Luggage on the Rising Star

The sissy bar on the Rising Star is very useful for carrying luggage, that's why it's there, but there are some things to remember in order to secure everything properly in a way that won't move during transit.

First, whatever roll ends up on the back of the bike should have no way to contact the rear tire. This may seem obvious, but it has happened to me in the past and I ended up slightly damaging my trusty poncho one time. 

Basically, anything that's truly "rolled up" should also be strapped tight to itself before it is put on the sissy bar; as an alternative, something like a dry bag works well (and it's a good idea to check it to see it's all staying put every time you stop for whatever reason).

As for luggage straps, there's technique to how they're used, you can't just plop the bag up against the sissy bar and then wrap the strap around, or it will likely slip. Instead, the strap is fed through the sissy bar and then around it, that way it has no way to come off. Something like a trucker's hitch also comes in handy and is a good way to secure your luggage.

I considered adding these two clever little rings to the topmost mounting bungs on the sissy bar:

They can be used in various ways, as mounting points on the yokes (or triple trees) to secure dirt bikes to a trailer during transport, or as bungee hook points or to feed straps through... very handy.
With that being said, once I actually had the luggage on, I didn't really need them so for the time being they're in the box of spares, I'm sure they'll come in handy at some point.

I'm using a Ferrino dry bag to hold the inflatable mat, sleeping bag, tools and spares, a canteen and the rain gear; obviously this is not a very large bag at all but it has the advantage of being just the right size for the sissy bar.

As I've mentioned before there is now extra room in the cockpit: the shape of the handlebar means that a light roll can easily be strapped to it, in this case with the tent, a change of clothes and the extra blanket, which can be useful to free up space on the sissy bar in case I need to carry yet another bag (for things like a camping stove, for example). This roll sits up against the handlebar and the top yoke, and is secured with a couple of old-school bungee cords. Conveniently, there are two attachment points on the lower yoke (vestigial remnants of the original OIF headlamp brackets), the cords are then looped around and fastened to themselves, which makes the roll sit nice and snug.