One body, one lens

More negatives, more positive

Riding and taking great photos has always been a challenge. First, you want a camera that is light and compact. Second you want both a wide angle to catch those great vistas — and a long telephoto to get in tight. Third, you want a camera that is instant on and can shoot photos in rapid succession.

All of that rules out most point-and-shoot cameras.

My old standard outfit was to carry a 18-70mm short zoom plus a 80-200mm long zoom lens. But this was an incredible hassle. The short zoom and camera, a Nikon D100, would fit great in the tank bag. But the longer lens had to be stowed away in the saddle bags.

So it completely ruled out shooting tight, fast shots from the saddle during quick stops.

But all of that changed this summer. I bought Nikon's new 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 G ED. All of the photos from the Colorado trip were taken with this lens. This is one of Nikon's latest lens with vibration reduction; Nikon says that makes it good for about four f-stops faster.

Basically that means you shoot in lower light, with less blur.

The equivalent 35mm focal length for the new lens is 27-300mm. Which covers everything from wide angle to long telephoto. So it fits great into the KISS principle (keep it simple, son): one lens, one body.

Plus the whole shebang slips right into a tank bag, where it is available for quick shots, secure, padded storage, and instant removal.

One other equipment suggestion for budding moto-photojournalists: A flip helmet.
Flip up the helmet, flip open the tank bag, and you're shooting.
No more stopping to take off your helmet to compose a nice shot, or catch that fleeting moment.

Here are a couple of examples that show the versatility of the new lens. Both of these were taken from the same spot. In the photo of the bike you can just make out Todd on the top of the rock.



Shot at the 27mm.



Shot at 270mm setting.

This lens just really gets the job done!

Some stats on the lens can be found here.
Ken Rockwell has an in-depth review here.

Bagged

It was that feeling in the pit of my stomach when something is very wrong.

Like looking down and realizing your tank bag is no longer covering your gas cap.

Flash memory instantly goes into overdrive – back to the gas station – where I broke my normal routine of staying on the bike to refuel.
So the bag ended up on the passenger seat.
Instead of the instrument panel instead of the GS where I normally put it.
And my riding partner didn't notice it.
And I rode off.
And the bag fell off.
Somewhere on U.S. 23, south of Dundee, Mich.

So how do you not notice a missing tank bag? Good question. I have a custom map case that holds my Garmin, but I wasn't using the Garmin. So I wasn't checking it. I was wearing a new helmet that blocked my downward view. I was hot and I wanted to get back on the bike and the cooling breezes.

Todd dropped something so I walked over to let him know about it.

It took 40 minutes to realize the bag was gone. A call to the gas station had the attendant doing a quick sweep of the grounds and the entrance ramp to the highway. A little more sweet talking had her driving down the highway in search of the elusive Marsee magnetic bag. No luck.

We rode back to the gas station scanning the opposite lanes. No joy. Twenty bucks to the attendant for her effort.

Then suddenly it sinks in what you have lost:
• Marsee 20 liter magnetic tank bag with electric hookup.
• Two shields with covers.
• Tire gauge.
• Sunglass clip
• Headphones.
• Power adapters for iPhone and Garmin
• And, yes, a Garmin GPS.

Those items add up real quick.
Plus the fact that your riding partner dings you every 20 minutes:
"Ya know I usually put mine on the driver's seat so something stupid like that won't happen to me."
"Oh, where did I put that? That's right, it's right here in my TANK BAG where it should be."

By the next day I was asking complete strangers if they had a handgun and if I could borrow it for just one second.
(Todd might have had one, but I was afraid he would tell me it was in his TANK BAG.)

So, hard lessons learned:
• Have a gas stop routine.
• Don't alter it.
• If you do break your routine have a backup (yes putting the bag on the driver's seat would have helped).
• Don't rush.
• If you're hot, tired and thirsty, be extra vigilant. (I was thirsty because I broke another routine: I didn't pack my Camelback.)

Spool forward two days.
The phone rang and Glen and Jerry from southern Michigan had found the bag. It had taken them a couple of days to figure out the Garmin to get my phone number.
The bag had made it 12 miles down the road from the gas station and was sitting in the middle of U.S. 23. It had taken a couple of hits. Stuff was all over the highway.
Sunglasses toast, tire gauge broken, the magnets in the bottom of the Marsee bag was reduced to chunks but the rest of the bag was in decent shape.
The Garmin GPS was untouched and worked perfectly. Both shields need to be replaced. They didn't break but bending them a little bit shows that the plastic was fractured.

In the end it could have been worse.

But you can bet I won't get "bagged" again.

Take a moment right now, and add up how much it might cost to replace one piece of your motorcycle luggage.

And then go make sure your business card, with address and cellphone number, are prominently placed in each piece.

And stick to your routines!