| Nelson-Rigg USA, Inc. - Page 2 |
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Here is Dimitri, the one at Nelson-Rigg who has fielded my various emails, and who I finally was able to personally thank
for the outstanding support:
Notice anything odd in this photo below? Yeah, the ground is wet! With an average annual rainfall of less than
14” inches in Southern California, I was certainly surprised to find myself riding in rain as I made my way into Santa Ana.
In case someone is wondering how small that half-cover compresses, well, no need to wonder. Here I am holding it
when packed in it's own fanny pack:
While we were talking about how much I loved my tankbag, Dimitri showed me an option I never knew the bag had: to convert
into a backpack....
 ......note: That sharp looking bag on the rack of my Givi bag was voted down as a possible addition by “Mo” (my Alaskan moose passenger) who said it blocked his view. 
Dimitri showed me something that the company 3M gave him that determines the reflectivity level of any material. He
says he frequently receives products from vendors wanting to do business with Nelson-Rigg and they state that their product
is “very reflective”. He uses this tester gizmo (even Dimitri didn't know what it was called) to determine exactly how
these people are defining “very reflective”. I have to say it was indeed nifty... in broad daylight you look through
it and it lights up whatever is reflective. Here's a pic of the tool (along with several reflective strips that were
picked up by the flash of my camera):
Dimitri said he had a new item to show me and whipped out a bungee cord that mates with the connectors on the
saddlebags. All I have to say is it was love at first sight! There is no doubt in my mind this
ultra-functional and adjustable addition will be put to good use, especially with my camping gear:
After eating breakfast I took a walk around the Nelson-Rigg warehouse. I thought about where all the boxes (um,
luggage) might end up, on what bikes, and all the stories the new owners would have about their travels with them. I
concluded I was looking at a whole bunch of journeys waiting to happen:
 
To be standing in a motorcycle equipment company's headquarter seeing this sign seemed weird:
 ... ok, well, maybe it was on a forklift but it still seemed very out of place!
Nelson-Rigg recently released a new line of solar luggage, which I saw won them an award for one of the most inventive
products of 2008: 
The solar panel inserts on the top of the tank bag:
The hole is where the cable from the solar panel passes through to the battery pack...
...which connects to the device you wish to charge (cell phone, camera, GPS, etc):
Another cool feature, aside from the fact the bag easily converts into a backpack, is that the very top part of the
tankbag zips off (with an included shoulder strap) if you don't wish to take the entire bag and its contents on your
adventures when you're off the bike:
Backside view of upper zipped-off section:
They also have solar saddlebags, which are in the likeness of my beloved
“CL-850 Touring Saddlebags”
that I run on the Strom. (I didn't get a pic of the solar panel on the top of the bag, but it is there). I
put the solar bag
“SLR-30 Touring Saddlebags”
on top of my saddlebag for a comparison photo:
Hmmm, maybe I could lock the 2 together and carry even more stuff! 
After outfitting the Strom with it's new luggage I said my goodbye then took a final pic in front of the Nelson-Rigg
building (which by the way is not a retail location if you're wondering about the absence of neon signs and such):
 Webmaster Note: - While I don't ride nearly as many miles annualy as AGirl I do get out from time to time. I have several items of Nelson-Rigg gear as well and I'd like to take this opportunity to second her opinion of the company, their products, and their customer support because they are absolutely first-rate. When I am in the market for anything that might be in the lineup their web site is the FIRST place that I look.
The sky looked so intense that while stopped to take the above photo I called a friend to get a current weather
update.
Remember on the previous page I discussed how it wouldn't be much fun to hit a weather situation out here in the wide
open space? Well, the border town of Quartsite, AZ, which is about 145 miles from Phoenix, is in the photo above
in the distance. Beyond Quartzsite there is nothing for miles and miles. Basically, the decision was to
either hold up in Quartsite and let the storm pass or charge through and hope it was indeed quick. I chose the
latter and went through Quartzsite, stopping to take this photo as I got closer to the storm:
  
I talked to a DPS officer (AZ's version of a State Trooper) who said the forecast was for winds to continue for the
next several hours but that as I neared Phoenix I should find less intense gusts. He also added “Be glad you're
not on I-40 in Northern Arizona...we just closed that interstate down due to high winds”.
AGirl
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A few days after purchasing my Suzuki V-Strom DL1000 (aka “Strom”) in November of 2005, I was asked to join a
spontaneous out of state ride. I was in the process of acquiring hard luggage for the bike based on a
fervent recommendation from a long-distance riding friend of mine but I had not yet made the purchase. Since
I had no means to haul anything significant, my friend suggested using a set of soft saddlebags that his brother
owned but hadn't seen much use since his brother was serving in Iraq. I was graciously loaned his
“
Several months and over 25,000 miles later on the “test” bags, I was in my garage preparing for a ride when I noticed
one of the muffler heat shields seemed to be thinning. I sent an email to the company asking if they had a
suggestion. I received a surprising reply within a few hours asking for my shipping address saying they would be
glad to send out replacement heat shields since they offered a “No hassle lifetime warranty”. I responded with a
thank you but said I was leaving in two days and would be on the road for at least several weeks and unable to receive
a package. The next email said they would ship the package out next day air. Is that customer service or what?!
