New Owner of Venture

[Badhardtail]

Hello everyone,

 

Man do I have a lot of questions for all of you. My first one today is about towing a trailer behind my bike. I've never done it before and am a little concerned after reading about the rider from Canada who lost control of his bike and trailer. My new bike just doesn't seem to have the storage space as my old Electra Glide so I do need the extra space. Will the Venture be okay to tow with? Any pointers will be greatly appreciated. Where can I buy a hitch? Thanks

 

Josh

Edited September 1, 2008 by Badhardtail
spelling

[hipshot]

Josh. a LOT of people members and non-members pull trailers thousands of miles , every year, with NO ill results.

i am not positive, but i don't think the trailer has been proven tho be the cause of the Canadian rider's wreck.

i could be wrong on that point. at any rate, your 07 IS SAFE to pull a trailer with. as for the hitch, try googling a company called "hitch doc.".

OH. and WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE!

just jt

 

p.s.

josh, you might want to use this forum's search feature, to see a whole lot of places where hitches and wiring harness can be obtained.

just go to the top of this page click on searc, then type in "trailer hitch".

Edited September 1, 2008 by hipshot
after thought

[buddy]

My 83 Venture has pulled my Harbor freight trailer over 5,000 mi with no problems. Did an excellent job in Eureka Springs last year which was over 1,335mi . So yes your bike will pull a trailer just fine.

 

Buddy

[Eddy]

Josh,

I've pulled trailers for the last 10 years in the Eastern US and Canada without ill effects until about a month ago. I did have an accident due to hard braking but the trailer did give me the final bump that I think caused me to go down a little sooner. I think I would've gone down anyway. Just be careful and pull to your hearts content.

Eddie:)

[1BigDog]

Josh, heres were many of us had gotton our hitches. Great quality at a good price. And welcome to the site....

www.venturedad.com

[BuckShot]

Josh-Welcome to the sight. I'm pretty new here also. These people will help with anything. The sight has alot of features,just look around. I'm still learning. By the way, I pull a trailer also,just make sure the tongue weight (trailer loaded heavier in front) is enough. Gil

[gunboat]

hi josh

welcome to the site. their are no strangers, everyone is family here. i have the venturedad trailer hitch on my scoot. realy like it, i took my trailer loaded to the gunwalls, with the overflow straped to the top of the trailer. the bike towed it just fine at speeds of 75-85 mph. went to the 08 international rally in canada with no problems. 4,438 miles round trip. this was the first time i have towed a trailer with a bike. again welcome to the site.

best reguards

don c.

[M61A1MECH]

Josh

You should have no issues pulling a trailer with a Venture. I pull a Bushtec Road Star trailer and have had no issues. Last year I pulled it two up from Daytona Beach, Florida to Chattanoga, TN, this year I pulled it one up form Daytona to Rogers , Arkansas. Previuosly I pulled the same trailer wth a 98 Royal Star Tour Classic for several thousands of miles. I never felt the trailer push me or have any affect on the bike, generally you do not even know it is behind you.

Good Luck

[Rick Butler]

Josh,

 

Like you have seen from others, this bike is more than enough to pull a trailer. However if you don't already know it, pulling a trailer will void your factory warrenty in case you have a final drive failure. Now if you have had your final drive serviced regularly and are using a good synthetic hypoid then you should not ever have a problem with your final drive. But in case you do, pull the trailer hitch and wiring off before taking it to the dealer. But having a good working relationship with your service manager will most always help, where they will often look the other way in situations like this.

 

But I do have a few pieces of advice when pulling a trailer:

 

1. DO NOT pull an empty trailer

2. Load the trailer with all of the weight over the axle and in front of the axle. More tongue weight is better than not enough. Having the tail (trailer) wag the dog (bike) is not a good feeling.

3. With the RSV, be careful not to get aggressive with the rear brake. This bike has a very powerful rear caliper and brakeing hard with the rear brake while pulling a trailer will result in a rear wheel lockup. And the weight of the trailer will only add to the bike jack knifing sooner. So start using good brakeing techniques by using your front brake to scrub off speed and go easy on the rear brake while modulating both of them. Regardless this bike has plenty of stopping power when pulling a trailer.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

[Badhardtail]

Thanks everyone for the help and encouragement! I'll be buying a Harbor Frieght Trailer over the winter and getting it ready for the spring. Just bought a Sears Turtle Top for it

 

Josh

[GigaWhiskey]

Thanks everyone for the help and encouragement! I'll be buying a Harbor Frieght Trailer over the winter and getting it ready for the spring. Just bought a Sears Turtle Top for it

 

Josh

 

They will go on sale from time to time at HF. I am waiting for the sale so I can get mine. I am on their mailing list so I check them every time it drops in my Inbox.

[Guest Dandy1]

Remember the bigger trailer you buy the more the wife will put into it and the more it will weigh and the more it will push you in a panic stop. especially on wet roads.

If your trailer is wider than than your bike be carefull when making low speed turns such as when turning into parking lots. I have seen folks who actually forget they are pulling a trailer and the trailer will catch a curb or post and stop the bike and pull you over. This will also make your riding partner mad when you get to close to him and your trailer doesn't clear his bike.

Just my preference, but I like the swivel coupler just for the fact if your bike falls over you will either mess up your hitch or the tounge of your trailer or both and there is no limit as to how far you can lean over in the curves.

As everyone has said, the Venture is very capable of towing a trailer, it makes life easier on the road. Good luck and Ride safe!

[Venturous Randy]

On my 1st gen Venture, I have pulled my camper for many miles. It weighs about 450 pounds when fully loaded. That is a bit more than I want, but so far the bike had done great. It has plenty of power, but remember it is a 1200 1st gen, but I would hate to have to make a panic stop at speed. I put EBC HH brake pads on it and that really did help a lot. Also, most of my pulling was in the mountains.

RandyA