Let's talk about bike trailers.

[Steve-O]

I am stating to look into bike trailers to pull behind the bike for haulin groceries or whatever lol. Has anybody ever pulled a trailer with a bike? What's it like? Something small, say roughly 2' wide X 3' long X 2' high. Enclosed and lockable and maybe a pointed front for better aerodynamics.. I cannot believe I am asking about it but what the heck. Any thoughts or comments?

[tory]

i saw someone on a harley with one goin down the highway a few weekends ago... do they make aerodynamic trailers?

[JohnE1000]

Motorcycle towing a trailer..... this is crazy.

You better off getting a side car...It is more aerodynamic and you can pick up h@@kers in it

[brooder]

They make them for more traditional touring bikes. I've seen them on GoldWings and ElectraGlides before. Never seen one on a sport-tourer and I'm not sure I'd want to. Get a rack or something if you're only getting small amounts of groceries. Also, check out http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadrid...ge/luggage.asp . Good info in that article.

[WildKat]

Just doing a quick google search yielded this...also FYI, if you do a google image search on motorcycle luggage trailer, nearly every result points to that website.

http://www.motorcycle-luggage-trailers.info/

and...

http://motorvation.com/index.htm

scroll down to the bottom of the page for this one to see the luggage trailers..

http://www.sportutilitytrailers.com/motorcycle-trailer.htm

[Mojoe]

you see them quite often around here.....and I have seen them on bikes like gsxr's, and other sportbikes. I can see them as being very handy if you actually like to travel on your bike for more than just a day trip, and I plan on building one of my own. I have done ALOT of research and found quite a few companies who make them, including a couple locally. The problem I find with them is that they are all made of fiberglass....which can be pretty heavy. I hefted on one at the dealership here, and decided I did not want to be towing something that heavy, cuz you are sure to feel it if you have to brake hard, and you will feel it even more if it decides to push the rear wheel off to one side or if you have to brake in a corner. I am sure the one I hafted was 200lbs or more. It was big...and it was heavy. They even brag about how solid it is compared to plastic.....but they don't mention anything about how heavy they are.

my suggestion....and what I plan on doing:

build a lightweight aluminum frame and install one of those Thule cartop containers on it. There are several models of them, and some can look quite sharp once painted to match the bike. The long slim one that is made to carry skis in has my attention, as does the shorter one.
It has a nice aerodynaic shape to it, and are really lightweight. It is all weather-proof, comes with a decent locking system, and can be painted to match the bike. Or you could just leave it the way it is and use it on your cage. It can serve 2 vehicles.



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[brooder]

Where do you attach the trailer to the bike? On a rigid frame, it doesn't matter. But on a swingarm, it might be a bit more problematic.

[Mojoe]

Where do you attach the trailer to the bike? On a rigid frame, it doesn't matter. But on a swingarm, it might be a bit more problematic.

I drew out a plan for the one I will put on mine. you just need a brace/hitch that will connect to 4 points. on my bike, I will connect the two lower ones to the same point my exhaust connects to, and the upper 2 will connect at the same point my givi wingrack will connect to.
I will not go with the typical trailer hitch ball on mine. they have limited movement and provide no cushion at the connecting point. instead I will use a pin system to connect it, that the hitch on the trailer will be a 360 degree swivel that has a spring behind it. this will eliminate the hard "cluck" or "push" from the trailer when taking off or stopping.

[The CyberPoet]

How much grocery shopping do you do?

I ask because I have Givi hard-sided luggage on my bike, and each of the two side-bags will hold two stuffed-to-the-gills paper grocery bags plus a gallon of milk & a two-liter coke bottle...

I've seen trailer hitches connected to a variety of points; the common ones in Europe seem to be the underside of the rear sub-frame and extended points on the swing-arm pivot (to form a three to five point contact method). Most of the larger trailers also have hitch-pressure brakes of their own, where the trailer pushing into the bike activates a hydraulic circuit to trigger brakes on the trailer (as well as the brake lights).

As for Katana's -- I have yet to see a trailer on a Kat, although I suspect an Uni-Go trailer would be cool (one wheel trailer).

For someone else's fairly long list of motorcycle trailer firms, see:
Motorcycle-towed Trailer manufacturer list (not all links are up to date).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[WildKat]

There's alot of GoldWingers that use them, trikes, and harley's that use these trailers. They are great for traveling long distances. Dont see too many sportbikes with them but once in awhile I'll catch a katana or other sport tourer with one.

Between my tank bag and backpack and bungy cord on the back seat I can fit a fair amount of groceries on my bike

[md86]

What I used to do is pack an extra gym bag and bungee cords on grocery day . Fill that up , strap it to the tank . Bungee web a couple MORE bags to the rear seat , and backpack for some more . On top of THAT , you can get some saddlebags . But don't put frozen dinners or ice cream next to the hot pipe . That would be bad .

[Steve-O]

Ya the biggest problem I see is the hitch, I have some thoughts and all but I have to look into some parts. As far as the use of the trailer it will be for..... tools (house call auto mechanics, don't ask), running errands (groceries), lots of camping, and I am going to be living 25km's outside of town so the fuel would be cheaper this way but that doesn't matter all that much. Anyways, thanks for the comments/suggestions, i'll probably add more later.

[ArcherDude]

ill take a D21 in Katana Yellow

Cool but I don’t think you will like it. It would probably make you more visible and more likely to be unable to do emergency maneuvers.

[tory]

being more visible is a good thing. maybe if he's more visible he wont need to do nearly as many emergency manuevers.

[The CyberPoet]

As far as the use of the trailer it will be for..... tools (house call auto mechanics, don't ask)

You might want to consider a side-car instead then. It'll give you the option of using something with a very stiff suspension to haul a lot of extra weight, while adding to the stability.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet