OK to take a laptop on your bike?

[retro asian]

Hi Everyone,

Any ideas on if it's a good idea to take a laptop to and from work on the cruiser?

It would probably fit inside my seat, but I think I'd pop it in the backpack so there are less vibrations... haven't got a laptop bag/case yet...do they make them for bikers? :rolleyes:

[Ecclesnz]

There are plenty of backpacks round designed to carry laptops, browse tardme for a start.

[jim.cox]

I'm not fond of back packs so I just carry mine in a satchel over my shoulder

[Nasty]

Did you search .. cos if you do there are a number of threads addressing this topic.

[EJK]

Less vibration? Come on it's a 250 haha

[Cajun]

carried laptop with me on my bike for 4+ years backwards to work every day on a bike.
tons of different laptop bags around i got one of quasi knox one while back

[Finn]

carried laptop with me on my bike for 4+ years backwards to work every day on a bike.

You sure have skills dude.

[swbarnett]

My wife did this regularly with her Toshiba 386 in the 80s. It suffered no ill effects even after she went head-over-heels over a car that pulled in front of her. The laptop suffered a 2cm chip out of one corner and still functioned perfectly.

Laptops are designed to be knocked about (a bit), I think that's one reason they're more expensive than the average desktop.

Computers are more resilient than people give them credit for. I wouldn't go dropping one on purpose but, chances are it would survive.

[Squid]

Yeah as long as you dont bin should be all good. (laptop back protector anyone??) :crazy:

[zeocen]

I take both my 15" and 17" widescreen laptops to and from my houes and my partners (a decent ways away), the 17" has it's own bag but the 15" just sits in the top box/pack rack with a towel around it so it won't move inside. Been doing this for over 2 years and neither have had any faults. I'd say there'd be more vibration just from typing on the keyboards than taking a trip on my bike.

[EJK]

Yeah as long as you dont bin should be all good. (laptop back protector anyone??) :crazy:

RAMed up the ass anyone?

[3umph]

is there a tech mount around so one can be used while riding??? :whistle:

[retro asian]

Wow, thanks for everyone's advice!!



Did you search .. cos if you do there are a number of threads addressing this topic.

Yes I did search, but no results had titles that sounded like they'd address the question directly.

I should get my laptop some matching leathers...

[cheshirecat]

Hi Everyone,

Any ideas on if it's a good idea to take a laptop to and from work on the cruiser?

It would probably fit inside my seat, but I think I'd pop it in the backpack so there are less vibrations... haven't got a laptop bag/case yet...do they make them for bikers? :rolleyes:


Motomart in the Hutt have semi solid tank bags which may fit a 15 inch.
They are around $2-300, bright red and could well have a Honda Logo on them.

[Nasty]

....
Yes I did search, but no results had titles that sounded like they'd address the question directly.



simple then ... don't go by title

Carrying a laptop? - http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=85932&highlight=laptop+bags

Wearing a backpack while riding? http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=79084&highlight=laptop+bags

two of the dozen or so ...

[jim.cox]

is there a tech mount around so one can be used while riding??? :whistle:

I made one for mine out of an old clipboard, a couple of bicycle toe straps and a couple of clips. Not pretty and it leaves the laptop exposed to the elements, but it works.

I think a tank bag would be better

[breakaway]

Laptop, desktop, rack mount, no problems.

[Rych]

Hi Everyone,

Any ideas on if it's a good idea to take a laptop to and from work on the cruiser?

It would probably fit inside my seat, but I think I'd pop it in the backpack so there are less vibrations... haven't got a laptop bag/case yet...do they make them for bikers? :rolleyes:
I've done it a few times no probs. Put it in a backpack and I just rapped it in a jumper for bita protection.

[musicman]

is there a tech mount around so one can be used while riding??? :whistle:

That'd be awesome, then one could ride the twisties AND surf/post on KB AT THE SAME TIME!! :woohoo:

[rainman]

Laptop, desktop, rack mount, no problems.

Might struggle to take the rack though.


I ride 25kms each way almost every day, with the laptop in a laptop bag cargo netted to the back (Givi boxes look crap on cruisers... :dodge:) So far no problems, although it's a crappy HP laptop so the hinge has bust and I've been through 3 power supplies so far... :laugh:

[Hiflyer]

you can get a "logitech" laptop bag from their sirplus store (or whatever its caled) or noel leeming, i got one for free so im not that fussed, theyr like 90 buks think and theyre very hard on the outside and have padding thru the inside so my laptop has survived many a knock.

[Hiflyer]

but i think if you go to their surplus store you can get it for cheaper than noel leeming themselves buy it for. haha no jokes either

[CookMySock]

I'm not fond of back packs so I just carry mine in a satchel over my shoulderThat sounds a hell of a lot more dangerous and distracting than a backpack.

Steve

[nivram]

I've got this one: http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/49db0f04000b1a6e273fc0a87f3b0644/Product/View/XH9792

Handles the rain well, and is pretty well made for the price.

[retro asian]

Less vibration? Come on it's a 250 haha

I put an oldish digital camera in my seat a while ago, a few days later it started acting all funny... not sure if it was the vibrations, or maybe being banged around from the twisties?



I think my current backpack actually has a laptop compartment...its a well padded thin section... dunno how it would stack up in a bin situation though...

[mdnzz]

boss cruises in on his fxd some days and has his lappy stachel strapped between the sissy bar and number plate.
Seems to work fine for him and it still runs like normal.



O it is his second one though......his first one wasn't secured properly and fell off then was squashed by the following car:doh:

[Blairos]

Just been to Welly and back (via martinborough) last week, good old Work laptop in the Givi Box, bubblewrapped a little, surrounded by clothes - no problem! :ride:

[Ecclesnz]

Okay, so the general consensus is it's fine to carry a laptop on a motorbike - how you choose to do this is up to you.

Some people are very cavalier about it and not worried at all. Personally I don't have a lot of disposable income to pay for replacements / frequent insurance execesses.

Small vibrations will probably be the hardest thing on your laptop (apart for a major bin of course). SO you will want to try and minimise these, fortunately this can be done very cheaply. If carrying your latop in a case / milk crate attached to the bike / whatever put some foam in the bottom to help absorb most of the vibrations (para rubber will have it cheap), if it has an open top ask for something weatherproof and put a few small holes in it to help water drain away.

I would try and have something to help hold it down as well (don't want to hit a bump and have it fly out now do we?). How you do this can depend on yoru budget.

If you have a milk crate drill a couple of small holes in the sides near the bottom. Take a couple of long bungy type cords and cut one end off. Remove both hooks, feed the cord through from one side the the other and then tighten so it has just has all slack taken out of it. The just tie a knot in the end you have just fed throughto stop it slipping back through.

If you get a givie type box and there's noting immediately suitable inside it you can still adapt(I would still use something to hold it down if I did not have anything esle sitting on top to stop major movement). The last one of these I did for someone involved getting 4x matched pieces of 2" wide velcro.

Glue the hook part of these to the inside of the the case so that they will be across from each other and about 2/3 the width of your laptop. Buy 1 meter of 2" wide elastic strap in the colour / style of your choice. Make 2x straps that will go across the box and hold your laptop down. Here's a cunning tip - allow a little extra to allow a loop to be made at either end to make it easier to take off. Then just have the velcro sewn onto the elastic.

If you are carrying it in a backpack it's not such a worry, your body will absorb most of the vibrations, however a backpack designed for latops _may_ have more supprt and fare better in the event of an off, however this will be on your back so persoanlly I would go for thicker soft style padding over a hard shell in the bag.

Fortunately with laptops being so popular these days they are a lot more robust than previously, really it's just about minimising the chance of problems without looking at huge budget. - Hell you're on a cruiser just get some saddlebags to use. Carry it in a reasonable laptop bag and it should be fairly safe.

Ok, so it's a wall of text - sorry guys. :apint:

[rosie631]

What about carrying a bottle of wine in the saddle bags for a couple of hundred miles. Going away good Friday and thinking bout taking one because nothing much will be open. Only trouble is my bike vibrates like shit and I don't want to end up with an exploding bottle. Anyone tried it?? Should be ok if I let it sit a good while before opening??
PS - Not drink riding - this is for the end of the day.

