Real World towing capacity and tongue wt for gen1

[CaseyJ955]

What is actually comfortable for the bike vs what can I force the bike to do, so I guess I'm wondering how much wt seems like to much for those that have towed, at what point do you feel safety and common sense have been pushed aside?

 

I have never towed with a motorcycle, I can go a week easy out of a large backpack and probably the rest of my life out of the cavernous luggage space enjoyed by the MKII so the only reason my MKII still has a hitch is pure laziness that I have not shed that wt. Ive never had any reason to think about hitching a trailer to a bike (nor trailering a running bike), but saving all that $$$ on motels might be good. I know some of us do tent trailers so I believe that is all good. I think a basic tent trailer is in my future plans. There is something else I would like to pull, wt I suspect will be around 250 without trailer. Not sure what these bikes things are actually good for, how much wt can I make go and stop safely. The tent trailer would likely go anywhere I'm going to be out more than a week but the heavier load would be within an hour or so of home. Just feeling it out before I embarrass myself with the stupidest idea ever!

 

TIA, yallz have a great weekend!

[Marcarl]

First calculation would be as to how much weight you would have on the bike when you have it loaded, then add the tongue weight of the loaded trailer. Tongue weight should be about 10% -15% of total trailer weight. All this weight is limited to max load of the bike. 250 lbs can easily enough be pulled by the bike, but stopping distance will be compromised, and the trailer will have something to say about short and quick maneuvers. The more weight behind the louder the speak. You will also find that the front wheel may get a lighter feel, especially in wet weather.

Now whether you are around home or the other side of the country, makes for no difference at all. It's all the same, unless you feel that getting injured at home is paramount to getting enjoying the suffering further afield. I do tow a trailer, and will anytime I wish to, but it does add to the dangers of riding.

[CaseyJ955]

Thanks for the info, it all makes sense. I'm going to look at some tent trailers and see how that goes first.

[Flyinfool]

When you get more than about 50 lbs on the back end is when you start to notice the steering getting loose. That 50 includes the hitch plus tongue plus contents of the trunk

Edited October 29, 2018 by Flyinfool

[dna9656]

This is one of 2 reasons tires have weight capacity, you can get tires that fit our bikes but you have to watch the load (weight) limit on the tire, especially if you're going to tow! This where I get confused, I have a hitch on my bike, I like the option it gives me, but I need a recommendation for a weight limit; Marcal's comment is a very big help to me as it gives me an idea of how to figure out my enigma!

[Du-Rron]

This is one of 2 reasons tires have weight capacity, you can get tires that fit our bikes but you have to watch the load (weight) limit on the tire, especially if you're going to tow! !

 

 

Well... I see where you are going here... I have found that if me and the wife run in full nekked @cowpuc mode that we might make weight limit. If we wear a pair of socks or have anything in the luggage or tow a trailer... we are waaayyyyy over GVWR as rated by Yamaha. The tires however, will carry 1700 lbs combined. This condition is not unique to the RSV. All tour bikes have around 450 pounds plus/minus capacity and all of them say NO trailer towing. I am assuming that A Gen 1 has about the same carrying capacity. Is there a sticker on your bike that says your weight limit?

 

A tip: 100 pounds on the pillion equals 200 pounds in a trailer as far as "feel", stopping, steering. You will not want more than 400 lbs gross behind you in a trailer.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Du-Rron

[cowpuc]

The day after I brought Tweeksis (our most recent 83) home from Larry's (@Carbon_One ) I was sitting out front taking the trailer hitch looking rear bumper off her back side when a good friend/neighbor rolls in on his Ultra Limited and asked what I was doing!! By the snarl on his face I could tell he thought my opinion that "less = more" when it comes to actually using these bikes for touring and that, IMHO, that all that really pretty chrome bumper represented to me and my way of life (cross country touring) was a lot more hassle when an on road tire swap was going to be needed was sheer nonsense. Obviously, his opinion and my opinion were vastly different. I think the whole trailer towing with a motorcycle plot falls in this same category of club house chit chat = a matter of opinion.

For many many years I/we chose to stick with onboard tent and sleeping bags for overnight stays. That has served me and my fortunate/unfortunate (also up for opinion) very well on lots of touring adventures thru the years, including many that lasted more than 4 weeks at a time. I was warned over and over again both here in the club and by friends abroad about being over packed and relentlessly encouraged to trailerize my scoot and do the tow routine. I know I am not the sharpest crayon in the package but, possibly because of my experiences in towing trailers with vehicles with 4 wheels under them coupled with numerous two wheeled vehicle excursions in life, I got a strange - "dont go there" - feeling in my gut every time I considered it - especially with a passenger on the back who's safety my riding skills would be totally responsible for.

A while back I finally did get the chance to tow a trailer behind a bike and learned, among other things that indeed, in my case, for what what I had always been trying to obtain in life,, towing a trailer cross country with a motorcycle was not in my best interest.

After helping a friend get his 95 Honda Goldwing and its gorgeous matching trailer ready to sell, Tippy and I were offered a chance to take the scoot and trailer out to put some miles on the pair.. I had already completely gone thru the bike/trailer and knew they were ready to travel so we did in fact take it out for a few hundred miles - good chance to test my feelings on trailer towing if nothing else.

The info on the trailer said it weighed 320 pounds empty and we pulled it empty. Something I ALWAYS questioned about motorcycle trailers (and just never made sense to me) was the lack of trailer brakes and this trailer had none. Also, the hitch type was the typical 1 7/8 inch ball type.

One of the things I always wondered about was what effect the added weight pushing on the back of the bike would have on the the control of the bike in an emergency situation - cars have a habit of stopping quickly in front of me, pull out in front me, deer jump in front of me and on and on .. In my growing up years of biking, back in a time when my physical body could handle it, I loved and spent a fair amount of time racing bikes. Be it MXin, Ice Racing, riding enduro's or Harescrambling,,,,, one of the oldest tricks known to dirt bikers back then was the old - if they dont move over = "bump their rear tire with your front tire and watch em fall" routines. Having been subject to this nasty undertaking on several occasions and knowing for a fact that, absolutely if you put side pressure on the rear of a bike and then release it - the results are usually devestating to the person on the bike being pushed on. I also knew that, even with a light weight car (4 wheels instead of two) those similar dymanics are noticeable. I am friends with some police officers trained in offensive driving and know that one of the ways that cops can force a bad guy off the road is by applying pressure to a rear corner of the offending car with the front of the cruiser, put pressure,, release and watch em roll (their words).

Knowing all this,, the first place Tip and I went was for some obscure area twisties to play with the Wing/trailer combination to see,,, if even with empty bags/trunk and empty trailer designed for this bike,, could I/we "feel" the trailer "push" us in certain conditions.. The answer,, ABSOLUTELY!!

Keep in mind,,, this scenario is compounded ONLY when played out,, again - IMHO, with a 2 wheeled motorcycle. Put 3 wheels under you (perhaps like @Marcarl is talking about?) and everything changes,, considerably safer maybe - again,, IMHO.. Obviously, 3 wheels on the ground has more contact surface to hold you in place but it also might be worth something to consider on how the steering dynamics change when ya go from 2 wheels to more than 2.

Anyone reading this dorky :Im not listening toof mine here, if you have a 2 wheeler,, I have a quick test for ya to try out,, find a quiet section of road, get your scoot going at a speed where the gyro effect has taken over - sayyy,, 50 mph.. Lightly let go of your grips and gently push on the inside of one of the grips with your finger tip and see just how lightly of a push on that grip it takes to have a HUGE effect on the control of the scoot - if you havent already discovered this steering dynamic (it's a dynamic that has saved my hide LOTS of times = quick pressure in the right spot and you can INSTANTLY avoid road obstructions and such) you might be surprised. Once you do this,, now consider what may happen if you are in a corner, passenger on back, trunk/bags full (I somehow think carrying max weight on bike would actually help in keeping the trailer weight from pushing the bike - if I were ever gonna pull one for touring purposes - I think I would pack my bike up to increase vehicle weight to trailer weight ratio - just a thought) pulling a trailer and you have to do an emergency stop with the trailer at any position other than with it aiming straight at the rear of the bike,, in a position where the trailer may "push" the bike? Just a thought..

