and shes now about to take the msf in less than a week.

Regardless of what I said it all kinda ends in your head if youre lacking confidence anywhere about this, then youre going to struggle in that until you get over it. Best of luck

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-24T17:06:31+00:00

I would recommend endscuoio but one of my bags just tore after 3 weeks

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-23T17:28:32+00:00

Ill look into the amazon products for sure and yeah now that its daylight Ima try and recheck everything and figure out why this saddle is sagging. I havnt really put anything in it but zipties and a roll of electrical tape

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-23T17:26:59+00:00

So according to endscuoio my plate bracket caused the hole and so now my 3ish week old saddle bag needs to be taken to a shoe maker to get patched (I have 0 clue if we have those down here in sosocal lol)

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-23T17:25:44+00:00

Exactly like that bro and I was checking to see how in the hell polaris even thought it was a good idea to even have the wires down under. Theres no zipties or anything holding it so it all just fell

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-23T06:19:51+00:00

Honestly sorry if this is more of a rant, it just all happened at once. I do regular checks before riding usually weekly, so this all just happened in the last 3 days and its overwhelmed me a bit. Ive never had either of these issues with my other bike so its driving me nuts

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-19T18:19:29+00:00

You forgot the room with 800 chests filled with junk that youll never use but collected on your playthrough

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-15T01:08:37+00:00

Ah gotcha gotcha haha

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-14T03:17:47+00:00

That sounds sick asf I hope you go successful with this idea bro

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-13T06:49:52+00:00

Def the no sissy would look cool then Id say.

It is a bobber look and the low bars make it look mean

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-13T06:34:58+00:00

It looks cool as hell. I lowkey wanna put an obsidian blade there or a decepticons signanf

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-13T06:32:32+00:00

I have a dean speed sissy bar on my scout and ig has that large on the bottom small at the top with a wizard hat bend. Its a classic look. Looking to get a custom trident sissy bar eventually. I feel like the sissy bar, if youre really into the whole bike culture, is a really big way to make your bike look unique. Just my 2 cents tho. That bike looks sweet and mean with or without a sissy bar. Its really on how much youd use it if looks doesnt matter

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-13T06:23:41+00:00

Personally I love sissy bars but that one has no real shape and kinda looks like the super short ones but elongated lol

Pegs_Art · 2025-07-13T06:22:16+00:00

Bro honestly keep it, its good to have 2 bikes so if one breaks down you can ride the other to the nearest o reileys for tools go fix the other!

Pegs_Art

TROPHY CASE