Getting ready for the trailer

[Sling]

I ordered a trailer and was told it would be here in 2 to 3 weeks..

Well it's been a week and a half, (seems like a month).. I only needed a

small trailer, so I ordered a Tag-Along http://www.lilthoroughbredtrailers.com/id2.html

 

So far, I took my bike to the paint store "Finish Masters" they took a little

computer out to the bike and came up with a color match I'm going to paint

the trailer to match the bike.

I fabricated a hitch for the bike pretty much following the design of others here.

Below are a couple of pictures of how it came out and how it looks on the bike.

Yes I know the bike is dirty but the weather here has been crappy.. It is hard

to keep clean.

Peggy and I are looking forward to using the trailer. It will make our trips a little more comfortable.

[Kregerdoodle]

That looks great!!! nice job!! I am about to make one with the help of a friend, I have had my Piggy Back trailer for a year and have yet to pull it....it`s been a Garage Queen..LOL but this next year it is going to get alot of miles on it.. Lord willing.

 

 

K

[barend]

Did you powdercoat that thing and would you mind telling how much that set you back (+/-) I'm wanting to powder coat the frame of my sidecar.

[Sling]

No I didn't get it powder coated, but that is a good idea. Didn't even think of it. I think that would save me having to take it off and re-paint it every so often.

I'll check into it though and let you know how much it will coat

[BradT]

Nice Job. Sure looks strong, you will never have troubles with that Hitch.

 

Made mine as well.

 

Brad

[timgray]

never paint, use spray bedliner. stronger than powedercoat and far cheaper.

[BEER30]

never paint, use spray bedliner. stronger than powedercoat and far cheaper.

I was just about to mention undercoating or bedliner from a rattle can myself , but ya beat me to it .

 

By the way , have you hooked up the trailer light (HOPPY) connector yet ?

 

 

BEER30

[barend]

Hm, for a hitch hidden under saddlebags and a fender as well as the interior frame of my sidecar, I can see that as a great alternative, but what does it look like? Is it shiny like paint/powder coat? Aesthetically speaking I don't care for the visible portions of my sidecar frame to look like they're covered with a rhino bedliner.

[Sling]

Well after reading what Timgray and Beer30 said about the undercoat and

Bedliner paint, I went out this morning to Wally world and got the Rustolium Undercoat

in the "rattle can" (never heard it called rattle can--around here we call it spray bomb)

Anyway I just finished covering the hitch with the undercoating, it gives it a flat textured finish and it's rubbery. I mainly want the hitch to be protected so I'm fine with the way

it looks..

[silverdeer0454]

I fabricated a hitch for the bike pretty much following the design of others here.

 

Not having the equipment, time, or knowledge about making trailer hitches..A couple of questions:

 

1) Will that hitch fit an 05 RSTD?

 

2) How much to get one made?

silverdeer

 

 

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Looks like a great job on the hitch. I like the lightweight hollow stinger (shank) available from VentureDad. The storebought stingers that I have seen are solid and HEAVY. Way too heavy and also longer than we need for a bike trailer hitch.

 

As far as the electrical converter, none is needed for the Tag-Along trailer. Its a 5 wire trailer, and it uses LED's. Its not a bad idea to fuse the lines though.

 

What color have you thought about for the wheels? Of course my bike is black, so is the trailer, so I painted the wheels with the same black bedliner spray you used for the hitch. Looks good.

[Sling]

Well the tailer is going to be here this week. That's because I was on Vacation last week..They are shipping it out tomorow. I hope to put a couple of miles on it as soon as I get it. Then it is going into the Garage for a little paint to match the

bike.. I'll post pictures.. The trailer is going to have Chrome rims. I hope they look okay, but I'm going to buy an extra set of wheels Most likely paint them Black.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Chrome wheels should look great...I guess you ordered it that way. I would like to find a set of chrome hubcaps, (not wheel covers) that fit the hubs, but havent really looked. I just try to keep the caps clean and it looks ok.