Time has ran out for us in our cross country motorcycle touring days and we never did get beyond the enjoyment and fun of living out of an onboard tent. A simple rear rack with the tent/sleeping bags bed roll strapped on it has served us well for many many years. I will say this though, after doing our own little experimenting with trailer pulling and if we had ever needed to head that way I probably would have played around with seeing if I could get electric trailer brakes incorporated into the idea and done some testing there.. I am not sure what kind of effect the "pull" of a trailer in braking mode would have in an emergency,, just not sure BUT I kind of sorta think it may be the same = push or pull - a person on two wheels might not want either in a bad emergency situation where the rider - not the tailer - needs to be in total control of his scoot.. We have tested numerous trikes thru the years and gotta say,,, I do see where a Trike (three wheeler of any sort) could easily become an outstanding trailer pulling, amazingly adventurous side kick!! @CaseyJ955 ,, maybe do some testing of your own to see what your comfortable with. Are you a lone rider? Maybe you will find I am crazy in my thoughts and ideas and maybe, if your 1 upping it on your tours,, not having a passenger will make the difference. Some testing of your own should prove yea or nea IMHO.

Another something that just popped into my pea brain,,, thinking out loud here (something that I am good at) and looking back over the years of emergency touring scenario's and the ongoing question of to tow or not to tow,,, for many years I always thought a fun way around it all would have been to convert a side car into a sleeper unit.. I/we have always been able to drop the tent, unroll it and pop it up and be inside laying down within 5 minutes (or less usually) of pulling into the cemetery, way side, walmart parking lot or pulling on to the prairie floor. For some reason, my mind has always pictured pulling into the same spot and crawling into a side car camper and cutting that 5 minutes down to 30 seconds. This, of course,, being applied to the 1 up tourer as a double wide side car sleeper would probably just be to wide.. Dont know whether or not a side car can "own" (take over control) of your scoot like a trailer might do, not much experience with those either..

What ever you end up doing brother,, wish you all the best in safety and fun and am eagerly awaiting 's and ride reports of any/all of your antics!!

Your friend - Puc

[Flyinfool]

Different brands and different models of the same size MC rear tires do have different weight ratings. You need to check out what you have and factor that into your tire choice. Also most tires can only handle that max weight rating when also at max pressure. Max pressure may be a lot more than what you normally run, If you lower the pressure on a given tire you are also lowering its max weight rating.

 

You have to be careful playing with the numbers. You can not just add the weight rating of the 2 tires to get the total weight the tires can handle of 1700 lbs. As you add weight behind the rear wheel the bike acts like a lever and will be trying to raise the front tire, so as you add tongue weight you are taking weight off the front and transferring it to the rear so a 50 lb tongue weight is really more than a 50 lb weight increase on the rear tire. This also applies for anything else that is added behind the rear axle.

 

So for instance, If the distance from the hitch ball to the rear axle is 1/3 of the distance between the front and rear axle, that means that if you had a 30 lb trailer tongue you would be actually putting 40 pounds of weight on the rear tire and the front tire would loose 10 lbs of weight. It is not really that simple as there are a lot of factors involved that will alter the numbers a bit. But this will get you in the ball park. You would have to do the specific math for your setup.

 

As Marcarl mentioned, ideally you want 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the tongue.

[cowpuc]

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114842

 

Well... I see where you are going here... I have found that if me and the wife run in full nekked cowpuc mode that we might make weight limit. If we wear a pair of socks or have anything in the luggage or tow a trailer... we are waaayyyyy over GVWR as rated by Yamaha. The tires however, will carry 1700 lbs combined. This condition is not unique to the RSV. All tour bikes have around 450 pounds plus/minus capacity and all of them say NO trailer towing. I am assuming that A Gen 1 has about the same carrying capacity. Is there a sticker on your bike that says your weight limit?

 

A tip: 100 pounds on the pillion equals 200 pounds in a trailer as far as "feel", stopping, steering. You will not want more than 400 lbs gross behind you in a trailer.

 

Having only 2 weeks left on this latest 6 month probabtionary stint for being guilty of being one of those types, I think I can afford another 6 months,,,,, please forgive me Casey = nothing between us,, just another flaw in my character!!

Duey,,, a simple full nekked ride for a couple miles on the section of road that skirts under the Bad Lands N.P. between Interior S.D. and Rapid City during a hot/dry 100 degree S.D. day while standing on the foot pegs, whoopin like a Native American chasing a Buffalo might give the reader of your comment some understanding of why some things are so = in other words,,, dont knock it till ya try it . The flow of hot, dry, desert air over the nekked body can be intoxicating to say the least ...

