Do you trailer your bike?

[MikeHC]

Wife and I are retiring soon and we plan to trailer our 2 bikes all over US and Canada. We do not own a Van or truck able to tow an 8x10 enclosed with 2 motorcycles, about 2800 pounds. I know anything with a big V8 will work fine.

What I would rather do is go smaller with a Dodge Grand Caravan (tow capacity 3600 lbs) and trick the Van out with some camping capabilities.

Has anyone done anything similar and what kind of luck/problems have they had???

 

[TourNut]

We used to have a Plymouth Voyager . Had a list as long as my arm of failed parts & problems . Chrysler product - never again !

 

[Larry Fine]

What I would rather do is go smaller with a Dodge Grand Caravan (tow capacity 3600 lbs) and trick the Van out with some camping capabilities.

Has anyone done anything similar and what kind of luck/problems have they had???

I have trailered bikes, both single and two-up, with both my '99 and '04 Pontiac Montanas. No issues at all.

 

[TourNut]

As far as trailers that are not horrendously heavy themselves to tow , and not pulling the broad side of a barn door against the wind ; check these out : https://ironhorsetrailers.com/
I have the single MC version of this design . I camp in the trailer - with or without the ST being in the trailer . ( I shove the rear end of the ST over to one side with a car wheel dolly .)
Pull it with a Subaru Outback 3.6 liter , H6
Trailer - American made , in mid-Tenn.

 

[the Ferret]

My wife and I have towed on 2 occassions. Once to Montana, and once to Arizona. The first time in 2003 with a Chev Siverado and an enclosed trailer. The second in 2012 with a Honda Ridgeline and an open trailer. Both worked out well although I preferred the open trailer towing. Was kind of nice having the comfort and protection of the truck, especially for my wife, and saving the tires on the bike for the good stuff.

Nice way to travel around the country for an extended period of time. Out west is big, really big, and a lot of miles between anything. Your plan sounds reasonable although these days I would look into one of those Sprinter type Van's so you didnt have to crawl around on your k ees when camping.

 

[TourNut]

My son is converting a Ford Transit Van into a RV for 2 , almost done with it . ( unfortunately it's U.K. spec. in the U.K. & will not be able to bring it home to the states )

 

[rwthomas1]

Wife and I are retiring soon and we plan to trailer our 2 bikes all over US and Canada. We do not own a Van or truck able to tow an 8x10 enclosed with 2 motorcycles, about 2800 pounds. I know anything with a big V8 will work fine.

What I would rather do is go smaller with a Dodge Grand Caravan (tow capacity 3600 lbs) and trick the Van out with some camping capabilities.

Has anyone done anything similar and what kind of luck/problems have they had???

I've not towed bikes much but many years of pulling trailers of various sizes, including 20yrs of a work trailer almost daily. A sub-3K trailer can be towed by almost anything larger than a subcompact car. Most trailers under 3K don't have brakes, and aren't required to, however I still had brakes on my light duty trailers. It saves abuse of the tow vehicle. For an enclosed trailer, towed with a smaller vehicle, as light a trailer as possible. With as low a frontal area as possible. Flat land towing is easy. If you spend any time in the hills, you will want a tow vehicle with the biggest engine available in that model. The closer the weight of the trailer to the tow vehicle weight, the more "squirrelly" things become. Towing 3K with a 6K truck is no big deal, you barely will know it's there. Tow the same trailer with a 3.5K car, and the experience will be very different. I towed my ST1100 home 200miles on a UHaul trailer with a VW Jetta. Pretty much the max I'd want to mive with that car. Slow and easy, no problem. Understand what you are asking your equipment to do, and take it easy. RT

 

[Larry Fine]

This is my trailer shortly after bringing my ST to its forever home; it was easier to replace the battery before offloading it.

The chassis was a crank-up camper in poor shape that I demolished, and the floor is 3/4" 4'x8' pressure treated plywood.

There are four eye bolts for each bike position. I can carry two full-sized bikes, or one full-sized one and two smaller ones.

I originally made the wheel chocks with 2x3s, and I will again for the fronts. The 2x2s are just a bit too short for my liking.

 

[Mellow]

If it were me, I'd go with a small toy hauler. You don't typically need a shower/bathroom if you find places that do have facilities so that can cut down on space/weight/hassel if it's not important to you. I don't know if those would allow 2 side-by-side bikes or if they'd have to be configured one in front of the other.

There was a guy at ARcampSTOC a couple years ago that had one he was pulling with a Honda Ridgeline and they don't have a good towing capacity. The new Rangers can tow up to 7500 lbs easily enough, I'd stay away from GM options as their transmissions have been having issues for the last few years... not everyone has the issue but it's enough that you'd kick yourself if you ended up having one.

 

[RaYzerman]

The minute you said enclosed trailer, and 8x10 likely not a standard size (I don't think they make them that short in 8' wide).. The problem is wind drag, moreso than the weight. I could not tow my all aluminum 7x12 V-nose slant front (empty) with the minivan I had. Nor are you likely to with anything but a truck. Go talk to people who have the trailer you're thinking of, borrow or rent one for a couple of hours and tow it. You'll come to a decision rather quickly on what tow vehicle you'll need.
Minivan can tow an open trailer. Toy haulers get to be big bucks. You need towing capacity near double the weight you're thinking of for an enclosed trailer.

 

[Campbell]

Wife and I are retiring soon and we plan to trailer our 2 bikes all over US and Canada. We do not own a Van or truck able to tow an 8x10 enclosed with 2 motorcycles, about 2800 pounds. I know anything with a big V8 will work fine.

What I would rather do is go smaller with a Dodge Grand Caravan (tow capacity 3600 lbs) and trick the Van out with some camping capabilities.

