Enclosed Trailer / front wheel tie down - Suggests

Wintston

Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
148
Location
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
My wife doesn't ride and I have decided an enclosed trailer with ramp door is the solution for my 2005 ST, so I can bring the bike along on some of the trips my wife and I would like to do. My retirement is close at hand. So on to asking for advise.

- what width, length (of the enclosed portion) of a trailer do I need?
- recommendations for front tire holding device which I can use to ride into and push back out of (to be mounted and removable from the trailer)
- how much extra space do I need to allow for mounting this front tire clamp
- will this clamp provide all the front hold that I require (do I need additional straps off the triple clamp?)
- suggested rear tie down points, side to side? or just front to back via rear tire
- what height of clearance (headroom) is required to safely drive the ST up the ramp door and into the front wheel holding device

Thank you for your thoughts and what not to do's

Bike is in showroom condition and I want to keep it that way

thanks again
 
I use a 5x10 trailer but would get the 6x12 enclosed . I have a wheel chock mounted to a rubber mat from TSC about 5x7 and use this with the trailer tie down rings stays safe does not move around and to remove chock for trailer use very easy ,no pics right now but I can help you set it up .This rig has the ability to carry 3 big bikes if needed and lots of room for a single bike ,trailer can also be single or tandem axle depending on how comfortable you feel towing .
 
Check out Condor Chocks...very nice gear. They have a very unobtrusive mounting plate that you could permanently mount to the trailer floor. Then slide the chock onto the mounting plate and secure with a single thumb screw. Once you have pulled the bike into the chock, it will support your bike while you fiddle with the tied downs. Its a "lone-motorcyclist's" best friend. Unless your wife likes to help you tie the bike down.

Watch this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF90CHZScbU
 
Send a PM to Rayzerman. He went thru the trailer search process and bought one from Action Trailer Sales down the road from me... I think that's right.

Missed seeing you this past riding season ... hopefully not next

Cheers.
 
When you do tie it down remove the tip over covers and hook the tie down to the tip over bar.
 
It is very important to know what you're towing it with first of all. Secondly, are you sure there is no need to put two bikes in there.....
My buddy has a 5x10 V-nose Neo all aluminum, rounded corners, single axle, 5.5' inside height.... tows light with almost any vehicle, good for one machine. I'd say 5.5' inside height, no need to be taller, causes more wind drag. This single thing is perfect for one bike and some gear. I think the trailer weighs 900 lbs.
I have a 7x12 V-nose Neo all aluminum, slant front, tandem w/brakes, 6' inside height...... needs a V-8 something to tow it because of all the wind drag. If I were doing it again, probably still go with the 7x12 but lower height and rounded profile because I want the ability to haul 3 bikes. Trailer weighs 1600 lbs. but will carry 7000 gross.
Another friend has a low profile 6x12, it will haul 2 large sport tourers, but have to offset them so the bikes don't crash, and it's tight to the sides, so think about removing the saddlebags.
Front wheel chock can be a Harbor Freight version of the Condor, much cheaper. That type can be fun getting a heavy bike out of, so put a piece of plywood under where the wheel goes in. Place your chock so the bike is centered or center is slightly ahead of the axle. Any gear can be put up front, you don't want to under or overload the tongue.
 
I just bought a 6X12 foot enclosed trailer for my north/south migration each year. The ST1300 goes in front with a mounting system similar to the pit stop mentioned above. I can also fit my KTM 950 Super Enduro and 400 XC along with a mountain bike and a road bike. So if you're only hauling a single bike, you don't need something that big. One advantage of the 6X12 over a smaller trailer was the roof was taller so I don't need to stoop inside. Because I was going to be near the gvwr of the trailer, they mounted 15" wheels instead of the standard 14". The 15" wheels have a higher load rating
 
I have borrowed a trailer with the Harbor Freight version of a wheel chock, and it worked great. For 80% less, it's a no-brainer, unless you intend on using it constantly.

It held the bike very well, even though the straps I used (Ancra "pull type" ) did not stay tight, and had to be re-tightened often. It was my fault...had never trailered a bike that heavy. I'd recommend some Heavy duty 2" ratchet straps for hauling in a trailer, probably 6' length.
 
Thank you everyone, great information from all.

Should have provided the tow vehicle info on the post - Ford Edge AWD V6. I am used to towing a very small utility (open trailer - SnowBear trailer for the Canadian folks) as well as a double wide enclosed snowmobile trailer. That is a sail brake, but usually my son tows with his Ford 150 pickup.