 

 

[YamahaLarry]

The day after I brought Tweeksis (our most recent 83) home from Larry's (@Carbon_One ) I was sitting out front taking the trailer hitch looking rear bumper off her back side when a good friend/neighbor rolls in on his Ultra Limited and asked what I was doing!! By the snarl on his face I could tell he thought my opinion that "less = more".....

What ever you end up doing brother,, wish you all the best in safety and fun and am eagerly awaiting 's and ride reports of any/all of your antics!!

Your friend - Puc

 

So, you are saying, if/when I decide to take that solo road trip on the bike to Muskegon, MI to visit my old USCG ship mate (and maybe a Venturer or 2 along the way), I should just roll and strap.

[CaseyJ955]

I'm glad this is still going. I cant seem to get my silly ideas out of my head.

 

The cargo I wanted to pull has a dry wt of ~220 lbs, and I figured a custom aluminum trailer made just for the item and the item together would be wt prohibitive. Off the top of my head I would be at 300+ lbs total wt, but it would be relatively flat with low CG. I'm not thinking about a multipurpose trailer, rather a trailer designed and fabricated by me specifically for my 250. My dirt bike weighs about what I do after a robust meal, so how much more wt for a purpose built trailer remains to be seen but I dont think 100lbs would be a bad guess.

 

The idea I have drafted would take a small dirt bike which would be rolled up longitudinally onto a hinged rail on the extreme right side of the trailer, then fastened to a guide, laid down/locked in an almost flat 10-15 deg angle. I'm a 2 stroke guy so laying them down really doesn't have any apparent ill effect as if it had a crank full of petro, and the extra wt.

 

I googled before posting this response, and I found this on another site which I am a member. I would not be going upright as pictured. This is the first pic of pulling a bike with a bike I have seen.

 

Does dark siding effect trailer pulling, I would assume it would be favorable if pulling some wt?

 

 

https://advrider.com/f/threads/bike-trailer-towing-a-bike-with-a-bike.213034/

[CaseyJ955]

Having only 2 weeks left on this latest 6 month probabtionary stint for being guilty of being one of those types, I think I can afford another 6 months,,,,, please forgive me Casey = nothing between us,, just another flaw in my character!!

Duey,,, a simple full nekked ride for a couple miles on the section of road that skirts under the Bad Lands N.P. between Interior S.D. and Rapid City during a hot/dry 100 degree S.D. day while standing on the foot pegs, whoopin like a Native American chasing a Buffalo might give the reader of your comment some understanding of why some things are so = in other words,,, dont knock it till ya try it . The flow of hot, dry, desert air over the nekked body can be intoxicating to say the least ...

 

 

 

You can hijack any of my stuff, never a problem as long as you submit the $29.95 per-post intrusion fee and the one time $10.99 account setup fee (sorry Don, that all goes to me). If you've got the onions to drop trou and take off down the highway knowing the risk of becoming a youbute sensation overnight then you get all fees waived! Your input is always welcome, relevant and hijack-y or not. I wont press charges so you should be able to shed your ankle bracelet very soon my friend!

 

Oh, hey, when you were rolling around nekked in my fine state were you thinking about how free and liberating the Vanishing Point girl made it look?

[dna9656]

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114842

 

Well... I see where you are going here... I have found that if me and the wife run in full nekked cowpuc mode that we might make weight limit. If we wear a pair of socks or have anything in the luggage or tow a trailer... we are waaayyyyy over GVWR as rated by Yamaha. The tires however, will carry 1700 lbs combined. This condition is not unique to the RSV. All tour bikes have around 450 pounds plus/minus capacity and all of them say NO trailer towing. I am assuming that A Gen 1 has about the same carrying capacity. Is there a sticker on your bike that says your weight limit?

 

A tip: 100 pounds on the pillion equals 200 pounds in a trailer as far as "feel", stopping, steering. You will not want more than 400 lbs gross behind you in a trailer.

 

But so far as I know we're talking about Ventures and venture Royale, not Royal Star Ventures ;maybe this ia a WAY different bike, maybe it isn't and maybe it makes no difference, I really and honestly don't know. I do know that tires for the Ventures (83 to 93) use the same tires but there are different load ratings amongst the choices to make, the stronger the tire the more money you spend. Were I to tow I think is would be wise to use the strongest rear tire (at least the rear) available.

