How fast do you drive towing a trailer and bike?

SMSW

Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,175
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I towed my trailer 400 miles yesterday. It is a Tractor Supply utility garden trailer w/ a hinged expanded metal ramp. I had put a solid wood floor down (replacing the expanded metal floor) and the ramp no longer folded flat on the trailer when it is empty. I braced it w/ 2x4's so that it was leaning forward but the top edge was 2' above the bed. This was to cut wind resistance when empty. I drove at 70 to 75 (mostly at 71) with the trailer empty. After I picked up a bike, I drove home with the ramp vertical (its normal position). I drove at around 65 mostly in heavy traffic, but when I hit a freshly paved section I floated along at 75 smoothly and quietly. Whenever the road showed patched potholes I slowed a bit to the 60's.

How fast do you normally tow your bike?
 
The one time I towed my bike, to and also from, the dealer 125 miles away I kept mostly to state and county slower roads. I was traveling at 55 mph most of the time with a very little bit at around 60-65 mph and a little a lot slower. I pulled the empty trailer about the same as you. It was a U-Haul mc trailer.

The ONLY reason I even put the bike on a trailer to get it to the dealer was that I had to leave it there for a few days. Otherwise I would have been riding it there and back. The one time I traveled some distance to buy a new (to me) bike I got together with a friend who had a pickup truck with a long bed and we put the bike in that to bring it home. That was Interstate highways all the way at 70-75 mph. But no trailer was involved with that.
 
My Aluma MC10 trailer pulls so easily behind our Subaru Outback I hardly know it's there when it's empty and not much difference with a bike on it. The trailer weights just a bit over 400lbs and the ramp stows under the deck. I generally keep up with traffic but not over 75mph for the most part. I've probably put 15,000 miles on this trailer with 2 trips to Colorado and one to Montana and another to Florida.
 
When I had the motolug trailer with my 1300 on it, the trailer was balanced with the bike on. It would stay put however it was left- towbar down or rear end down. I took the panniers off to make the trailer slightly nose heavy. It towed very well, but always at legal limits 50-60 mph.

The trailer was far too light to tow empty. It was designed to fit in the boot, and took just 10 mins to dismantle (no tools) and stow in the rear.
 
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Larry Fine said:
I've been up to 90 with my 4-cylinder/automatic-trans Accord.
Click to expand...
Braver than me. I don't often go above 85 in my cars. Stuff tends to happen too quickly at those speeds.

Many years ago (more than 45), I visited a friend in Brussels. His company car was the 7 series BMW and he took us for a ride. We were doing 125 mph and the only sensation of speed was the telephone poles were flying by like guardrail posts. Never been faster in a car. I posted in another thread about a friend who got hit by a deer and pushed into oncoming traffic - at high speeds you have very little time to react. Had he been driving on I5 during rush hour at 10 mph he likely would be alive today. Having taken an online reaction test (for fun - it was the shoot the rabbit game). I know my reflexes are slower than others. I once had a friend who could catch flies out of the air 10 times out of 10. I was able to do it maybe 1 or 2 times out of 10.
 
U-haul has a motorcycle trailer, $15 for 24 hours. I rented one to pick up the 2012 1300 I bought earlier this year. A little less that 400 miles round trip, just went with the flow of traffic - mostly freeway. The trailer is pretty low to the ground has nice wide ramp that is easy to ride up on and their is a notch for the front wheel
D24-0573.jpg
 
Tires are rated for a certain speed ; usually a letter code.

Car tires are rated for speeds higher than the speed of most cars.
But... Trailer tires are rated for much slower speeds. Their speed limit is sometimes written in plain english : " Do not exceed xx mph ".
For example, the tires on my popup camper trailer are rated for 60 mph.

Overspeed can put a lot of stress on a tire.

You also have to be carefull with the load, pressure, etc.

Push the limit too far and funny things can happend...
... like here, in june 2017, on I-70, in Utah.

FB_IMG_1524387464085.jpg

The Tire didn't explode : it is just the thread layer that separated from the tire.
Half of it went right thru the floor of our popup camper trailer. The other half, like a twisting snake, went directly towards the cars that were following me.
And Yes... that is an Iron frame beam, torn and bent by the tire. It had absorb much of the hit.

I'm lucky to be still alive because I almost lost control of the vehicule. The traffic behind me went into a complete cahos. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. But it could had been a complete disaster.

When this happend, I was going at 70-75 mph. But during the previous days, I went often up to 80, 85. Speed limit is 80 on I-40 in New Mexico and Arizona. I was just following traffic, right ?


But, even without considering tires, ask any truck driver what are the consequences, on your braking distance, if you have more weight and more speed.
Your braking distances can double and triple more quickly than you think.

