Need advice from trailer pullers

[DRAFT1]

I know I have seen quite a few threads on pulling trailers with the ST1300. I have built a trailer and have a hitch ordered. Before anyone writes in to ask why, please, leave this thread open for the trailer pullers only. I understand if you do not agree or would not pull a trailer. My ventures have become longer for me and the wife and we just simply need more room. I could sell the ST and buy any big touring bike, but I just love my ST. My travelling buds ride K1200LTs and Wings and pull trailers but I do not want any thing so big. So..... that being said, I would like to hear from those that are pulling two wheel trailers, manufactured or home made, and tell me your experience. I am a seasoned rider with over 35 years of owning and riding bikes. However, this will be somewhat new to me. Any knowledge you can share, (what to do, what not to do!) will be much appreciated. Especially anything that would relate to the handling and stability of the ST1300 while towing. I travel 2-up most of the time, so I want to make sure my pillion is in safe company.

Many thanks

 

[Spencer]

Posting to keep this alive

I am also interested in the pros and cons of pulling a (small) trailer with the 1300.

Spencer

 

[georgeorge]

My experiences with pulling a trailer are with a CBR1000F Hurricane and the ST1300. The ST pulls my trailer very well. I'm not going to say that you don't feel it back there because you do, but as long as you get used to the feeling of the extra load, there's very little you can't do with the trailer as opposed to without. I've taken the trailer through the twisties and didn't need to slow my pace because I was towing and I've had the trailer up over 100MPH several times....shhh... without any ill effects. One thing that is very noticable while towing is getting behind a tractor trailer truck on the highway. It will give you a hell of a wiggle.

 

[DRAFT1]

Thanks Spencer and GeorgeGeorge,
By the way Spencer, I am still enjoying one of your seats and Congrats on being recognized in Rider Mag, one of my favorite.

My trailer is a Harborfreight home cut down with a Thule carrier. You can go to http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTrailertowing.

I will post pictures soon and also any additional information. GG, not sure I liked hearing "wiggle" used with "hell of a" behind a semi. But.....that is exactly the type of info I was needing to hear. If we can get enough input on this subject, it will make things safer for everyone. I sure hope we can keep this thread going for a while.

Thanks Guys

 

[Mellow]

The ST isn't all that much smaller than the Wing. The same wiggle will be experienced on a Wing as well. It's just one of those things you need to be aware of.. once you are, you'll find out how to either slow down a bit or pass the trucker.

motomac probably has the most experience here pulling a trailer either with an ST or Wing and can give some comparisons. dond has also pulled a bushtec with his ST before getting his bergman.

 

[georgeorge]

You can see many pictures of my trailer here: http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/bkorten/?start=20

My trailer is exactly what you described. I used a harbor freight kit narrowed down and shorted the tongue. I think that if I had left the tongue longer the wiggle I talked about might be solved. I may take some time to extend it a little before the next trip, but I do have about 5000-6000 miles on pulling this trailer and I definitely realize that I need to be careful behind semis. The wiggle I'm talking about is similar to the wiggle you'll get when you get behind a semi on the bike alone, only it's exaggerated by the trailer. FWIW.

 

[Don-STOC237]

I've never pulled a trailer with a motorcycle, nor do I ever anticipate needing to because I don't ride two-up. I've also heard some horror stories about trailers causing wrecks under certain circumstances.

Having said that, however, it seems to me that pulling a trailer should be at least as safe and probably more safe than overloading a bike with two passengers and tons of gear, especially if camping. After all, it does get the load lower to the ground and take it off the bike, right?

I've talked with quite a few people who tow, and the people who use those one-wheel trailers, called Uni-go I believe, seem to think that they are the easiest towing, leave your bike with the best handling, and aren't as subject to oscillations. Also, it appears that loading perfectly side-to-side isn't as critical with those, which makes sense.

Having towed a lot of large trailers, like horse trailers and boats with cars, SUV's and trucks, it's been my experience in any case that balancing your load front to rear and side-to-side, and having the correct amount of tongue weight, especially when using a two-wheel trailer, is always critical to good handling.

 

[georgeorge]

I've never pulled a trailer with a motorcycle, nor do I ever anticipate needing to because I don't ride two-up. I've also heard some horror stories about trailers causing wrecks under certain circumstances.

Having said that, however, it seems to me that pulling a trailer should be at least as safe and probably more safe than overloading a bike with two passengers and tons of gear, especially if camping. After all, it does get the load lower to the ground and take it off the bike, right?

