Topic: Motorcycle Tow Hitch Carrier

[joe29]

Just like some of you, I'm constantly surfing craigslist for the next great $50 barn find.  I've actually struck gold a few times already.  Well... maybe not $50 but I have paid $100-$200 for 4 of the CB's I've owned in the past.  The problem is that I don't own a truck and picking up a uhaul trailer isn't always convenient.

What do you guys think of this setup?  I have a 2005 Lexus RX330 but I'm not sure if the OEM hitch is up for to the task.  Any thoughts?

[IndyFour]

You will have to check your owner's manual for the Lexus to see what the "tongue weight" limit is.  I'm not sure what the largest bike you would be carrying, but my 550 is over 300 lbs dry as I recall.  Most unibody cars and SUVs have a tongue weight limit in the range of 200 lbs...so my guess is that you are out of luck.  You don't want to go loading a bike on the back with one of those carriers only to have the entire hitch come ripping off of the bottom of your vehicle while driving!  

One suggestion....get a folding utility trailer.  I have a cheap 900lb capacity 4x8 trailer.  I once hauled a vintage BMW motorcycle about 3000 miles across country pulled by a MINI Cooper without any difficulties.  You don't even know it's back there.  When you get home, the trailer folds up and goes against the wall in the garage and is out of the way until you use it the next time.  Mine came from Harbor Freight and I probably have $300 in it total with plywood for the deck and a wheel chock for the front wheel of the bike.  The nice part is that you always have the trailer for hauling all sorts of stuff when you need to (i.e. lumber, furniture, boxes, etc.).

When I picked up my bike last summer in Michigan...


From my trip to haul the old BMW from Indiana to N. Dakota and back...

[joe29]

I'll have to check the specs on the tow hitch sticker when I get home tonight for the tongue weight limit.  I imagine the heaviest bike I would need to tow is a cb750.  

I thought about those folding trailers but don't really want to pull anything if I don't have to.  Man, I don't know how you did 3000 miles with a trailer behind you.  I can barely stand a 50 mile trip.


*edit*  I just saw your pics.  So awesome!  The Mini and BMW make a great pair.  Nice stable you got there!

[IndyFour]

Even with the MINI pulling the trailer, you honestly don't even know a trailer that small is behind you.  The only concern with a short/small trailer like this is backing up....but to be honest, I usually just unhitch it and lift the tongue by hand and push it where it needs to go.....that way you avoid the whole backing thing.   

I wish that BMW was mine.  It's a long story....but it belonged to my neighbor who refused to sell it to me because he had hopes of getting it up and running again.  All of the sudden he decided to give it to his nephew as a gift.  He had no way to get it home to N.D., so I offered to haul it there for him for a small profit.  Got to see that part of the country and tow a really neat old bike.  Last I heard, it now sits in his garage and continues to rot away.  What a shame.  I'd be riding it right now if I owned it.   

[MidTNJasonF]

The Hitch carriers do not work well on anything less than a full sized truck. Cars and light trucks do not have the suspension to handle the carriers. Most hitches for cars and small trucks are class I or II and would really be overloaded with one of these setups.

I installed a class III receiver hitch on a late 90's Chevy S10 and setup a carrier for a friend. He wanted to haul his bike on a few trips and keep his fiberglass truck topper on the bed. The carrier had a 600lb max rating and we put a 400ish lb wet weight bike on the carrier. The carrier was pretty much on the ground and had the back end of the truck fully compressed. I then installed load helper springs and air shocks on the S10 for him to handle the load. The bike still really compressed the rear suspension but it was usable. Still drug on drive entries and parking lots. Handling was less than ideal though.

Get a simple small trailer as discussed above. You will barely know it is back there with just about any car. I have towed a 4x8 trailer with lawn tractors and motorcycles with a Honda Civic and a Mazda Miata. Both never gave me the smallest problem while pulling a trailer. Bonus is if you feel like taking on a home improvement project you can haul lumber and crap like that home on the trailer. Heck I even hauled most of a pallet of bagged mulch home on the trailer with the Miata.

[cobra2411]

I have a full sized truck and I'm going the small trailer route. Most class III hitches are rated for 500lb. My CB750 is 500lb, but that's not counting the weight of the carrier. On the other hand a small trailer weighs 600lb and with the bike it's still well under 1500. Most small 4cyl cars can tow at least 1500lb. They're useful for other things too. Lets say you need plywood or mulch at the hardware store or maybe a couch or washing machine, etc. Toss it on the trailer.

Lastly, when I picked up my CB it wasn't running and I couldn't find anyone to help me when I was able to get the bike. I borrowed a trailer and was able to roll the CB onto the trailer pretty easy. Also I was able to walk up with the bike to keep it steady. I don't know if I could have gotten the bike up on a hitch carrier as it would have been much higher and I think it would be harder to keep steady.

[MidTNJasonF]

Lastly, when I picked up my CB it wasn't running and I couldn't find anyone to help me when I was able to get the bike. I borrowed a trailer and was able to roll the CB onto the trailer pretty easy. Also I was able to walk up with the bike to keep it steady. I don't know if I could have gotten the bike up on a hitch carrier as it would have been much higher and I think it would be harder to keep steady.

Actually they are quite easy to load. Most of the decent ones have a nice long ramp that clips into the end of the wheel track. Since the hitch is much lower than the bed and unless on a lifted truck much closer to the ground it is pretty easy to walk the bike up and stay alongside it. The fact that it was very easy to load was about the only thing I liked on the hitch carriers.

[OWilde]

Over the years I've used a 79 Rabbit Diesel,  Mazda 323 and MK3 Golf to pull utility trailers with MC/tool box/extra parts (old fridges, washers/dryers,  piles of brush,  building materials,  etc..,) strapped onto the deck.  Only time I ever really fretted or noticed the trailer, was in heavy snow fall/windy conditions,  or stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and trying to squeeze into another lane.

Keep an eye on the trailer tires,  keep the wheel bearings greased--pretty damned handy to have for many uses. 

Geoff

[Don R]

If you trailer a bike with a fairing you should remove the windshield. How I know? The plastic bolts were stressed so much later they snapped and I caught the windshield in my lap while riding. Or it willl fly off in traffic. Caused by turbulence from the tow vehicle, way more than normal wind.