Piggy Baker Test Ride

[eb-larry]

I hooked up the new Piggy Backer trailer today for test ride. I took it around the city streets, up and down some steep hills and for short trip on the freemay. It works really well, not having any bad behavior. It tracks strait, does not sway nor bounce. I had it loaded with my camping gear the way I will use it. I barely notice it's back there accept for a bit longer stopping distance and less acceleration.

Next, I need to take it to the twistys and see how it handles.

EB-Larry

 

[kckbiker]

Stupid question from somebody who doesn't pull a trailer. I notice you have safety chains between the bike and trailer. I thought the purpose of the chains was to keep the trailer from taking off if it ever comes unhitched. I understand that with four wheels. But if my bike was pulling it and the trailer came loose, I surely wouldn't want it chained to my bike. Probably yank the bike out from under me. Am I looking at it wrong?

 

[biker5050]

The safety chains do work like attaching to an auto. The chains need to be short enough to catch it before it hits the ground yet long enough to not bind. I don't think it would make you crash if it came off. But I would not want to find out either.

 

[Mellow]

Safety chains are not there for YOUR safety, they are there for the safety of those around you.

+1 on the above comments, they need to be short enough to catch the tongue so you can pull off and address any issues as safely as possible.

 

[eb-larry]

The chains are hanging down a bit too far. That's easily remedied, I just need to twist the chain a few time until it's the right length, something learned from many years pulling a travel trailer.


EB-Larry

 

[rjs987]

Safety chains are not there for YOUR safety, they are there for the safety of those around you.

+1 on the above comments, they need to be short enough to catch the tongue so you can pull off and address any issues as safely as possible.

+1 on this and other comments here.

Unless you are pulling a camper like a Bunkhouse or Time-Out (I had one of these with my GW) you will not likely have the back of the bike yanked out of line. It's possible and I can't say it hasn't been done but not likely with this class of trailer if your chains are set right (again, as mentioned).

Also, I think I remember that having the safety chains hooked up is law in some states, motorcycle or cage.

 

[eb-larry]

In California, safety chains are mandatory.

I just wish the state would change the rules on towing with a motorcycle. My understanding is I have a 55mph maximum. I hear varying stories about how hard it's enforced.

I will be going to Oregon and Washington this summer, does anyone know the motorcycle towing rules in those states?

EB-Larry

 

[Capt_Gruuvy]

In California, safety chains are mandatory.

I just wish the state would change the rules on towing with a motorcycle. My understanding is I have a 55mph maximum. I hear varying stories about how hard it's enforced.

I will be going to Oregon and Washington this summer, does anyone know the motorcycle towing rules in those states?

EB-Larry

CA is so strapped for cash I would not risk it. I've seen bikes pulling trailers across the 10 and each time they are rolling at or near 55 in the appropriate lanes. Maybe you could roll faster between Indio and Blythe (as an example) but in the city areas I'd play the game.

+5 on the safety chains.

I came up on a wayward car hauler trailer that jammed itself underneath a Dodge minivan. Not pretty.

 

[RealST]

Chains are required here in NY too AND if you are pulling a trailer, you can't be on a Parkway. That said, I never got stopped with my Uni-go on a parkway and most toll collectors never charged me extra.

 

[eb-larry]

Chains are required here in NY too AND if you are pulling a trailer, you can't be on a Parkway. That said, I never got stopped with my Uni-go on a parkway and most toll collectors never charged me extra.

What's a Parkway? Is it the same as our Limited Access freeways but with a Toll?

EB-Larry

 

[Kwixdraw]

I was pulled over by a Texas State Trooper once while pulling a trailer behind my cage. I had a light bulb out. He just gave me a warning about the light but educated me on some things I was doing wrong.

He said those Safety chains are supposed to be crossed.
Left chain to the right side of hitch and Right chain to left side of the hitch.

I don't see the logic in that.

 

[Capt_Gruuvy]

..... I never got stopped with my Uni-go on a parkway and most toll collectors never charged me extra.

Could it be that the single wheel trailer didn't register in their brain as sperate from the bike itself ?

Maybe a two wheeled trailer would be seen as just that .... a trailer.

IDK ... just thinking out loud here ..........

 

[rjs987]

Crossing the chains makes a cradle to hold the tongue if it came off the hitch. That's what keeps it off the ground. If the chains were just hooked up straight (same side on tongue and hitch) then the tongue would just fall to the road between the chains under the tail of the bike nosing into the pavement ending in an ugly mess for both bike and trailer. If you shorten the chains so much that the tongue can't get to the ground when the chains are hooked up straight then I guarantee they will bind on sharp turns. Tried this on my camper hooked to my GW in the driveway to test how short to make them.

 

[RealST]

What's a Parkway? Is it the same as our Limited Access freeways but with a Toll?

EB-Larry

Officially, a Parkway was a sneaky way for some states to get Federal Money to build major road ways back in the 30's and 40's. The Feds wanted to expand the State Park System so they offered up a lot of money for states to build Parks.

Someone figured out that the term park was not defined well so the stats saw this loop hole and jumped right through it.

They acquired Long and Narrow tracts of land between major cities and built a simple 4 lane road in the middle of it. Since it was a park, it had limited access, pretty stone overpasses and lots of green grass along the sides.

Commercial Vehicles, Recreational Vehicles (Including Motorcycles) and any vehicles used for business purposes were strictly prohibited.

There are not usually tolls along these routes, though some towns did get to put some in. Almost all are free access today and even though the parks commission released their authority on these roads long ago, the state had adopted all the Park Rules and Regs meaning no trucks, trailers, commercial vehicles or advertising of any type permitted.

Thing is that today, these are anything but Parkways and more like super highways.

As far as the last few comments, I am so happy that people out there actually know about the criss cross. Up until 2009, I held a Class A CDL and had learned an awful lot about securing cargo safely, securing trailers safely and handling heavy loads. I see so many people out there seriously jeopardizing everyone on the road. From Pick Up trucks running overweight 2 times their limit, to people loading up the backs of their cars at home depot so that the 70% of braking that is supposed to go to the front wheels is completely lost. Now I usually will tell a person that obviously does not know what they are doing, but contractors doing this know better and just choose to ignore it.

Kudos to the person who actually tested the chain length.

 

[eb-larry]

I hooked up the trailer yesterday and took it to the DMV to get a plate. No problem with that (I had an appointment). This was my first time towing any distance on the freeway. It went fine but the Nimitz freeway could be used as a suspension HALT laboratory. The surface is just awful, particularly in the two right lanes. Anyway, I find that I feel sideways movement of the trailer through my foot pegs when one trailer wheel hits a pothole or lager bump.

On the ST1100 the horizontal bars on the hitch bolt to one end of the aluminum casting where the exhaust pipes mount. The other end of this casting bolts to the steel frame and also serves to locate the foot pegs. I think that what I am feeling is a little flex in the aluminum casting. I checked the bolts that hold the casting last night and they are properly tourqued. I am not at all sure that this is a problem. What I am feeling is a very small movement. I think that I will have to regularly inspect the casting and underlying frame for cracking until I am convinced that it's not going to be an issue.

EB-Larry