Topic: Hitch Carrier CB400F

[grumpy56]

Too old for long rides, but would like to take my 400 (and also have a GT380) to some great riding areas here in California. Any suggestions for a hitch carrier for my Chevy pickup? Getting the bike in and out of the bed is just too much hassle for this senior coot. I'm hoping rolling it on to the carrier will be a little easier than pushing it up into the bed.

[jakec]

Hitch carrier is not easier than ramp unless it's a really light bike. You are better off getting two extra long (8'-0" or longer) ramps and use one to walk up. Then have someone help you or use a hill.

Getting a 400f on my hitch carrier alone would be a nightmare and probably impossible.

[willbird]

I never really liked the idea of hanging anything that weighed much from the essentially single point support of a box receiver. It is made to handle weight and traction but IMHO not to "control" it.

ACE Single Rail Folding Motorcycle Trailer

https://trailersnes.shop/product/ace-single-rail-folding-motorcycle-trailer/?stkn=36197f977afe&variant=8454

I have a bigger trailer that I can use, and I bought a HF wheel chock for it that I have not mounted yet. Got it to cover my bases if the weather was pure #$%*e on the day I had scheduled for my 600 mile serviced on my new bike.

[grcamna2]

Do you own a small trailer ?
The other option is renting a trailer from Uhaul;they rent motorcycle trailers.

Those hitch mount carriers allow the bike to rock quite a bit..

[beemerbum]

Isn't there a concern about the transmission spinning around. When I used the hitch carrier to tow a Suzuki water buffalo cross country, I was advised to remove the chain. I did that with an angle grinder.

[BenelliSEI]

If you have the space, get a trailer. I have a locally built 4’ X 8’ aluminum trailer that weighs less than 400lbs. With the front dolly wheel down, it moves and hooks up easily. I bolted a simple wheel chock in the front and can have a bike loaded and strapped down in minutes. The wheel chock is removable, so the trailer gets used for lots of other stuff too. My wife uses it more than I do!

[CycleRanger]

If you have the space, get a trailer. I have a locally built 4’ X 8’ aluminum trailer that weighs less than 400lbs. With the front dolly wheel down, it moves and hooks up easily. I bolted a simple wheel chock in the front and can have a bike loaded and strapped down in minutes. The wheel chock is removable, so the trailer gets used for lots of other stuff too. My wife uses it more than I do!

That's my preferred method of transporting bikes.

[willbird]

If you have the space, get a trailer. I have a locally built 4’ X 8’ aluminum trailer that weighs less than 400lbs. With the front dolly wheel down, it moves and hooks up easily. I bolted a simple wheel chock in the front and can have a bike loaded and strapped down in minutes. The wheel chock is removable, so the trailer gets used for lots of other stuff too. My wife uses it more than I do!

That's my preferred method of transporting bikes.

One nice thing about a trailer that will take actual 4x8 sheet is you can load it with sheets and lumber for a project and just leave it on the trailer, put it under a cover or tarp it, move it to were the project is, etc. Of course the minute you do that you will need it for something else LOL.

[MauiK3]

Beautiful trailer!!

[BenelliSEI]

Beautiful trailer!!

Steve….. Built locally by a guy and his sons. They make three sizes and this is the smallest. Welding is a thing of beauty and every component is thoughtfully arranged. It’s super light and strong. Wiring is all in rubber cords and enclosed, every joint soldered and shrink wrapped. People keep them forever! Wanted one for years and finally found one.

[willbird]

Beautiful trailer!!

Steve….. Built locally by a guy and his sons. They make three sizes and this is the smallest. Welding is a thing of beauty and every component is thoughtfully arranged. It’s super light and strong. Wiring is all in rubber cords and enclosed, every joint soldered and shrink wrapped. People keep them forever! Wanted one for years and finally found one.

One can buy kits to make a small jet boat that uses the whole propulsion system and engine from a Jetski, youtube channel I follow they built two of them, they sun burned the heck out of themselves MIG and TIG welding all of that bright shiny aluminum.

[Old Scrambler]

Since you already have a pickup...........install a 2500-lb. winch with a soft cable and a remote-controller. Get 2 ramps (or one exra wide platform) the same length as your bed (or longer) then walk or ride your bike while operating the controller...........then same in reverse. Use a soft strap attached to the bike frame running between the forks below the headlight.........that allows you to stear and maintaine control. Mount the winch at or near to top of the bed-frame, or on the bed-floor to a pully mounted above it........the angle of the strap should pull the bike forward, not downward. 