[dna9656]

I'm glad this is still going. I cant seem to get my silly ideas out of my head.

 

The cargo I wanted to pull has a dry wt of ~220 lbs, and I figured a custom aluminum trailer made just for the item and the item together would be wt prohibitive. Off the top of my head I would be at 300+ lbs total wt, but it would be relatively flat with low CG. I'm not thinking about a multipurpose trailer, rather a trailer designed and fabricated by me specifically for my 250. My dirt bike weighs about what I do after a robust meal, so how much more wt for a purpose built trailer remains to be seen but I dont think 100lbs would be a bad guess.

 

The idea I have drafted would take a small dirt bike which would be rolled up longitudinally onto a hinged rail on the extreme right side of the trailer, then fastened to a guide, laid down/locked in an almost flat 10-15 deg angle. I'm a 2 stroke guy so laying them down really doesn't have any apparent ill effect as if it had a crank full of petro, and the extra wt.

 

I googled before posting this response, and I found this on another site which I am a member. I would not be going upright as pictured. This is the first pic of pulling a bike with a bike I have seen.

 

Does dark siding effect trailer pulling, I would assume it would be favorable if pulling some wt?

 

 

https://advrider.com/f/threads/bike-trailer-towing-a-bike-with-a-bike.213034/

 

You want to trailer with a 250cc bike? I wouldn't, the bike is too light, the tail is going to wag the dog. Just IMHO.

[Du-Rron]

I think I would pack my bike up to increase vehicle weight to trailer weight ratio...

 

Yep the more weight you have on the bike creates a "damping" effect with the inputs the trailer has on the bike.

 

Time has ran out for us in our cross country motorcycle touring days...

 

Yeah... I was kinda wondering about that.

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Very sorry to hear about that. I enjoy you @cowpuc. Almost every day I think about you. I feel the same need to tell you this as I do to tell my brother that I love him. Life is wonderful and it is way too short. I don't want to miss the chances if'n I get them.

 

I probably would have played around with seeing if I could get electric trailer brakes incorporated into the idea and done some testing there..

 

I bet they will have this in the future. Right now if the trailer braked in a turn I think it would stand you up or cause the trailer to pivot on the swivel and overturn. The anti-lock gurus will figure it out.

 

 

I do see where a Trike (three wheeler of any sort) could easily become an outstanding trailer pulling...

 

Trikes and trailers are meant for each other. CanAm sells trailer stuff https://can-am.brp.com/on-road/shop/accessories/trailer-accessories.html

[Du-Rron]

Different brands and different models of the same size MC rear tires do have different weight ratings. You need to check out what you have and factor that into your tire choice. Also most tires can only handle that max weight rating when also at max pressure. Max pressure may be a lot more than what you normally run, If you lower the pressure on a given tire you are also lowering its max weight rating.

 

I dunno about the 1st GEN but on mine the rear is at 41psi max sidewall which is also the pressure recommended in the book. The rear tire is currently a Shinko 777 with a load rating of 80. In @cowpuc s post above he said the trailer weight was 320 empty and so is mine, so I bet he has a fiberglass trailer he was pulling that is rated to carry 400 lbs max. If so this will put 700 lbs behind you. I have never pulled max weight or loaded the trailer with anything other than one spare tire and some cloths and water and a little food and a tent. No where near 400 lbs. I believe that at any one time my max rolling trailer weight was 550 lbs with a tongue weight of around 50ish lbs. Traveling at 80mph (and being the slow one in the crowd) between Dallas and Ft. Worth I can tell you I felt every bump and the trucks were blowing me off the road as they passed me. Yes, I have nerves of steel and my wife has very sharp fingernails.

 

You have to be careful playing with the numbers. You can not just add the weight rating of the 2 tires to get the total weight the tires can handle of 1700 lbs.

 

I was just saying that tires would not be the weak link in the equation. Maybe the Farsnel-Flux bearing that has the low weight load rating that Yamaha used to calculate the GVWR of the bike.

 

As you add weight behind the rear wheel the bike acts like a lever and will be trying to raise the front tire, so as you add tongue weight you are taking weight off the front and transferring it to the rear so a 50 lb tongue weight is really more than a 50 lb weight increase on the rear tire. This also applies for anything else that is added behind the rear axle.

 

Don't let anybody tell you that an RSV cannot do wheelies.