 

Be sure to load in some stuff ( i said this before huh?) before you take it out for a test-pull, to get a true feel for how it will work on the road. About the only thing I do different when pulling this little trailer is that, since it is so narrow, when approaching a pavement 'lip' at an angle, such as pulling into a gas station, I try to slow down if possible, or hit the 'lip' straight on..but otherwise it handles almost everything as if its not there. It wont tip over, the hitch pin wont let it, but I still hate to hit the bumps too hard.

 

Remember the two main things I mentioned, check the bearings, and start out with 10 pounds of air in the tires.

 

I'm getting excited for ya too!

 

[ronjolly]

Made my own worked awsum and cost $15.00 Sawed off tha flanges on the support, welded them to a 3/4 inch steel pipe, welded 1/2 inch x1 1/2 angle iron the whole lenght, then welded the reciver ,,,powder coated it looks good.

[Sling]

Well the trailer arrived the other day. I got the pigtail wired to the bike. Took it for a ride. It pulls good. Brian (tx2sturgis ) gave me some tips to start out with. Main one is to lower the tire pressure. Peggy rode behind me in the truck to watch the way it reacts She said it did just fine. I've got to work tomorrow, so I loaded it down for the ride into work. So I will see how it pulls loaded!

The trailer is white, but I am going to paint it to match the bike. I took the bike over to one of the local Paint specialty places and they used their computer to match the paint. Hopefully I will get to do this soon because It is really White!

As I put some more mileage on the trailer I will try to post an update.

[eagleeye]

Sling,

Great job on the hitch mount and that is one cool trailer,

 

MAN is it WHITE!

 

 

Steve

[Midrsv]

Sling,

 

I've been looking at that trailer also as a replacement or addition to my Unigo. I'm beginning to think I would prefer a 2 wheel trailer but I don't want one that will carry as much as my truck. Just unigo size or slightly larger and I still want one that will go through a hotel door and I think your trailer fits that. Can you post some photos of the interior?

 

How would it look if ordered in black and then only paint the lid to match the bike? Still keeping 2 tone. In my case blue and black.

 

Thanks,

Dennis

[Sling]

Dennis,

Brian, from down in Texas got me wanting one of these trailers. Go to the link below and look at the pictures Brianput up. He has a black one and you can see the interior picture.

Getting a black one and just painting the blue to match your bike would be easier.

then taking a white one and having to paint both colors .

I just got mine and I loaded it up to ride to work this morning, to get the feel of it.

So far with just the little that I have pulled it, I think I'm going to like it.

Hope this helps.

[ame=http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36408]new tag-along trailer - VentureRider.Org[/ame]

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Oh wow, something blinded me in post number 15...

 

[Sling]

Well it ain't white no more!!! I had the color matched on the bike and bought the paint----2 pints and hardener for the base colors. 1 quart of clear... Was all ready to do the painting.The paint booth became unavailable..

So I can not take credit for the paint job.. But let me say it came out great. I was also impressed at the matching of the colors.

Anyway the trailer is not road ready--It will be tomorrow!!

Here are a couple of so you can see the match..

I know the rules!

More pictures tomrrow attached to the bike in the sun

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Looks damn good!!

 

I want to try to find a mudflap for my bike... the last time i pulled mine i hit a road with fresh tar and gravel and it chipped the paint on the trailer ...wah!

 

[Sling]

Yes Brian a mud flap would be nice. I was thinking of getting a

thin piece of lexan and cut and maybe heat and shape it to the

front of the trailer. Mount it with small screws!?

Put the trailer back together this morning. Took some outside

pictures.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

The trailer looks great...you will get lots of compliments, I guarantee. That little stripe really looks good too...

 

I get a kick out of the comments from people asking if mine came with the bike!

 

I thought about maybe mounting a small rubber flap right behind the coupler on the drawbar...that should help block the gravel that gets kicked up by the rear tire. I really dinged mine up....oh well, some touch up paint should fix it right up.

 

Now all you need to do is take a trip with it...too bad its winter...oh well....

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2009 by tx2sturgis

[wngrr]

Nice set up Sling! I was wandering if that is the factory round crossbar that you used as a starter for your hitch?

 

Thanks David

[Sling]

Yes it is the factory round crosstube. Eck had one laying around his garage. I bought from him and fabricated the hitch. It works good.