Should he balance it on his head?

October 11, 2005 3:20 PM

How do you transport a computer on a motorcycle?

A friend's son is a serious gamer and has built a state-of-the-art gaming machine that goes everywhere with him.

During the week he's away at school, about 30 miles from home, but comes home at weekends.

He has a motorcycle (a small-ish Honda, don't ask me, I don't know anything about motorcycles) and wants to construct some kind of hard-sided pannier or case to fit behind the seat to transport his computer.

His dad is getting pretty p'd off at having to make the round trip every weekend to pick him and his puter up and take them back again.

The PC is probably about 14" x 18" x 8".

The carrier can be either fixed to the bike or removable.

I was thinking maybe something like a camera case would do the job, but you guys might have a better idea.

posted by essexjan to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

That's a large case to attach to a bike but I'm sure it can be done. The best suggestion I have for a cheap solution would be to bungee and tie a crate (maybe one of the rectangular milk crates would be big enough) large enough to contain the computer behind him. Then tie it down, cover it up and hope it doesn't rain.

Failing that, I bet there are some seriously large Givi cases that would swallow a PC mini-tower but those will cost alot of money.

I know its off topic but if the kid wants to take his computer with him everywhere he goes then he should have a car or a laptop.
posted by fenriq at 3:30 PM on October 11, 2005

Rebel 250 ... yeah, I don't think he's going to be doing that with a large computer case. The largest Givi case, the 52L, wouldn't fit something with those dimensions, and mounting a 52L on a cruiser would be nigh on impossible.

If he was wiling to re-build the computer so that it could fit into an Antec mATX case or a Shuttle or something, it'd be doable by bungeeing it to the sissy bar (the passenger backrest).
posted by SpecialK at 3:33 PM on October 11, 2005

(Actually, it's doable. If he knows someone in the auto/welding/tech shop at school. just have him put something together that attaches with clamps to the sissy bar. But I wouldn't really advise it, because it screws up the weight distribution of such a light bike.)
posted by SpecialK at 3:34 PM on October 11, 2005

I know its off topic but if the kid wants to take his computer with him everywhere he goes then he should have a car or a laptop.

He won't get a full driver's license. He has a laptop but 'needs' this computer for gaming.

My own view is that what he 'needs' is to leave the thing either at home or at school and get a life away from the W of W, but then that's a whole other issue ...

The crate/bungee thing seems a little flimsy. The dad can weld/build stuff so would be able to tackle the project. I know what you're saying about the weight distribution, SpecialK, but wouldn't a passenger have the same effect?
posted by essexjan at 3:45 PM on October 11, 2005

A brief search hasn't turned up anything online, but I have seen camera cases in the past which are essentially large, light square flight cases - metal on the outside and lined with corrugated foam. They usually have foam dividers which can be reconfigurated or removed. I'm sure something like that could be strapped tightly to the back of a bike. I almost certainly saw them in Amatuer Photographer, so you could take a flick through their classifieds.
posted by fire&wings at 3:47 PM on October 11, 2005

I'd also crate and strap it. Maybe he can find a smaller tower that specifically fits the crate or even a big backpack.
But a little bike like that is a very bumpy ride compared to a normal sized, heavier bike. I don't know how much abuse a computer can take if it's strapped directly to the bike/crate.
posted by spork at 3:56 PM on October 11, 2005

Second spork's comment. A motorcycle vibrates in ways that nothing else does, at low, medium and high frequencies. Add some jarring thumps from the rear wheel every now and then and it's not kind to electronics. Every part of the computer will be shaken loose, no matter how good the box and damping are. He will, at the very least, need to reseat all the cards and connectors after each journey. The memory and even the processor mounting will probably also suffer. I *really* think it's a bad idea.

I'm not sure about the hard disk. There was a time that heads had to be 'parked' before moving. Things moved on and disks, presumably, now auto-park. Anyhow you can now throw them around with impunity, most of the time. But a motorcycle? Don't know.
posted by grahamwell at 4:23 PM on October 11, 2005

Years ago when a motorcycle was my only transportation I modified an army alice pack & frame to carry my computer with me for lan nights. I think some type of backpack solution would work best for him.
posted by Tenuki at 4:57 PM on October 11, 2005

I know it doesn't answer the question, but he really needs to either stay with his computer at school on the weekends, or come home without it. Or get a car. Carting the thing around on a motorcycle sounds like a bad idea from a safety standpoint. Imagine if it vibrated and fell off while he was on the highway. Would you want to be the driver behind him?
posted by Rhomboid at 5:07 PM on October 11, 2005

...but wouldn't a passenger have the same effect?

Not entirely. A passenger will lean with you. Dead weight is less fun to tote around; though if he considered getting something really front-heavy like an old Honda Dream, he might find that it helps the balance.

I agree that a backpack solution may be his best bet. It solves the balance problem to a degree, and will somewhat mitigate the vibration (which on a small bike is a real issue, to be sure).
posted by solotoro at 5:22 PM on October 11, 2005

The XXL size of Timbuk2 messenger bag is big enough for that (XXL: 20.5 in W x 15.5 in H x 10.5 in D, 3.12 lb). I've carried rackmount computers, 2 burner propane stoves, and UPSes in mine with no problems.
posted by aneel at 7:49 PM on October 11, 2005

Oh, and the trick to carrying heavy things with a messenger bag is to loosen the shoulder strap enough that the weight rests on the back seat (but keep it tight enough that the load is still held close to your body). Bearing the whole weight on your shoulder for a long period will make your shoulders ache.
posted by aneel at 8:36 PM on October 11, 2005

Something else to consider: Would the vibration of the motorcycle and the bumps in the road do harm to a computer? Especially if he's considering doing this on a regular basis? And what if it starts raining while he's driving around?
posted by katieinshoes at 9:11 PM on October 11, 2005

Motorcycles are dangerous enough as it is, without adding heavy loads, especially if his is the kind that requires him to lean forward while driving (the balance is much more precarious on this sort). Tell him, for pity's sake, to take the weekend off.
posted by Sara Anne at 7:48 AM on October 12, 2005