Trailer questions

[the Ferret]

My wife and I are sort of planning our retirement in the next 2 years. She is buying a new SUV now and our plan is to take the SUV and the ST (on a trailer) and take it different places around the country and "dock it", then taking the ST on extended forays before returning to the SUV/trailer and moving to another part of the country.

I will need a trailer that I can load the bike on by myself, We had an enclosed trailer with a doorway/ramp a couple years ago and although it was easy to load and protected the bike from the elements and prying eyes, it was heavy (I couldn't move it around without being hooked to the truck), hard for us to hook up to, and all we could see out of the back window of the truck was the front of the trailer, which I didn't care for.

What other options do I have. I want light weight so that I can unhook it and move it, or move it to the vehicle to hook up, I want to be able to see out the back window, and I want to be able to load and unload the bike myself.

Suggestions anyone?

 

[MeanST]

I do pretty much what you describe with my Kendon. Stands up fine in the garage too when not on the road. I load the Wing myself.

 

[the Ferret]

How does the Kendon load? ramp? tilt?

 

[Mark]

Do you want to be able to put other *stuff* on the trailer too?

If not I'd search for "motorcycle rail trailer"...

 

[MeanST]

How does the Kendon load? ramp? tilt?

Has a ramp that comes with it. Just like a pickup you can put the wheels in a gutter to lower the end even further. But as you can see the ride height is very low. Rides on torison bar suspension which rides level even with a bike on the side. I put in a 3rd rail for one bike hauling but you do not really need it.



You can get a two or one bike trailer. I opted for two which has proved very handy.

 

[the Ferret]

I did some online research after you posted last night and people seem to either love their Kendons or hate them. Most complaints centered around loading/unloading and getting to the ramp & spare tire. Everyone did say they pulled well.

Well Mark, being able to load my lawn tractor to take in when it needs repair would be a good thing as well (but not a deal breaker). Otherwise there is a $60 fee for them picking it up and bringing it back. But, my main concern is trailering the bike for an extended period of time.

I may just go with another enclosed. It WAS really convenient, just a pain to move around.

still researching ..........

 

[patiodadio]

Have you thought about a "Toy Hauler" ? You know , the camper with a space in the back for your motorcycle.

 

[Rajah]

I bought the Chinese version of the Kendon and I have seen it sold under several brands. I bought it because of price. If I had to do over I would buy the Kendon. I have pulled 2 bikes across country and made many smaller trips. I have the 2 bike model which I would suggest. I have limited garage space and liked the idea that it would stand up against the wall. It is light enough that I can handle by myself and low enough to load by myself.

Rajah

 

[Geoff]

Heres what I got last year...works great..the ST fits right on it with a harbor freight wheel chock (the expensive one 39.95 i think)...with that chock and trailer you can drive right onto the trailer and get off the bike and it wont tip over. 4 tiedowns and your good to go.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96349

https://lazenbyequipment.com/TRAILERS.html

I have the 5X8 utility trailer with 13 inch wheels...pull it with a sedan..when not in use I pull the wheels off and hang it on the garage wall literally.

It went about 6000 miles last summer altogether and was flawless. The whole thing in Florida with registration and tax was 710 bucks.

 

[sirepair]

How 'bout THIS?

 

[Tom Mac 04a]

My wife and I are sort of planning our retirement in the next 2 years. She is buying a new SUV now and our plan is to take the SUV and the ST (on a trailer) and take it different places around the country and "dock it", then taking the ST on extended forays before returning to the SUV/trailer and moving to another part of the country.
...Snip...Suggestions anyone?

Congrats on the upcoming retirement... I can tell you , after 2 yrs, it's great!

The wife and I talked about a trailer and I can tell you this much;

She doesn't camp so for us its Hotels. We can pack only about 3+days on the ST so if we go for a week ( our longest so far ) we UPS a change of clothes to the hotel to swap out. This sort of limits us to the East Coast or so.

BUT, looking for longer tours like you, I think an enclosed trailer may be in order. The smallest is prob a 5x8 and that's not overly big to move around if empty and I've tried it on smooth surface. But the big gain comes in far from home... you can pack extra gear ( hell, I need a case just for her shoes) and not worry abt weather. If you run into a week of rain you still have the towing vehicle to get around in so your not locked away. I don't find fun in biking in the rain.

I've price trailers out new for abt $4k+ total package and used for half that if you look.

Somethings to think abt...
good luck

 

[Larry Ramel]

My wife and I are sort of planning our retirement in the next 2 years. She is buying a new SUV now and our plan is to take the SUV and the ST (on a trailer) and take it different places around the country and "dock it", then taking the ST on extended forays before returning to the SUV/trailer and moving to another part of the country.