So, believe me, now when I'm towing, I'm always on the slow moving traffic lane, and never exceed 55-60 mph.
If the guy in front of me only goes 50, I'm slowing to 50. That's it.
 
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The PSI, load, and speed ratings on the tire sidewall should guide us. I bought M rated tires for my lightweight 4' x 7' trailer that are rated 87 mph and replaced the ones on it that were rated to 62 mph. If I have to run 75 for a while I don't worry. Light duty light trailer tires are often rated at 65 mph or less and require 60 psi or more to achieve the speed rating. Harbor Freight trailer tire specifications only say "DOT Compliant" :oops:. I generally tow at 65-75 mph if the speed limit allows.
 
Talking of speed rating on trailer tires. My new (to me) Uni-Go trailer uses tires with an L speed rating. That equates to 75 mph. I likely won't be going that fast pulling the trailer... for very long. I know of owners who have pulled this trailer over 100 but as shown above they take their chances.

But that's not pulling a trailer with a bike on it or not.
 
rjs987 said:
Talking of speed rating on trailer tires. My new (to me) Uni-Go trailer uses tires with an L speed rating. That equates to 75 mph. I likely won't be going that fast pulling the trailer... for very long. I know of owners who have pulled this trailer over 100 but as shown above they take their chances.

But that's not pulling a trailer with a bike on it or not.
Click to expand...
speed ratings are calculated at max load. So don't max load your trailer.
 
ChriSTian_64 said:
Tires are rated for a certain speed ; usually a letter code.

Car tires are rated for speeds higher than the speed of most cars.
But... Trailer tires are rated for much slower speeds. Their speed limit is sometimes written in plain english : " Do not exceed xx mph ".
For example, the tires on my popup camper trailer are rated for 60 mph.

Overspeed can put a lot of stress on a tire.

You also have to be carefull with the load, pressure, etc.

Push the limit too far and funny things can happend...
... like here, in june 2017, on I-70, in Utah.

View attachment 334087

The Tire didn't explode : it is just the thread layer that separated from the tire.
Half of it went right thru the floor of our popup camper trailer. The other half, like a twisting snake, went directly towards the cars that were following me.
And Yes... that is an Iron frame beam, torn and bent by the tire. It had absorb much of the hit.

I'm lucky to be still alive because I almost lost control of the vehicule. The traffic behind me went into a complete cahos. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. But it could had been a complete disaster.

When this happend, I was going at 70-75 mph. But during the previous days, I went often up to 80, 85. Speed limit is 80 on I-40 in New Mexico and Arizona. I was just following traffic, right ?


But, even without considering tires, ask any truck driver what are the consequences, on your braking distance, if you have more weight and more speed.
Your braking distances can double and triple more quickly than you think.

So, believe me, now when I'm towing, I'm always on the slow moving traffic lane, and never exceed 55-60 mph.
If the guy in front of me only goes 50, I'm slowing to 50. That's it.
Click to expand...
Speed is not the only thing that could have caused that. How old was the tire , was it plugged or patched before, did the tire have dry rot from sitting outdoors all he time? Tires are recomended to be replaced after 5-6 years. That tire had a ply separation that went unnoticed IMO.
 
I think I have the same Tractor Supply trailer you have and I used it to move my bike 1,200 miles from Connecticut to Florida, most of the way on I-95. I generally went the speed limit unless it was particularly bumpy (in the cities) where I slowed down.
I also do the same as you did with the ramp when empty which really helps reduce the drag when pulling it empty.
I don't have the stock tires on mine so mine are rated for 75mph. I swapped out the tires in preparation for the move since the stock tires were only rated for 60mph.
I did have a tire blow out on a dual axle U-Haul trailer that was loaded up with a bunch of heavy stuff one time. I was pulling it with 3/4 ton GMC pickup and I barely noticed it. I'm certain the dual axles were why. My wife was behind me and let me know otherwise I probably would have gone to the next gas stop without knowing. When the tow truck guy came out to replace the tire he noticed that only that one tire was a 60mph tire and all the rest were 75mph rated.
 
Speed and load are important variables. However what tow vehicle you are using makes a huge difference. Towing a motorcycle or other light trailer behind a compact car OR towing it behind a 1 ton pickup is a world of difference. I generally will stick to 65mph, tops with any trailer. However, in the hills, if I need to get a bit of speed up heading downhill to help climb the next hill then I will push it up to 75. But that is only if the trailer has proven to be a nice stable tow platform with no sway or weird stuff. If anything is "odd" or can't be straightened out by shifting the load, then I slow down as necessary. Motorcycle trailers are usually too light to need brakes but I have brakes on a single axle enclosed trailer. The difference in stopping and wear on the tow vehicle makes them worthwhile.
 
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