Kendon Foldling Trailer

[Neil San Diego]

Anybody use a Kendon two bike folding trailer for a feejer? I'm thinking of picking up one of these trailers for emergencies. I'm curious how the tie down points work for feejers since we don't have solid handlebars. I'm a little uneasy cranking down on the tie down straps off the end of the bolt on handlebars. And I'm not sure there are any other good forward tie down points given the location of the corrosponding tie down points on the Kendon.

Any comments from those in-the-know? Any comments on the general quality of Kendons are welcome also.

Kendon Dual Trailer

 

[ngarider]

I pulled one owned by a friend, easy to load, no problems hauling. Weight balance was good, I wouldn't think twice about owning one if I had a use for it.

 

[vectervp1]

I think this is the kind a friend of mine has. He has a three bike setup one, and loves it. If you were closer, you could probably get his for a steal as he's getting out of riding. He offered it to me for next to nothing, but I really don't have room to store it even with it folded up.

 

[oldthirtythree]

Here is a picture of my FJR on my Kendon Dual trailer when I picked it up new at the dealer.

I recommend the Kendon Dual because it has the 2K Lb axle so you can easily haul two full size bikes. I would get the optional third wheel chock to mount in the middle. That way you haul two bikes side-by-side or one bike in the middle. Because it has a torsion bar axle, you can haul one bike on the side - but moving it to the middle provides better ties down angles. One warning is that the wheel chocks have a part that flips up and holds the back of the front tire. If you are not careful - that piece will catch the very bottom of the chin fairing.

I have had mine for about 3 years, towed it thousands of miles and love it. Use it all the time for various bike hauls. It tows great and loads easily with a very low deck height. It has adequate tie down points and I have squeezed three bikes on it before (Not w/ the FJR). When ever I take it to vintage bike shows I get a bunch of people asking about it. Quality of construction is top notch. There are cheap knock-offs out there - but Kendon is the original. They are not cheap - but I think you get what you pay for.

As far as tieing down the FJR - I recommend a canyon dancer across the front - that is what is used in the picture above. I tie down to the rear foot pegs in the back.

Good Luck!

 

[Silver Penguin]

We bought that same Kendon to use for our dirt bikes, knowing that it has the capacity to haul the big bikes if necessary. No complaints so far

Jill

 

[Neil San Diego]

Thanks all for the feedback, much appreciated. This one sounds like a winner. Guess I'll be keeping a eye on Craigslist for one. And updating my FJR assistance drectory entry.

 

[sammon287]

I have had a dual rail Kendon for a few years and used it to haul two 520lb FZ-1s numerous times. I picked up my 07 FJR with it (had to drive to the dealer 2hrs away by myself) and a friend picked up his 08 with it after that. We both used soft ties to the lower triple clamp and ratchet straps along with cam-lock straps to the passenger peg hangers in the back. As mentioned above, the wheel chock will contact the lower fairing slightly and removed a little paint on mine. Having learned my lesson, we carefully loaded my bike and marked the chock. One nut to remove the chock and a few minutes with an angle grinder solved the problem. It takes minimal space in the garage, and even though I don't envision using it again for the FJR, I love the piece of mind it provides for self recovery.

 

[rfespinosa]

I have a Kendon single trailer that I have used for around 2,000 miles. It works great, it's a fine piece of equipment. High quality and takes up very little space since it stands on end. Highly recommended.

Ron

 

[pegscraper]

As for tie-downs, I use Canyon Dancers on the handlebars when trailering the Feejer on a U-Haul for my move to SoCAL.

 

[Mogan]

I'm thinking about buying one of these and am wondering what's the easiest way to load a bike? Ride it up the ramp? Other? A second pair of hands is rarely available...

Mogan

 

[dj bill]

i wouldnt ride it up,use mine all the time,just walk it up.folds up nice and tucks away in the back yard

 

[twistedcricket]

when I had a trailer, (cheapo home-depot with a fold-down tailgate) I would back the trailer so that the tailgate would rest on the curb. That reduces the load angle and made it easier to walk the bike into the trailer. If you lack a curb, this obviously won't work ...

I sometimes miss having that trailer, but i just rented one from uhaul (the motorcycle specific one) when I needed to move my bike in November...

 

[Bogey907]

Rather than tie down from the handlebars, you can put your straps inside the fairing and attach to the bottom arm of the triple tree. This provides attachment to something that won't break off and keeps the straps off the paint.

 

[Millsaps2]

The dual axle is easier to load in the middle since you have more space for standing. It typically cost about $250 more but is worth the additional cost. I use Canyon Dancers with careful tension, soft ties on the lower triple clamp, and the rear passenger pegs for tie down points. Remove about 1 inch from the rear edge of the chock to prevent contact with the lower fairing. If on gravel/dirt I will typically load using the engines power to pull the bike on the trailer. In paved parking lots with a slope this is not needed. I would not suggest riding up the ramp for loading. I have hauled my FJR and a friends Concours at the same time, I had to fold the mirrors forward to prevent interference. The trailer is good quality but the powdered coating could be better, appears some areas had rust when the coating was applied. I have used my trailer the last 6 summers traveling from SC to CO & WY, since the wife will not ride the 1500 miles on the bike to get to Denver.

 

[mdisher]

The guy that brought back my buddies wrecked RT had one of these. It traveled well with the RT and his FZ6.

Expensive trailer but it was very nice.

 

[rfespinosa]

I ride mine onto the Kendon. I take off the seat for much lower ground control. Like mentioned above, using a curb to improve the loading angle helps a lot.

Ron

 

[sammon287]

I used to load and unload my FZ1 on my dual rail Kendon with relative ease. With the FJR, I found it much more difficult to rock the bike backward out of the wheel chock on level ground. I'm 5'9" 178 and not a weakling, but some extra height and weight would surely help for this task. That extra 100lbs makes a big difference. If you get one, make sure you modify the chock before loading the FJR and get help to load it the first time.