I will also use this new trailer for my sled, when I go sledding with others if I am not towing the double wide sled trailer (Edge works hard with the double wide).

Action Trailer outside London (Ontario) I found on the net and was looking at the Neo as Ray referenced. My sled trailer is 11 feet and my SkiDoo GSX long track just fits nicely, so I am think a 6 x 12, may do the job for both ST and GSX (sled) V-nose. I haven't gone looking yet to see how BIG it looks re: wind resistance.

Can I order the Harbour Freight front wheel lock down, on line here in Canada or do I get beat up on the brokerage/courier fees and becomes silly costly?

Looking forward to any additional information that comes in, great forum thanks all.

To answer Jeff's question as a final note, missed being part of SToc Ontario events this past year, just too busy at work. But retirement is close so I will be looking forward to attending some SToc events, thanks for asking.
 
When I was looking for trailers for my business I discovered this. http://www.microlitetrailer.com/MLThome2a.htm
it is a camper trailer in the front section and you can haul your bike, easy to tow as well. It was too expensive for me, so I bought a 5x10 cargo trailer and converted that too my needs. I took into consideration that I would need to store it at my home so needed the smaller footprint. It's 5'1" inside but works well. I also have a side door and I think that's a must. A vent and interior lights.
Ray brings up a very good point on the placement of the bike in the trailer so the tongue weight isn't too heavy. Consider a tongue dolly so you can easily position your trailer when not hitched to your vehicle.
mount tie down rings in the bed of the trailer. I have foldable spring J hooks but they aren't as good as the rings because the strap hook can slip out.
i have towed this trailer with a buick century but it wasn't a good match...duh.... My tow vehicle is a Chev Astro. Pulls like a charm.
There are a number of options available, keep in mind where you store the trailer when not in use. All the best with your search.
 
:yes:

Our eldest daughter and hubby live in Huntsville & we cottage over by Port Carling . We toured the big 4 Huntsville area lakes by boat last summer. Nice area.
 
Wintston said:
Good information, microlite trailers I hadn't heard of either, thanks for link - they look very interesting.
Click to expand...



I was able to see one up close in New Hamburg, I was impressed, lots of space for storage, well thought out. However, as I mentioned before it was a lot of coin. I have modified a cargo trailer for a quarter of the price.
 
Years ago, I bought a HF trailer: 1720-lb-capacity-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires

I started with just a flat piece of plywood to haul my V45 Sabre 1_99710011.jpg

I then added sides to it: hpim1771.jpg

But things were falling off...the hinges in the sides broke and a fender fell off, all due to weird vibrations.

I also got tired of having to wait for some one to come help me load or unload it, so I modified a ramp I bought off ebay.

0616090929b.jpg

I also bought the HF wheel chock, so the bike is more stable in the trailer:

0616090929.jpg

I use the tipover wings for the front tiedown points, but now I loop the strap through the hook holes and around the tipover bar to make sure the hooks don't fall off, which has happened a couple of times:

0616090928.jpg

I also beefed the sides of the trailer ( not just the tail section) up with those Erector Set type L shaped pieces, added heavier duty fenders and painted it, and now it works great and looks better...;)

0616090945-b.jpg 0616090945a.jpg 0616091015.jpg

I've also have used it to rescue other's bikes!

emergencypkup2.jpg
 
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I too have the MCL highway pegs, good to see how you hooked up with them in place. How do you / where do you tie to the rear of the ST? Thanks for pictures a day info
 
I had a 6x10 Continental that I carried my Goldwing (900 lbs) in. The use of a wheel chock is a must if you want your bike to remain upright and I used the one in the link above from Princess Auto. The chock worked good, was very secure and held the bike up so I could tie it down. I mounted it with square Ubolts and is bolted it through a 12" piece of 1/4" flat bar on the bottom of the floor to spread the load out. For my own piece of of mind, the distance I was travelling and the weight of the bike I added a extra layer of 3/4" plywood to the floor.

For tie downs you can buy E-Track that gives you more versitility in tie down spots and it's easy to mount. Both the chock and track can be bought at Princess Auto. For the rear wheel all you want to do is stop it from moving around and you can wrap a rachet strap around the tire and it will hold it. Don't compress the front suspension very much as you want it to work over bumps.

Here is a link for another wheel chock that is very good http://www.locknloadwheelchocks.com/
 

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The E-Track makes a lot of sense and I will take a good look at the wheel chock from Princess Auto - works on a Gold Wing it will work just fine on the ST1300 - thanks for picture and comments. It all helps.
 
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