Trailers - 1 wheel or 2?

[ST1300PA Mark]

I want to buy a trailer for touring with my ST1300, but I have to admit I know nothing about the range of trailers out there. I guess my first question is, 1 wheel or 2? I know there are ups and downs to both. I am looking for a trailer for week long road trips with the occasional camping trip thrown in as well.

This has probably been discussed to death already, but I'm just not finding it here.

Thanks eh!

 

[motomac]

I pulled a Uni-go behind my ST for a bit and found I could put all the stuff I hauled in the trailer in a large Helen Two Wheels bag. I pull a http://countrytrailers.net/ behind my Wing and it is not as wide as my mirrors. Pulls well and has plenty of space.

 

[ScubaDave]

Having both I would much rather pull my 1 wheel. With the 1 wheel being narrower than the bike and being as it tracks & leans with the bike, you can take the same lines you would without it, with it. I find it hardly if at all impacts my mileage. Yes in a 2 wheel you can fit allot more stuff, but I am not sure that is a good thing.

Bottom line I find it just plain handles better with a 1 wheel than a 2 wheel.

 

[bdalameda]

I like my Unigo single wheel but I have not towed a two wheeled trailer on my bike to compare it to. I use it mostly for my camping stuff and cooler. Drop the trailer and I am ready to explore. Make sure you have stock mufflers on your st1300 or a way of stiffening the trailer hitch as the ST1300 will wobble as Joe found out when he tried towing his Unigo with Delkevic pipes which allow the stock mounting points to flex more than with the stock mufflers.

Dan

 

[stmike1300]

I looked on their site,nice trailer,good price.I do'nt know where to see one up close,company is in Granby Quebec.Do you fined the one wheeler hard to balance in stop and go trafic,two wheel holds itself up but one you have to hold it up.I have never pulled a trailer with a bike,but wood like to do some camping two up.

 

[ScubaDave]

Personally I do not even notice the trailer when stoped. They are typically narrow and low enough that you will not feel the weight unless you get the bike leaned over when stoped, and then things may be an issue anyway.

 

[sirepair]

I've never pulled a two-wheeled trailer, but built my own one-wheeled trailer (see my gallery). As stated; it tracks and leans with the bike. It is noticeable, especially if the rear suspension is set too soft, but you soon will ride as though it's not there.

Are you doing most of your camping two-up, or by yourself? Do you tent camp or are you looking for a pop-up, like Mac's?

Seems that most folks that tent camp alone can pack everything on the bike, but when two-up it's nice to have the trailer.

Not sure if I'm helping or not! But in the end only you can decide what will work for you.

 

[Nevada]

I have no experience with motorcycle trailers. To me they seem to add another danger to an activity already dangerous enough. What happens when it gets a flat tire for instance?

uhhh, I don't know. In the 10 years I've been riding, coming up on seven pulling a Bushtec trailer, I've never heard anybody even discuss the matter. So either trailers never get flats, or it's basically a non-issue. I don't see how a single wheel trailer is going to be much better when it flats though.

Having said that I have considerable experience with one wheel trailers for bicycles. Its like there is no trailer there at all. Better than that, weight carried up high on the bicycle now is down low and off the bike for improved handleing. I would have to believe the same thing is true for motorcycles.

Definitely. Also, moving everything to the trailer makes it much easier to get on and off the bike, depending on how much stuff you've got. My avatar shows STeed One packed for a 4 month trip. Everything went into the trailer after I got it a third of the way through the trip.

Personally I would not touch a two wheel trailer for motorcycle use. Im thinking you get a flat tire on one at speed and you got some serious easily fatal trouble.

And how would a single wheel trailer differ from a two wheeler in this respect?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I pull a Bushtech trailer behind my ST1300. I could not be happier. I not only tour on my bike but weather permitting I will use it as my main vehicle. I tow my trailer all over town. At 80 mph on the expressway you don't even know its back there! As for the flat issue. Bushtech trailers have run flat tires so it is no problem to get to filling station to get it fixed. As somebody else said I have never heard of it happening.

As a side note Bushtech is one of the more expensive trailers out there. But they are hands down the best when it comes to handling and quality for a two wheel trailer. I found my used on a Goldwing Forum. Just do a Google or Ebay search. You can find tons of used trailers.

 

[okcst1300]

if price is a issue look @ piggybacker trailers

 

[Fortunet 1]

I've never pulled a two-wheeled trailer, but built my own one-wheeled trailer (see my gallery).

I gotta hand it to yah.....THATS some thought engineering....Very good thinking. Some folks may say its a wee bit too homemade
for their taste..................But I say.............Love the home made engineering! Id much rather look at Rat bikes and home built stuff than factory built look alikes.......But thats just one mans point of view. Did you have to licence that? $$$?

 

[sirepair]

I gotta hand it to yah.....THATS some thought engineering....Very good thinking. Some folks may say its a wee bit too homemade
for their taste..................But I say.............Love the home made engineering! Id much rather look at Rat bikes and home built stuff than factory built look alikes.......But thats just one mans point of view. Did you have to licence that? $$$?