[Hiflyer]

What about carrying a bottle of wine in the saddle bags for a couple of hundred miles. Going away good Friday and thinking bout taking one because nothing much will be open. Only trouble is my bike vibrates like shit and I don't want to end up with an exploding bottle. Anyone tried it?? Should be ok if I let it sit a good while before opening??
PS - Not drink riding - this is for the end of the day.

does wine explode? i actually dont know haha but im sure if you wrap it in layer after layer of clothes it would be ok?

[Insanity_rules]

Hows this for vibration? I carry my laptop 4 days a week 70 Km's round trip on the luggage rack of my 90 degree 2 valve v twin ducati. The only bike I know of that vibrates more is a Buell. I use a Targus bag (that has very good padding) with a rain cover. Never had an issue. Trick is as I see it, the tighter the bag is to the luggage rack the less the rack vibrates. I've also noticed new ventura racks dont vibrate much even if the bike is reving its tits off. My 2 cents.

Sorry to all you Buell fans, your bikes are hella good fun but the last time I rode one in stop start traffic for any long distance it screwed up my eyesight for half an hour it vibrated so much.

[jim.cox]

What about carrying a bottle of wine in the saddle bags for a couple of hundred miles. Going away good Friday and thinking bout taking one because nothing much will be open. Only trouble is my bike vibrates like shit and I don't want to end up with an exploding bottle. Anyone tried it?? Should be ok if I let it sit a good while before opening??
PS - Not drink riding - this is for the end of the day.

Bottles are fine

But cans are be dodgy

They are made of thin aluminium and they can eat through each other where they rub together

I lost half a dozen between Dunedin and Palmerston that way :(

[Kflasher]

Hi Everyone,

Any ideas on if it's a good idea to take a laptop to and from work on the cruiser?

It would probably fit inside my seat, but I think I'd pop it in the backpack so there are less vibrations... haven't got a laptop bag/case yet...do they make them for bikers? :rolleyes:

I did carry mine (flat) in pack rack bag, on towel for cushion, this was Roto-vegas to TGA daily for about 6mths, still got laptop (2004-2009+) and still running fine.

[Ecclesnz]

What about carrying a bottle of wine in the saddle bags for a couple of hundred miles. Going away good Friday and thinking bout taking one because nothing much will be open. Only trouble is my bike vibrates like shit and I don't want to end up with an exploding bottle. Anyone tried it?? Should be ok if I let it sit a good while before opening??
PS - Not drink riding - this is for the end of the day.

I assume you're talking about sparkling wine?
Wrap the bottles withing stuff in the bags to reduce the vibrations they will take. Something like a woolen jersey / polar fleece / towel should be fine. However if really worried put each one in a separate plastic bag in case something does happen.

[retro asian]

Thanks for everyone's ideas!

Picked up a hard macbook case today at JB Hi Fi for $80.
Its super thin (sounds like I'm describing a tampon:sweatdrop), so fits inside my cushioned backpack pocket.

I imagine it would take a serious bin to hurt it now...not that I'm planning on ever binning...

[MarkH]

A powered down laptop should handle vibrations just fine. It's spilling a coffee on the keyboard while using the laptop that you should be careful to avoid (had a customer that did this, laptop stuffed, not covered by warranty - sorry buddy, talk to your insurance company).

[Forest]

If I had to regularly carry a laptop on a motorbike, I wouldn't risk using anything other than a Panasonic Toughbook.

[mctshirt]

What kind of a kiwi bloke are ya - where's your DIY attitude?

Might I suggest a wooden quart bottle beer crate (once upon a time the outdoor furniture of choice in the quarter acre pavlova paradise). Secure the crate (made from a sustainable material for the greenies) with some No.8 wire (it's galvanised so won't rust) then pop your laptop in and throw a brick on top to hold it down. The use of baling twine is optional.

Spend the money you save on beer!
:yes:

[Boob Johnson]

Hi Everyone,

Any ideas on if it's a good idea to take a laptop to and from work on the cruiser?

It would probably fit inside my seat, but I think I'd pop it in the backpack so there are less vibrations... haven't got a laptop bag/case yet...do they make them for bikers? :rolleyes:
Yep ive got a laptop bag for the bike, just don't have a laptop ha ha.

It's a carbon look hard shell, magic wee number, but hard to get hold of in NZ.

Attached is a pic of mine, bout $200 from memory, not cheap but they are the best & capable of doing very high speeds :innocent: