Trailer pullers? Neighbors making me nervous!

[roadriderg]

I have a 1997 used bushtec roadstar I bought. First I was thinking of getting a goldwing to tow it with but alas I have to wait for better times.

I am now waiting for a hitch from bushtec.

Since then naysayers are making me nervous.

Am I doing a unsafe thing to pull a trailer with the st1300 with my misses on the back?

Is the bike frame strong enough to support the added stress

Are there any other bushtec owners out there or trailer pullers?

Gary

 

[Blrfl]

Drop a PM to ezwryder. He can give you a lot of insight about pulling various trailers with a 1300.

--Mark

 

[dond]

Pulled my old Bushtec many miles with an '03ST1300.

Ventura to Chicago R/T and lots more.

 

[Tankereng]

PM Motomac... I believe he has towed his bunkhouse with an ST1300...

 

[roadriderg]

Dale (ezwryder) runs Open Road Outfitters and has a Motorcycle Trailer Guide site.

Thanks that site has some good info.


Gary

 

[motomac]

I indeed pulled my Bunkhouse with my ST 1300. Pulled it from Missoula MT to WeSToc in Seattle to ONSToc in Ontario and back to Ohio for a total over 7,000 miles. No problems.

 

[ChipSTer]

You do have to be careful though... The trailer doesn't turn 'invisible' after it's hooked up... I seem to recall a story about a trailer 'incident'... involved a sudden stop and some gravel and getting 'pushed' by the trailer... didn't turn out too well (I'm a bit hazy on the details, if you haven't noticed)... but I think I read about it on st-owners.com... I searched, but couldn't find it... was a while back 1-2 years ago... It is indeed do-able... You just always have to be 'aware'... (of course, you should always be 'aware' on two wheels anyway!).... YMMV

 

[roadriderg]

A little update! I have now had a chance to put a few thousand miles on the bushtec trailer I bought.

1. Tracks so well you forget it is there. Very true.

2. Is very handy with the SO on the back, we removed everything from the bike and loaded it in the trailer. Easy to over pack, we are not nearly as Spartan when loading up the trailer.

3. Does take a little more stopping distance. I did have a panic stop close to home to avoid running a light. I hit the brakes hard , other than a shortened stopping distance I felt very little from the trailer and it stayed right behind me.

4. Wind, Maybe it was my imagination but it felt like the trailer helps keep the bike from being pushed around in side winds.

5. Speed, as I said you can't tell it is there and higher speeds posed no problems.

6. Not sure what line to stay in so I kept to the far right other than passing.
But In LA traffic I went in the carpool lane. Not sure if this is OK or not?

7. The combination of Ann on the back and the extra pull of the trailer lends itself to a careful balancing when starting out.

8. Backing up will take a little more practice. Got to be careful on picking parking that you can get out of.

9. All in all it is a good asset to 2 up riding on long distances. Handles great even on twisty roads.

For a picture see post:

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81284

Gary

 

[rbs]

We have travelled thousands of miles with our leasure lite pop up and had no problems at all. The empty trailer weighs 230 pounds and I limit our additional baggage, tools and stuff to another 150 pounds.

The rear tire will not last as long.