[Du-Rron]

Duey,,, a simple full nekked ride for a couple miles on the section of road that skirts under the Bad Lands N.P. between Interior S.D. and Rapid City during a hot/dry 100 degree S.D. day while standing on the foot pegs, whoopin like a Native American chasing a Buffalo might give the reader of your comment some understanding of why some things are so = in other words,,, dont knock it till ya try it...

 

Again, that is why you are my mentor! I can tell you that long ago, several motorcycles back, when I was a lot skinnier... it happened to me just that way too.

[Du-Rron]

I'm glad this is still going. I cant seem to get my silly ideas out of my head.

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1704445/motorcycle_tow_vehicle/

 

This is just plain too much.

 

The cargo I wanted to pull has a dry wt of ~220 lbs, and I figured a custom aluminum trailer made just for the item and the item together would be wt prohibitive. Off the top of my head I would be at 300+ lbs total wt, but it would be relatively flat with low CG. I'm not thinking about a multipurpose trailer, rather a trailer designed and fabricated by me specifically for my 250. My dirt bike weighs about what I do after a robust meal, so how much more wt for a purpose built trailer remains to be seen but I dont think 100lbs would be a bad guess.

 

Well, this guy does it. And I now have a better idea of what you want to tow.

 

I think you can get away with it if you build a custom trailer keeping in mind the weight will be high and you will have to slow down on turns or your swivel will allow the trailer to ploink away from you. This would be something that will require some nerves on todays hiways to keep up with traffic.

 

The idea I have drafted would take a small dirt bike which would be rolled up longitudinally onto a hinged rail on the extreme right side of the trailer, then fastened to a guide, laid down/locked in an almost flat 10-15 deg angle. I'm a 2 stroke guy so laying them down really doesn't have any apparent ill effect as if it had a crank full of petro, and the extra wt.

 

I would stand it straight up between the trailer tires to distribute the weight evenly. If it is listing 20 degrees to one side that means that the other side is taking 80% of the weight. You will be all messed up in corners.

 

Does dark siding effect trailer pulling...

 

Please... we try to limit the thread to only one dangerous question at a time.

[CaseyJ955]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1704445/motorcycle_tow_vehicle/

 

This is just plain too much. I LOVE that! This is something I really could have used when I was a tow truck operator in Seattle. Simply brilliant!

 

 

 

Well, this guy does it. And I now have a better idea of what you want to tow.

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114857

 

I think you can get away with it if you build a custom trailer keeping in mind the weight will be high and you will have to slow down on turns or your swivel will allow the trailer to ploink away from you. This would be something that will require some nerves on todays hiways to keep up with traffic. I dont do traffic, but point well taken haha.

 

I would stand it straight up between the trailer tires to distribute the weight evenly. If it is listing 20 degrees to one side that means that the other side is taking 80% of the weight. You will be all messed up in corners.

I'm glad you brought this up. In my vision the bike can be dropped completely flat or locked at an narrow angle. This bike is to tall to tow straight up, not a risk I'm willing to take with a motorcycle as a tow vehicle. I'm 6,2 and standing next to the bike the handlebars are shoulder level and being strictly a dirt bike the engine/trans is awfully far from the ground, so the weight would be quite high and this is what started me thinking about laying it flat. The bike standing up would require more width and weight for stability, maybe to much.

 

One main concern at this point is the needed width of the trailer to lay such a tall pig down flat, will it be so wide that to keep my lane I'll be forced to take the center of the lane with no ability to move left/right, safety issue. Maybe it can be set over the wheels and not between them, so not as much width needed... So many variables that effect safety that I wanted to first make sure that it was not wt prohibitive before going any further. Once I can establish a safe weight ballpark I'll see how it can be done. I am also concerned about the width that may be necessary.

 

Please... we try to limit the thread to only one dangerous question at a time.

I only brought it up because I'm fishing for how the different load ratings and contact patch effects towing stability, if known. Personally I concur with your opinion of darksiding, it's not something I would normally consider (especially since I treat my Venture like a Speed Triple in the hills). I'll need to collect all the data I can before I can make a real decision how if/how to proceed. If I cant do this safely I'm not going to do it, any issues effect the safety of others as well as mine, I cant live with that. It must be reasonably stable and safe or I wont put my name on it.

 

This has to be the finest forum on all the internet. I'm glad you know I'm serious and offered up serious answers. Thanks to all!!