I will need a trailer that I can load the bike on by myself, We had an enclosed trailer with a doorway/ramp a couple years ago and although it was easy to load and protected the bike from the elements and prying eyes, it was heavy (I couldn't move it around without being hooked to the truck), hard for us to hook up to, and all we could see out of the back window of the truck was the front of the trailer, which I didn't care for.

What other options do I have. I want light weight so that I can unhook it and move it, or move it to the vehicle to hook up, I want to be able to see out the back window, and I want to be able to load and unload the bike myself.

Suggestions anyone?

Tractor supply and others has a 5X8 with diamond mesh deck (very light) you can move it around with one hand. A full fold down rear gate/ramp ( a place to put both feet when loading) Put a channel down the center and you are ready to roll.
I have put over 25k miles on mine loaded and never a problem. You can tow it with a Mini Van. I paid 500.00 for mine several years ago, and now I believe they are around 750. You can also haul lawn tractors, plywood sheats, furniture, ect.
Wheels with tires mounted are available at any WalMart. It is one of the best tools I have ever bought. I use to haul a drag bike that was very low and would high center on the exhaust, so I gave it the ability to tilt which is an easy mod.
Don`t know were you can get more bang for your buck.
If you have trouble locating one or any questions feel free to call Larry 816 697 3738. You should be able to view them on line.

 

[the Ferret]

Pat..where do those come from?

Larry that's what I originally had in mind, an open mesh jobbie with a fold down gate, but it doesn't seem too many people use them for some reason.

Tom our old enclosed trailer was a 6X10 and it was pretty tight moving around in there with the bike in it and the ceiling was only 5'8" maybe (just tall enough for me to walk around in). It was great for packing extra stuff. We kept several large plastic tubs in there just for helmets, leather jackets, tie downs and such. But the thing was too heavy to move by hand (even empty) and we had a Chev 1500 Z71 4x4 with a 5.6L V8 with tow package on it (supposedly 6000 pound tow capacity) and I could definitely feel the trailer back there. Thought I was going to blow the truck up going over the mountains thru Denver.

 

[GetaHandleOnit]

U-Haul or other truck rental places usually sell their used or older trailers at some point.

They do have a great Motorcycle trailer, Uncovered however..
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/index.aspx?equipment=towing-motorcycle

 

[MeanST]

I did some online research after you posted last night and people seem to either love their Kendons or hate them. Most complaints centered around loading/unloading and getting to the ramp & spare tire. Everyone did say they pulled well.

Well Mark, being able to load my lawn tractor to take in when it needs repair would be a good thing as well (but not a deal breaker). Otherwise there is a $60 fee for them picking it up and bringing it back. But, my main concern is trailering the bike for an extended period of time.

I may just go with another enclosed. It WAS really convenient, just a pain to move around.

still researching ..........

Getting to the spare when loaded would be a pain but the ramp is small enough I just throw in the pickup. I never stored it back on the trailer. I guess loading the trailer is a relative thing.............I thought that loading the trailer would be better than getting my Wing in the back of my pickup. I really do not find loading the Kendon a problem...actually quite the opposite.

I think Kendon makes a utility conversion for when you want to make a flatbed out of it.

 

[ligito]

I have a 16 1/2 ft cargo trailer with ramp tailgate door.
I bought it after finding how difficult it was to load the ST on my flatbed trailer.
I also have a 4 1/2 x 8 ft utility trailer that I built, with a ramp tailgate on it.
I use a chock on the front tire and several tie-downs (down low).
I can move the little trailer around easily and load lawnmowers and ATV's in it.

I can easily ride the ST into either one, safely and by myself, whereas with the flatbed it took 3 people to do it safely and with a lot of stress.

 

[SupraSabre]

I took a Harbor Freight trailer:

Trailer

Added some sides (then found I needed to stenghten the sides

Trailer sides

Bought a folding three part ramp (after widening it by half a foot)

Similar to this ramp

then added a wheel chock from HF:

And came up with this after painting it.

And it's a one man job for loading and unloading !

 

[ST1100-Mtl]

I'm using a trailer similar to this one...

...made by SnowBear http://www.snowbear.com/page/8ft_Trailer_Models

Lightweight and real easy to load the bike with the standard ramp

 

[bayoubear]

I use the Aluma like this....weighs about 300 pounds

 

[bayoubear]

what I wanted was this .... but for $19000 I could buy alot of farkles... this was one of neatest toy haulers I looked at .