The whole idea was inexpensive, easy to make and functional, not styling and aesthetics. In Ohio, all trailers have to be licensed; no getting around that. Cost was about $400 or so, including the lights. It's worked out better than I imagined.

 

[userzero]

One wheel works fine for me. I own a Armoric Design trailer, and I pulled it at a pretty fast clip, around 100 mph on a wet road. Steady as a rock. You know it's there, but not because of the trailer, only because the ST 1300 is a bit wobbly at times.

 

[Gamecock]

At least if it gets a flat a single wheel trailer is symetrical. I had a flat tire on my boat trailer once. The thing fishtailed from side to side rather violently. There is no way I would take the risk of that happening on a motorcycle.

In respect to the Unigo, I would add that the sidewalls on the little tire are so stiff that I'm not sure the tire would ever go "flat" unless you had the trailer full of bricks (in which case you'd be grossly exceeding its maximum weight capacity anyway). I'm not saying it would pull really well or that you wouldn't have to slow down, but I don't think you'd be immediately sidelined.

 

[stmike1300]

Has anyone tryed a Monogo trailer,looks good with tire carrying more of the load.MIKE

 

[rjs987]

I am considering the Monogo. I sent an email in to the owner late today to find out if they still don't ship to the lower 48. I've read many posts on this and other forums from 2007 (strange that all of them are from that year) that stated they didn't ship down into the States but don't see anything on their web site to indicate that currently. You riders in Canada don't have an issue with that but I don't think I'll be riding up north of the border any time soon.

Actually my big decision here is if I want a cargo trailer or a very small camper, like the mini-mate by Kompact Kamp. Leaning toward cargo, and if that the Monogo, but also still interested in the camper idea. I pulled a Time Out camper with my GW some years ago and had no problem with that. But the ST is lighter and has less pulling power than a GW. I've been doing the tent route for camping lately so the cargo trailer makes more sense currently. I don't really NEED a trailer for camping but would come in handy for those times I want to carry more than I can on just the bike alone. Then I could drive the cage even less. :grin:

edit: reply from Michel at Monogo - they still don't "ship outside Canada due to liability insurance" reasons.

 

[stmike1300]

no one have a monogo?

 

[ST1300PA Mark]

After reading all these comments, (thanks everybody!!!) I have pretty much decided on the Uni-go. However, I have been calling their new 800 number and emailing them for several days now with no response from them at all. I called the distributor in Texas, he told me to email him with the details of my order and he would send me a quote. Nuttin back from him either. Has Uni-go become Uni-GONE? Does anyone know if they are still in business?

I have to say despite the good reputation of the trailer I am reluctant to buy from a company that won't reply to a purchase request, it doesn't say anything good about the chance of getting post-sales service from them.

 

[Mellow]

After reading all these comments, (thanks everybody!!!) I have pretty much decided on the Uni-go. However, I have been calling their new 800 number and emailing them for several days now with no response from them at all. I called the distributor in Texas, he told me to email him with the details of my order and he would send me a quote. Nuttin back from him either. Has Uni-go become Uni-GONE? Does anyone know if they are still in business?

I have to say despite the good reputation of the trailer I am reluctant to buy from a company that won't reply to a purchase request, it doesn't say anything good about the chance of getting post-sales service from them.

Good luck

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?98439-Unigo-Question

 

[Gamecock]

After reading all these comments, (thanks everybody!!!) I have pretty much decided on the Uni-go. However, I have been calling their new 800 number and emailing them for several days now with no response from them at all. I called the distributor in Texas, he told me to email him with the details of my order and he would send me a quote. Nuttin back from him either. Has Uni-go become Uni-GONE? Does anyone know if they are still in business?

I have to say despite the good reputation of the trailer I am reluctant to buy from a company that won't reply to a purchase request, it doesn't say anything good about the chance of getting post-sales service from them.

In my opinion, you have hit on the #1 complaint about the Uni-go. To put it mildly, the current distributor up in Ohio has not endeared himself to his customer base.

I purchased my Uni-go and hitch used, so I did not have to deal with Schoolhouse for my purchase. However, I did end up ordering the wiring harness and relay from them. I placed the order on their website . . . and heard nothing. Not a confirmation e-mail or anything. Then, about 8 days later, it arrived in the mail. To their credit, I will also note that they ended up charging me a reasonable shipping charge and NOT the $24 or whatever was quoted on the website.

My impression is that maybe the office functions are pretty much a one-man show? And if he's at a bike rally like Daytona or Americade then maybe he's not there to answer the phone? I know that's still a pretty flimsy business model, but maybe it would explain the lack of communication and slow service everyone speaks of. In my opinion, if the US distributor did half as well as the Bushtec folks do at marketing their product and servicing the customer, you'd see Uni-gos everywhere.