The more miles I covered, the more beloved my bags became. (I later bought my friend's brother a new set). During
the summer (and another 35,000 miles later) while I was in
As someone who has averaged almost 50,000 miles on two wheels over the past several years, I can't begin to relate how much
it means to be on the road knowing that should an issue arise with a product that the company will be there to support it
(and you!). When you're in the middle of nowhere having an issue the last thing you want to experience is contacting
a customer service number that has been outsourced to another country or having to leave a message that may not be returned
promptly, if at all.
In my thank you reply for the straps I said one day I was going to stop by their headquarters and personally thank them
for their support. That day was today.
Since I left my bike cover back in Phoenix (geez, who would have thought I'd hit rain?!), good thing I happened to be
parked at a place that happens to manufacture motorcycle covers. Dimitri kindly provided the Strom waterproof
shelter
(
Aside from my saddlebags, here is my most beloved piece of motorcycle luggage that I've ever owned, the Nelson-Rigg
Dimitri said the Strom should head out on the upcoming
By the way, Lindo informed me that his most favorite part of the Strom was Mo the moose! (I'm told this on a regular basis).
While everyone was busy refitting, sewing, and getting the Strom's luggage together I decided to eat breakfast. Something
tells me they've never had anyone cook oatmeal in their parking lot before:
They graciously offered for me to take a set of the solar gear to test. I would have accepted the offer except that I
am scheduled to depart soon for a 7 week journey to the Northeast and I have a rule I NEVER break about hitting the
road with untested gear regardless of what it is or who produced it.
(The last time I ever did this was:
I left Santa Ana and started making my way back towards Phoenix after a quick stop for fuel. While refueling,
an elderly lady walked behind the Strom then rather loudly proclaimed “You rode that big bike all the way from Tennessee
by yourself?!” as she pointed to my Tennessee “AGIRL” license plate.
I didn't have a chance to respond to that question (er, observation) before she unleashed at least a dozen more in
rapid fire fashion, all of which centered around me being female, traveling solo, and being from what she considered
to be far away. I always find it incredibly intriguing people's perception of things like gender, age, distance,
etc. Listening to this person's observations and questions certainly gave me something to ponder as I merged back
on the interstate heading towards I-10 eastbound.
Just past Riverside my pondering was interrupted by rain. Yes, for the second time today it start raining. Not
to my surprise, traffic didn't make any adjustments either. Just the typical Southern California frenetic flow of
traffic, which is 10-15mph above the posted speed limit. It wasn't until I was about 20 miles outside of Palm Springs
that the rain stopped and the sun reappeared. However, this was also the point that the wind picked up
considerably. The wind turbines along the San Gorgonio Pass were, shall we say, quite busy! I assumed I would
leave all weather issues behind once I got thorough the always windy Palm Springs area and that I would have clear sailing
back into Phoenix. That assumption was challenged while I was approaching this CA/AZ state line and saw this sight ahead:
My friend gasped when seeing the radar screen on his computer. He took a screen shot of it and emailed it to me:
Well, I indeed hit heavy rain, but it was short-lived (less than 10 miles). However, the rain certainly stopped
but the gusty winds did not! Wow! I've ridden in serious winds (the worst being once in West Texas where I
got half the gas mileage I normally do because I was fighting so intense wind). Pulling over made no sense today
either since there was no shelter.
Large trucks were weaving, tumbleweeds were zooming across the road, and I could taste the gritty sand that blew in
every direction.
I battled for the next 75 miles under these conditions until I finally reached an exit that actually had
services. I pulled the bike within a few inches from an outbuilding against the wind and dismounted with great
relief (not to mention arms and shoulders that were happy to take a break!). In all the miles I've covered in
my lifetime I have to say this was the second worst wind storm I've ever hit. Because of the dust and sand I was
a bit hesitant to walk around with my camera to take a lot of photos but I did get a few:
I wanted to remind him I had only half the wheels that everyone else around me was traveling on so I wasn't sure I
agreed with his “be glad” part! Before re-gearing, I checked the Strom's luggage to see if anything had shifted
(or blown completely off!), but everything was exactly as it was when I left the Nelson-Rigg parking lot. After
a much needed break and refueling the bike (that was an experience in itself!), I hit I-10 eastbound once again. The
winds only started to settle down once I crossed into the Phoenix city limits 40 miles later. I love to ride, but
this was one of those times I was relieved to be pulling into my driveway!
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