I've talked with quite a few people who tow, and the people who use those one-wheel trailers, called Uni-go I believe, seem to think that they are the easiest towing, leave your bike with the best handling, and aren't as subject to oscillations. Also, it appears that loading perfectly side-to-side isn't as critical with those, which makes sense.

Having towed a lot of large trailers, like horse trailers and boats with cars, SUV's and trucks, it's been my experience in any case that balancing your load front to rear and side-to-side, and having the correct amount of tongue weight, especially when using a two-wheel trailer, is always critical to good handling.

I couldn't have said it better... Thanks, Don.

 

[DRAFT1]

This is good stuff........give me more...give me more!!!!:bow1:

 

[dond]

Pulled my little Bushtec many miles behind a Valk and then an ST1300.. Both bikes were a dream to ride w/or w/o the trailer. I used a Bushtec hitch on the Valk and a Classic Ind on the ST, both hitches being well engineered and priced similarly.
The Valk and ST are also similar in weight the main difference being the fork geometry. The Valk has about 6in trail the ST about 4in. Only behind/passing trucks and going slowly over very uneven surfaces did the wiggle occur with the ST, none such with the Valk. A non-issue after the first time or two.
Mountain twisties were taken with the same enthusiasm as w/o caboose. On my last road trip with the ST I rode CA hwy36 from the east and made it to hwy 3 in less than one hour. NOT a record pace but not too bad for towing a load of camping gear and stuff.
Top notch gear and mantenence, take your time learning the differences..practice maneuvers, you'll be OK.

I have yet to tow with the Burg but I have the bike ready. The Burg has the mass but the power is down compaired to the others. Ppl tow with HDs everyday so the Burg will be fine I'm sure

On the ST and Burg I use a simple relay farm that I built into a RS project box, the idea being to keep any electric load off the stock (very light) wiring. 4 relays, triggered by the items needed (stop/turn/turn/run) and powered from the battery. Simple and effective.

Fuel mileage is proportional to speed. Below 70-75 no difference, above it drops accordingly.

Have fun

 

[motomac]

I've pulled trailers behind Gold Wings since 1985. I had to adapt my Unigo hitch on the ST to pull my Bunkhouse camper from Bozeman MT to WeSToc to ONSToc back to Ohio. The ST pulled the camper with very little problems. The gas mileage suffered, and rolling through twisties was a bit hindered, but it worked a lot better than I had anticipated. Normally I pull a Unigo with the ST and the turbulence behind big trucks is the worst problem with it. Brian and Dond are right on in how the trailer is loaded. If you don't have enough tongue weight on the hitch, the trailer is going to wiggle and can get severe enough to lose control. Rule of thumb 10-12 percent of total weight on the ball. The biggest problems with leaf spring trailers is when loaded lightly, they tend to bounce. My first one was a home made similar to Brian's and it bounced when lightly loaded. Feel free to PM me with any Questions. I teach a trailering couse for the Wingers, so some times I need a prompt as to what you want to know.

 

[DRAFT1]

Hey Guys,
I got my hitch last week and installed it. Not much to it, seems very sturdy. Finished all the wireing and everything worked fine. I went out yesterday after loading it and got up to 55 mph with out feeling any proplems at all. I am going to get out on 4 lane maybe this weekend and try pulling it for a few hours and increase my speed. So far, so good. Thanks for all the advice, like I said I was just a little worried about the feel of the trailer, but I never even noticed back there. Spencer, if you read this I will try to put together pictures and details of the whole trailer build, hitch, and wiring if you are interested. Not sure if you were looking at building a trailer (which seemed to be pretty simple) or buying a store brand. Anyway, I am planning on posting more info as it comes along. The wife is excited about being able to bring more back on our trips now. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[dannyk]

The only other comment I would add after pulling a couple of campers and a cargo trailer with the wings, (don't pull one with the ST) is the first few times loaded leave a little xtra room for braking, you will get use to that in a hurry but it can suprise you if your not careful, the heavier the trailer the more distance to stop it. :biker:

 

[DRAFT1]

OK, I have finally got around to posting the final outcome of my project.

1. Hitch is from Denray. Canadian built. I know I have read some negative things about this hitch but I personally thought the hitch is of good quality. It comes will all mounting hardware including 1 7/8" ball. It was short the 2 bolts to connect to frame but no big deal. It has a chrome finish and all of the welds looked to be good. I will keep an eye on all welds as I travel to be sure no breaks or cracks are occurring. The brackets actually hook at the top and loop onto the frame. I did have to tweak (bend slightly) these brackets to make the installation satisfactory. I do structural engineering design, so that being said I feel safe with it. Moving on.

2. The trailer frame is from Harbor Freight Co. I cut mine down to fit the Thule Sidekick box. Total width is about 36" (Outside fender to outside fender). It is 27" from center of tire to center of tire. I would recomend about 3" wider for this, but still I have not had any problems. I only done this because I have a buddy that done his this way. I have pulled this trailer over 4000 miles so far with no concerns. It pulls true and I have had no wobble effect from pulling it. Actually, you can't even tell its behind you. I have pulled it up to 85 MPH for some distances. There is a web site under Delphi forum for building homemade trailers. I recommend you visit it if you plan to build one. All of the lights are LED. They do not pull enough load to overload the existing fused circuit. That is why I used them. There are other methods, however, you will see in the picture post below that they are very bright. They have 12 LEDS per light. Hub caps are from a golf cart company, painted silver and cut 2" dia. hole to allow hub to fit. There are also other types. Hope this helps those who are interested. Please be safe.

Thanks,
David

 

[jdaniels]

We just ordered the $795 piggy backer trailer off ebay.It's probably made in china but looks ok for our needs.It's 18 cu. ft. 12in chrome wheels w/spare tire/wheel incl. weighs 170. $59 shipping charges.We also ordered the uni-go st13 hitch.Didn't buy the $110 ball coupler adapter.I can make one for a few bucks.We plan doing the 4 corners tour this coming spring and the extra luggage capacity is needed.I pulled a trailer with a nomad and it was no problem so I assume this st13 will do as well or better.Certainly has more horses to pull with.They sell the same trailer w/8in wheels $200 less. [/url] http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PIGGY-BACKER-XL-MOTORCYCLE-CARGO-TRAILER-PIGGYBACKER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35557QQihZ009QQitemZ190163242498QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWhttp://www.schoolhousemcacc.com/index.php/cPath/2_9?osCsid=a2a8f7d102752d5e3e91801c04da655a http://www.schoolhousemcacc.com/index.php/cPath/2_9

 

[DRAFT1]

jd,
I actually looked at a Piggy back myself. There was a used one for sale locally. It does have more capacity than the one I built. I also looked at the Uni-go hitch. I just couldn't make myself dish out for the hitch and adapter. I'm sure it is good quality from what I read. I hope you all have a large time on your trip. I am looking forward to lengthening my trips now that I have the trailer. Thanks for your comments. I hope we can keep this trailer thread going. Its always good to hear everyones experiences. Especially if it concerns safety.

Draft1

 

[jdaniels]

David,I just now looked at your trailer project.Really a sweet job.I noticed you used LED's.When I ordered the piggy backer XL, 2 minutes later I ordered 2 amber & 2 red LED's to add.The amber markers have 12 LEDS and the red brake/tail/turn have 56 LEDS so the folks certainly should be able to see us out there.I've already put the hyperlite LED blinking brake lites on the stern of the STeed and 1 led in ea. mirror & found I really like them.Very low power required and super brite.

 

[Muskoka]

Great job Draft1!
I cheated with mine.:
I bought mine back in 84 ( $350 ) from guy that was building them as a hobby. Pulled it behind my 79 XS750F Yamaha till I bought my ST in 03. Never had a problem with it.

For my 03 ST, the cartop box was replaced in 04, installed the Classic hitch from Australia and the Electrical Connection trailer relay isolation kit.
Takes about 10 minutes to remove the hitch when I don't need the rig.
As well as camping, it's great for my SO's shopping trips.


And guys, where did you find the LED lights?

 

[jdaniels]

Here's where I ordered the leds for trailer.http://superbrightleds.com/contact.htm#techhelp Go here,then click led products,then click truck lights.

 

[DRAFT1]

J.D.,
I believe you will be happy with the LED's. They are super brite. You should not have any trouble being seen. Even the 12 light LED's are blinding at night. Also, with all LED's on the trailer, you can take advantage of not having to put a relayed fuse in line with the trailer. I considered cutting the tounge on my trailer like Muskoka, but it is so close to being level that when we load the bike and ride 2 up, it is actually leaning downward. Thanks for every ones input.