Fabricated a new hitch for my '06 Midnight Venture

[DaveDanger]

CAUTION: HIGH RESOLUTION PICS. (I'VE DISCOVERED THE BEST WAY TO VIEW THESE PICS IS TO RIGHT-CLICK THE PICS, ONE AT A TIME, AND "OPEN LINK IN NEW TAB". VIEW THE PIC, CLOSE THE WINDOW, AND REPEAT FOR EACH PIC)

 

Obviously before connecting up the trailer I mentioned above, I had to have a hitch since this bike came to me without one. I looked over the units available online and decided that their ideas were basically sound but I wanted to build mine as a receiver hitch to begin with, and wanted to save some cash as well.

I removed the crossover bar behind the rear tire and measured it for width inside the attach flanges: 9”

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04028.jpg

 

 

I then purchased a 1 1/4" receiver hitch tube from a local automotive hitch dealer and cut it to the length that would place the receiver as close to the rear fender as possible. I then drilled a 7/8" hole thru the receiver tube from side-to-side, with the edge of the hole flush with the fwd (tire end) of the tube, then cut that hole open like a slot.

I then began with a 9" x 9" piece of 3/16" thick steel plate, and cut all corners on a 45 degree angle, and folded the front edge (tire edge) 90 degrees straight up, and drilled a 3/4" hole in both aft corners for safety chains.

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04030.jpg http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04039.jpg http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04041.jpg

 

I then clamped all the pieces together tightly and welded all joins in a series of 3/4" stitch beads.

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04046.jpg

 

Reinstalled the whole assembly to the bike and slipped in a 1 7/8" ball mount that I had left over from a previous vehicle... oila! Really slick, nearly hidden receiver hitch.

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04053.jpg http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/Dave_Danger/Bike/Hitch%20Assembly/?action=view&current=DSC04049.jpg

 

I have about $50.00 worth of materials and outside machine shop work in it. Not counting my design, fitting and welding time.

[Sling]

Great job. I like the way you put it together. Looks good on the bike too.

[Squidley]

Might just be me but they dont come up and take a long time not doing it

[Sling]

Might just be me but they dont come up and take a long time not doing it

RIGHT-CLICK THE PICS, ONE AT A TIME, AND "OPEN LINK IN NEW TAB". VIEW THE PIC, CLOSE THE WINDOW, AND REPEAT FOR EACH PIC)

Hope this helps

[Squidley]

RIGHT-CLICK THE PICS, ONE AT A TIME, AND "OPEN LINK IN NEW TAB". VIEW THE PIC, CLOSE THE WINDOW, AND REPEAT FOR EACH PIC)

Hope this helps

 

 

Your a genius Rick...or I'm an idiot

More likely the latter, thanks for the heads up, worked like a charm

Nice work on the hitch Dave....now all you have to do is have it CHROMED

[eazyduzzit]

Nice, That's the best looking hitch I've seen on one of these bikes.

[Condor]

Might just be me but they dont come up and take a long time not doing it

 

If you right click on the image and then click on 'show image' they seem to come up quicker...

[Kregerdoodle]

Looks Great!! I have saved all of your info and plan on building one also, I just can`t spend $150.00+ for a Trailer hitch.....I spose I`m just tight...

[DaveDanger]

Kbay, I'm not necessarily tight (although I am to some extent) I simply can't make myself shell out money for something I'm capable of doing myself.

 

As to Chrome, that has crossed my mind, but I'm leaning more towards taking it to a local shop and having it powder-coated. I'll check out cost on both options

[DaveDanger]

Kbay, I also have a suggestion when you do yours if you follow my plan... When I drilled the 7/8" hole thru my receiver tube to slide it onto the crossover tube... I drilled it thru the center of the receiver, as far as height is concerned. I didn't realize that would force me to angle my receiver tube downwards a few degrees to clear the bottom of the rear fender. It functions fine, the 1 7/8" ball allows for plenty of angle without binding, but the lack of a perfectly flat receiver coming off the back of the bike simply causes me to cringe inwardly because my eye wants to see level, balance, and flowing lines. It doesn't look symmetrical and it just aggravates the fool out'a me.

My cure, and I'm already working on my second hitch to replace this first effort, is to drill that 7/8" hole, right near the top of the receiver tube, instead of thru the center. That should allow the receiver tube to drop down a bit where it welds to the crossover tube, and level it out where it comes from beneath the fender. If necessary, I'll even drill the hole partway out the top of the receiver tube to make it come out level. The problem I had when designing the first one, is that I had no one around to straddle my bike for me, in a straight-up position while allowing me to lay down back at the rear end and hold a small level along the bottom of the receiver tube while rough-fitting the parts together. This would have shown me that the tube needed to be mounted lower on the crossover to come out level and flat. I will rectify that in "Hitch 1.02"

I've worked on airplanes too long for me to sleep well at night when something just doesn't look right.

There's just enough perfectionist resident to cause me difficulties with some things that I ought to just be satisfied with

[Kregerdoodle]

Dave,

 

is the cross over tube solid??? if not, will it be strong enough to pull a trailer with?? I am sure you checked this out, but I have only had mine off one time when changing tires,,

 

Kreg

[DaveDanger]

Kbay, that crossover tube is not solid, but it is fairly thickwalled. I welded it with no difficulty. For that matter, the commercially fabricated hitches from online use that same tube as best I can tell. It seems to be plenty strong under my use so far, and I've punished it a bit. The 3/16's plate that I folded and placed underneath my receiver tube and wrapped around the front of that crossover tube was for that purpose... to add to the strength of the crossover tube. Most of the parts distributors I've checked with, sell that crossover tube for $50.00 give or take a few pennies. I found it at a bike parts place that was advertising on Facebook recently for about $35.00. The one on the bike is what I used for my first one, but while it's off and being worked on, the bike is unridable... so I want a fresh blank for hitch 1.02 I'm trying to find that parts dealer name right this second, and can't come up with it. It's bookmarked in my office computer at the house, and I'm at the airport on my laptop this minute. I'll get it to you.

 

6/18/09 Just found that link, it www.cheapcycleparts.com They seem to beat oem prices pretty handily on most stuff I've checked.

Edited June 18, 2009 by DaveDanger
added a link