Has anyone done anything similar and what kind of luck/problems have they had???

Mike, I used a Toyota Sienna- removed all the rear seating and built a bed with storage just high enough to slide cooler and some boxes with cooking gear, etc. tow package from u-haul was fairly cheap and it towed the trailer(Baxley) with NO problem.

 

[TipSTer]

I trailer my bike if my girlfriend coming along. Hauling camping gears so-on. But, this picture was rescued Michael last summer after he bent his wheels.

 

[st11ray]

If I was going to be trailering all over the US and Canada, I would definitely want a tandem axle trailer. A flat tire on a single axle being pulled by a vehicle that is "just big enough" is not much fun. Towing is not the problem. Stopping is the problem. I would not depend on a small vehicle as a tow vehicle for an extended time like you are talking about. They may be fine for taking your bikes to the shop or a one time trip but for day in and day out, I would want something that I know can handle the job.I would also get an enclosed trailer as that would allow you to put other stuff in it besides the bikes in order to free up some room in the tow vehicle. I would look hard at the Sprinter type vans with the Mercedes diesel in it and an enclosed trailer. JMO.

 

[SMSW]

Ray brought up a good point. Carry a spare tire with you for the trailer in addition to the usual patch kit and small compressor for your bike(s). As we get older things tend to get heavier - one of those screw jacks for the front of the trailer (for coupling and uncoupling), while not mandatory, would be a luxury. Don't forget that towing a trailer w/ two bikes, either enclosed or not, will make your gas mileage go way down, esp. in hilly areas. I would also like a way to immobilize the trailer if you want to park it and drive the car - say around town on a rainy day.

Some vehicles have an optional towing package which includes transmission and oil coolers. If you will be towing 'all over' and in the heat of the summer, I'd make sure my car/truck had one. At the very least talk to the car's manufacturer or knowledgeable mechanic about extended towing.

 

[Grabcon]

My suggestion would be to make a needs and wants list of what you and the wife want to do. Just don't talk about the list write it down. This list will help drive what type of vehicle and trailer you need. Just because a vehicle is rated to pull XXXX weight doesn't mean it can stop. As for your trailer lay it out on the garage floor with masking tape and put the bikes inside the tape lines and see what size trailer will really work. You will find that your Needs and Wants list will help clearly define your trailer and tow vehicle. Don't for get to add all of your personal stuff to the list. Is there room for everything you need when traveling.

My wife and I have been pulling two bikes for the last four years and the last year we have been full-time. We started with open trailers that could haul two bikes, a Kendon and a Droptail. For numerous reasons we bought and built out a 7'x14'x7' tandem axel enclosed trailer, I should have bought a 8'x'14'x7'. The kendon and Droptail we pulled with a Mazda CX5. The enclosed trailer we used a shuttle bus we converted into an RV.

Keep this in mind when thinking about hauling your bikes. What is the replacement cost of the bikes? Do you want to cheap out on something that is inexpensive but may not be the right equipment for the job.

Your needs and wants list will also help drive your budget.

 

[klaproth]

Recently, I took my smaller bike (NC700X) with me to PA/Ohio, loaded on my f150. I used a homemade ramp to load it, and was considering putting a piece of plywood in the truck bed, and buying a metal ( probably Harbor Freight) wheel chock to attach to the plywood. I found a really nice plan for a home made wood wheel chock , and I built one. It turned out to be a HUGE help in loading and securing the bike. Took about 16' of 2X4's, some 3/4" plywood, and an hour of work. I did prime it and paint it to preserve it. Worked like a charm, and not a lot of $$!

Just an idea.

I am currently looking for a used 4X8 trailer, which will have this more permanently mounted. Makes loading EVER so much easier, especially alone. The chock holds the bike up while I secure the ratchet straps.

 

[scootac]

You want to go here.....

Van campers & moto vans

My name is FU and I'm a vanaholic. :fpalm Is there a thread for moto vans that are used for camping? Not a van specific build thread but a dumping...

advrider.com

More threads there too......ADV riders have lots of experience hauling bikes to far away places while living on the road.
Good luck!

 

[ReSTored]

I have limited experience towing bikes. First (and last due to closed border) trip Oct. 2019 was hauling 2 ST's from Toronto area 1,400km to Maggie Valley. Trailer 6' x 10', all aluminum, with spare, tool box with jack and tire changing gear. All in about 2,600 lbs pulled by a Highlander with 5,000 lbs towing capacity. Towing and braking on level ground not an issue, braking in hilly regions not great, gas usage went up by about 50%.

I'd have some real concerns towing my rig, similar to the one you'll have, with a van with 3,600 lbs. towing capacity. Flat roads, probably very marginal, but doable, hilly country means a strain on the drive train and probably majors concerns re downhill braking. Dodge caravans don't have a great reliability record to begin with, in particular concerning brakes and transmissions, and all of this extra strain may result in some significant repair bills down the road. I'd check out Caravan forums to see what they say about towing issues in general and impact on vehicle repairs.

 

[JohnK]

Towed the st on this trailer behind a rav 4 from Cali to Canada and back it’s been to many STOCs and can be towed by any vehicle rated for 1200lb or more. It’s super rugged and well built. Hauls quads too! May sell it soon too

 

[rwthomas1]

Pickup a used Toyota Sienna minivan. It will pull an all aluminum bike trailer with two bikes, no problem. Add brakes to the trailer and a good controller like the Prodigy. Put airbags, or Sumosprings, or something to stiffen up the rear suspension a bit. Add a large transmission cooler too. It won't be fast, but it will do it. That engine/trans package is bulletproof.

I cannot stress strongly enough how important trailer brakes are when pulling at the upper end of the capacity of the tow vehicle. It makes a huge difference.

RT