[Du-Rron]

This has to be the finest forum on all the internet. I'm glad you know I'm serious and offered up serious answers. Thanks to all!!

 

We try... Thanks!

 

I think you are on the right track to getting done what you want done. Just a couple things and you may have already thought of these.

 

1. loading/unloading a near horizontal 300 lb motorcycle to vertical will be very difficult for one person I am guessing. I have spent some time looking at internet pictures and I never saw another do it this way. I always saw them like the goldwing picture above where the towed bike was straight up. maybe there is something to doing it that way. maybe not.

2. make sure you do not use straight axles in your build. Get you some DEXTER TORSION axles matched to your guestimated weight so you will not be bouncing all over the hiway.

3. You are towing with an older motorcycle so please make sure it is in the most top mechanical condition it can be. This means actually replacing those 20+ old brake lines and clutch lines. All hydraulic lines, check your brake pads, might wanna rebuild your calipers... you know... all the basic stuff.

4. Good luck & best wishes!

[Flyinfool]

OK

Just how tall is this bike when on the ground?

Th HF trailer that has been very popular for converting to MC use has a 40" wide bed and then the wheels stick another 9 inches out each side for a total width of 58 inches.

If the bike were laid down on this with the bikes wheels straddling the trailer wheels, how wide are you looking at?

[videoarizona]

Time has ran out for us in our cross country motorcycle touring days and we never did get beyond the enjoyment and fun of living out of an onboard tent.

Your friend - Puc

 

 

Du-Ron, I caught that too......

 

Puc...gotta say, Bro....that's OK. Sad but OK!

Your trips and tales of CTFW have been magical for me. Reading and following your adventures has been so much fun. Your rides were the reason I got back into riding!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Edited October 31, 2018 by videoarizona
add

[Du-Rron]

Du-Ron, I caught that too......

 

Puc...gotta say, Bro....that's OK. Sad but OK!

Your trips and tales of CTFW have been magical for me. Reading and following your adventures has been so much fun. Your rides were the reason I got back into riding!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

 

"Magical" is the word I was looking for as well.

[cowpuc]

Again, that is why you are my mentor! I can tell you that long ago, several motorcycles back, when I was a lot skinnier... it happened to me just that way too.

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1704445/motorcycle_tow_vehicle/

 

This is just plain too much.

 

 

 

Well, this guy does it. And I now have a better idea of what you want to tow.

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114857

 

I think you can get away with it if you build a custom trailer keeping in mind the weight will be high and you will have to slow down on turns or your swivel will allow the trailer to ploink away from you. This would be something that will require some nerves on todays hiways to keep up with traffic.

 

 

 

I would stand it straight up between the trailer tires to distribute the weight evenly. If it is listing 20 degrees to one side that means that the other side is taking 80% of the weight. You will be all messed up in corners.

 

 

 

Please... we try to limit the thread to only one dangerous question at a time.

 

Ahhh hah,,, now I see where this is going.. If I were dealing with a little light weight, 2 stroke dirt bike and trying to accomplish what I am seeing here,, I think the trailer above is overkill and over weight. I think I would look at building around one of those small HF style trailers, remove the tonge and run a sheet metal bent "rail" under the trailer for the bike tires to sit on with it straddling the trailer bed. Then use the rail as a tonge. Make it so you actually roll over the trailer bed and the front tire drops back down on the rail and bumps into a chock inside of the rail. Then anchor the bike thru its foot pegs with decent sized "bolts" so you can draw the bike down against its skid plate by tightening down via the bolts/nuts against the foot pegs, so the skid plate "cases" against the small trailer platform, basically making the trailer and the bike become one = I have used tie downs for years and just wonder if they would allow to much side to side play that could cause issues.. What I am picturing in my pea brain here would also allow the bike to sit into the trailer (low COG sitting a rail with the little trailer bed sitting above the rail) and not on it.

[cowpuc]

Du-Ron, I caught that too......

 

Puc...gotta say, Bro....that's OK. Sad but OK!

Your trips and tales of CTFW have been magical for me. Reading and following your adventures has been so much fun. Your rides were the reason I got back into riding!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

 

"Magical" is the word I was looking for as well.

 

Awe,, thanks you guys!! And thanks Casey for not :mugshot:in me for briefly your thread brother!! I LOVE this our club forum too!!