Carrying a midtower PC on a motorcycle... is there a GearGrip-like backpack harness?

[CZroe]

A few times now I have had reason to carry a desktop PC on my motorcycle, such as when a repair, test, or diagnosis can't be completed in-home (the bike is my only transportation). I understand that it is weighty and would be bad to have attached in an accident, but I am no stranger to carrying LARGE and HEAVY over-sized loads on my bike.

All I need is a good way to strap it to my back. Does something like this exist?

 

[james1701]

Do you have a luggage rack?

 

[CZroe]

Do you have a luggage rack?

Nope. It's a dinky little sportbike. I have loaded her up with a ton of crap though! Heck, I even made a cross-country move on it.

Most of my carrying capacity is the tank bag, a backpack, and a bungee mesh over the tail/passenger seat.

 

[nyker96]

i hope you plan to go very slow. I don't think the screws in that box is designed to take on many Gs.

 

[Langer]

These are likely your best bet:
Tower Carry Case
Thermaltake Xaser Bag

If you're willing to come up with a creative carry solution, I have a couple Pelican 1640 transport cases - I use them for my rigs when they need to be moved. Top notch quality, and very recommended.

Otherwise I'd suggest crafting your own solution, as the carry straps available (including the ones linked) on the market are really shitty.

 

[CZroe]

i hope you plan to go very slow. I don't think the screws in that box is designed to take on many Gs.

It wouldn't be any more Gs than a car going the same speeds.

These are likely your best bet:
Tower Carry Case
Thermaltake Xaser Bag

If you're willing to come up with a creative carry solution, I have a couple Pelican 1640 transport cases - I use them for my rigs when they need to be moved. Top notch quality, and very recommended.

Otherwise I'd suggest crafting your own solution, as the carry straps available (including the ones linked) on the market are really shitty.

Those are really the same as the classic Gear Grip I mentioned. There's no built-in way to "wear" it and I don't think I could rig something up.

I seem to remember there being backpack-style gear grip harnesses, but I guess not.

 

[zagood]

How about this? Can't vouch for it, but it's about what you're looking for.

Sunbeam LAN Party Bag - LPB-B
http://www.ultimatepccooling.com/sulanpabaglp.html
(Out of stock but gives you something to search for)

 

[erikistired]

It wouldn't be any more Gs than a car going the same speeds.



Those are really the same as the classic Gear Grip I mentioned. There's no built-in way to "wear" it and I don't think I could rig something up.

I seem to remember there being backpack-style gear grip harnesses, but I guess not.

i have the thermaltake bag, it isn't what you're looking for at all. it's just an oversized gear grip with a side pocket. although it is more secure, maybe you could lash it to your back seat area?

 

[CZroe]

How about this? Can't vouch for it, but it's about what you're looking for.

Sunbeam LAN Party Bag - LPB-B
http://www.ultimatepccooling.com/sulanpabaglp.html
(Out of stock but gives you something to search for)

THAT'S what I'm lookin' for! Thanks. The usual price looks good too.

 

[Massive Overkill]

Have you thought about a SFF rig?

 

[muscles|]

Dude, get a car or a laptop...

-muscles|

 

[CZroe]

Have you thought about a SFF rig?

Dude, get a car or a laptop...

-muscles|

Read the OP. I'm not talking about my computers. "In-home" referes to "in the service recipient's home."

Personally, I got an Alienware M11x specifically because it was the most powerful notebook that I could fit in my tank bag (BARELY). I have no problem carrying it or my Acer Aspire one around on the motorcycle and I have no reason to carry my full-sized gaming PC.

Also, if I had a car, I wouldn't be in SoCal.

The most recent example where I needed it: My uncle's recent widow needed me to fix her wireless multifunction printer (specifically, the scanner) and test a PSU in a dead system to see if that would revive it. The spare PSU fit in my tank bag just fine but the the HP Media Drive was blocking access to the power connectors and I ran out of time before I could figure it out (had to go to work). I haven't been back in several days and I don't know when I can. If I were in a car, I would have taken her PC home with me. If I had a backpack harness, like the Sunbeam one suggested in this thread, I still could have.

 

[hellotyler]

Get a taxi or have a friend take you, all the vibration from the motorcycle will probably jack your system up. Taking another persons system on your back just seems like a good recipe for damaging it even more. HDs notoriously hate vibration which is why they have released all the 'travel editions' with dropguard and anti-vibration technology.

 

[BadOmen]

I have the Sunbeam one and really like it, be aware however that the backpack straps are not two separated ones. It's a single strap passing through a ring on top of the unit. Never had problems with that, but somehow it doesn't strike me as the safest solution. Anyway, I still think it's worth the purchase.

 

[CZroe]

Get a taxi or have a friend take you, all the vibration from the motorcycle will probably jack your system up. Taking another persons system on your back just seems like a good recipe for damaging it even more. HDs notoriously hate vibration which is why they have released all the 'travel editions' with dropguard and anti-vibration technology.

PLEASE think before you spread that misinformation. I hear it all the time and yet if the people saying it had even the slightest clue about how HDDs work they'd know that vibration is only a concern when the drive is in OPERATION. When the heads are parked and the platters are stopped, it is PERFECTLY safe to expose to vibrations.

I heard all that when expressing my concerns about the magnets in my tankbag affecting the HDD in my notebook.

 

[hellotyler]

Thank you for informing me, you learn something new every day. It's a pretty widely held misconception, as it's what the store clerk told my buddy (a DJ) and I when we went to find a replacement for his HD that died on the road.

 

[CZroe]

Thank you for informing me, you learn something new every day. It's a pretty widely held misconception, as it's what the store clerk told my buddy (a DJ) and I when we went to find a replacement for his HD that died on the road.

Yeah, and I've heard it quite frequently on AT as well. That's why I'm trying to nip it in the bud.

Basically, the heads park in a "landing area" and pose no threat to themselves or the platters when the drive is not in use. Of course, extreme shock could still damage them, but "extreme" shock could even alter the geometry of the drive and damage it when it starts again. Normal road/engine vibration is not enough.

If your DJ friend's equipment does not spin down the HDD when in low power or sleep mode, that may be the case and it would certainly apply to motorcycles if I were, say, building a mobile PC for real-time performance monitoring and stat gathering, but there wouldn't even be a way to power a normal home PC on the bike, so it should be safe until "the big accident."

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, and I've heard it quite frequently on AT as well. That's why I'm trying to nip it in the bud.

Basically, the heads park in a "landing area" and pose no threat to themselves or the platters when the drive is not in use. Of course, extreme shock could still damage them, but "extreme" shock could even alter the geometry of the drive and damage it when it starts again. Normal road/engine vibration is not enough.

Except in those cases, generally there is a "magnetic latch", that causes the head assembly to be "stuck" to the center spindle, and any excessive force could cause it to be released, and then you have the heads bouncing around and scratching the platter. Which is partially why I hate driving around with PCs in the back seat of my car, and hitting bumps.

Modern drives use "rampload", which means that the heads park off of the outside of the platters onto a little plastic ramp. Which is slightly more secure than the magnetic latch method.

 

[Ichinisan]

Except in those cases, generally there is a "magnetic latch", that causes the head assembly to be "stuck" to the center spindle, and any excessive force could cause it to be released, and then you have the heads bouncing around and scratching the platter. Which is partially why I hate driving around with PCs in the back seat of my car, and hitting bumps.

Modern drives use "rampload", which means that the heads park off of the outside of the platters onto a little plastic ramp. Which is slightly more secure than the magnetic latch method.

Ummm...heads park away from the platters and have been this way for decades to my knowledge.

Anyway, hard drives and entire PCs are delivered to vendors and customers by mail, using the same couriers that deliver everything else.