[Kelly E]

We built a 12' flatbed trailer from an old 1969 travel trailer. The old travel trailers have heavier rated axles than modern trailers. Ours has a 4500lb rated axle. Old travel trailers are fairly cheap and sometimes free so if you can weld you can build a trailer just the way you need it. We use it constantly, it's the perfect size for general use. It's much easier to load up a bike on the trailer than try to load up a bike into a pickup truck bed. I've seen some epic failures of people trying it.

[BenelliSEI]

+1 to Kelly’s comments. Loading a motorcycle to a truck bed scares me every time I see it……

[grcamna2]

Isn't there a concern about the transmission spinning around. When I used the hitch carrier to tow a Suzuki water buffalo cross country, I was advised to remove the chain. I did that with an angle grinder.

I think you might be saying about the hitch-mount carrier which carries half the weight of the motorcycle by lifting the front wheel onto a hitch mounted tow-bar type of arrangement while the rear wheel spins on the road behind it?

Edit:loading onto a truck wasn't bad when I had my two long,curved aluminum ramps;the longer the ramps are makes it easier.

[grumpy56]

Do appreciate all the great comments. Thank you.

[HondaMan]

There are a few bikes that can't (or shouldn't) be towed with a front-wheel carrier: the CB750 is one of those. The GT380/550/750 is OK, and if the front wheel is at least 8" off the ground, the CB350/400 SOHC4 is also OK. The issue with the 750 is that the bearing at the front sprocket (final drive shaft) is not lubed unless the engine is running. This caused some CB750s to utterly fail their final-drive bearings after being pulled around the country with those, as the final drive gets no oiling unless the engine is running.

Honda eventually changed the final drive bearing to a dual-row type to capture some oil in it while running, so it could be towed a little bit without troubles. I've replaced a number of final-drive bearings, both single and double row, accompanied with worn chains and sprockets (back in the day), on 750s that had less than 3000 miles on them, all from this issue.

BTW: whomever told you to remove the drive chain for towing the water buffalo was wrong. We sold those to guys who wanted a 750 but were going to tow it around like that. It worked fine, as its oil-filled gearbox was spin-oiled by any moving shaft inside it.

[willbird]

+1 to Kelly’s comments. Loading a motorcycle to a truck bed scares me every time I see it……

If I had to do it more than seldom I would make a skid that had a wheel chock for the front wheel. Skid sits on ground, bike gets loaded and secured, skid gets winched into the truck bed up a set of ramps. Unload is the reverse. I have a spot in my yard next to my driveway that lets me load and unload stuff out of my Tundra almost level to the truck bed.

Bill

[HondaMan]

+1 to Kelly’s comments. Loading a motorcycle to a truck bed scares me every time I see it……

If I had to do it more than seldom I would make a skid that had a wheel chock for the front wheel. Skid sits on ground, bike gets loaded and secured, skid gets winched into the truck bed up a set of ramps. Unload is the reverse. I have a spot in my yard next to my driveway that lets me load and unload stuff out of my Tundra almost level to the truck bed.

Bill

If you start building it, I have a new, unused (but 7 years old) 12 volt winch that I was going to use to make a small trailer for towing these bikes around. Life changed that project, but the winch is still here, unused, in the box...

[willbird]

+1 to Kelly’s comments. Loading a motorcycle to a truck bed scares me every time I see it……

If I had to do it more than seldom I would make a skid that had a wheel chock for the front wheel. Skid sits on ground, bike gets loaded and secured, skid gets winched into the truck bed up a set of ramps. Unload is the reverse. I have a spot in my yard next to my driveway that lets me load and unload stuff out of my Tundra almost level to the truck bed.

Bill

If you start building it, I have a new, unused (but 7 years old) 12 volt winch that I was going to use to make a small trailer for towing these bikes around. Life changed that project, but the winch is still here, unused, in the box...

I have a small utility trailer so I doubt the idea goes far :-).

[grumpy56]

Lots of great ideas thank you. I think I might just get a wide ramp so I can ride the bike up into the bed or at least walk beside it to get it in bed. I have a sturdy (Black Widow) steel ramp but it is too narrow and weighs too much for me to be throwing around. It was used when I had a Superglide, but the days of big heavy bikes are history for me.