Motorcycle Trailer Recommendations

[Ice Man]

Check out www.motorsporttrailers.com

Could not be happier with mine -- trailered our bikes from Texas to North Carolina last summer -- the trailer was great. Loading & unloading is a breeze. Great service & follow-up from the owner.

 

[Toynut]

I bought a Kendon 2 place fold up trailer. To be quite honest my original priorities were based on it's foldability, first and formost.

What I have experienced after hauling a multitude of bikes around, is that it is less than ideal for loading large or heavy bikes without assistance.

Examples:

The narrow ramp that comes with the trailer attaches with a couple of wingnuts underneath the foldup rear section. It is so inconvenient to store it there, that I generally have to carry it in the back of the vehicle. The spare tire carrier is underneath the trailer, also, which would make it a pain to access if you really needed it.

I found that in their stock, non-adjustable position, the factory wheel chocks will scuff the paint on the bottom chin spoiler of an FJR, (oops, found out the hard way, unfortunately) and that you have to put some sort of sandbag or padding up the front of the wheel recess to keep the chock from doing damage to the paint when you tie it down. The factory ramp that comes with the unit is a very short piece made up of tubing and is tough to see when backing up a bike, let alone impossible, without a spotter/assistance. Heavy bikes can be problematic to release from the wheel chock without some serious straining.

Loading a bike on the right side is not too bad because you can set the kickstand down while you tie down the machine.

However......

Loading a second bike is very tough due to the fact that you cannot walk along beside the bike (forget about riding it up the ramp, chief) on the left side, and you have to walk over the left fender assembly, (tricky) and stay focused on hanging on to the bikes controls. Also, since there is no decking on the left side for the kickstand, you need someone ready with tiedowns in hand. The Kendon wheel chock will NOT, I repeat will NOT support a heavy bike on it's own. Again, it's crucial to have assistance and muscle to get the job done on tall or heavy machines. :erm:

My next trailer will be one designed for ease of loading, probably one of those split tip-up trailers with a hydraulic shock that lowers each half gently after you load the bike. Forget about compact storage unless you are towing lightweight dirt bikes.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

I have one of the Harbor Freight jobs as well and it's done an excellent job for me. I bought the one with the 12" wheels rather than the 8" since I knew all my towing would be fairly long highway trips...not the least of which being 1000 miles in a day with my 800 lb VTX1800 on its back! Paid less than $200 for the trailer and spent another $75 or so on the plywood for the deck, weather sealer for the aforementioned plywood deck, and wheel chocks. Oh yeah, and another $35 for a spare wheel and tire. The tilt function of the deck is about useless due to the location provided for mounting the license plate. If you tilt the bed, you smash the plate! Stupid. I already had a nice aluminum ramp anyway. Other than that it's done an excellent job for me over the last few years. And as you mentioned, when not in use, I fold it up, stand it up, and shove it against the garage wall out of the way and out of the weather. Works for me and I've worked it hard!!

 

[Dangerous Dave]

don't skimp on a trailer. Have seen a bunch of the chinese made trailers in a heap on the side of the road, w/ a $20K bike that was strapped to them. Also it seems to be a bit hard to get parts for the no name trailers. The F.D. in town bought one and the bolts kept loosening up on the frame point. Finally had to have the joints welded.

Proper assembly is half the battle. Most of the parts appear to be your typical generic trailer parts. Mine came with all aircraft style nuts, so I've had no fasteners loosen up on me in over 5000 miles of hauling nothing but BIG bikes...sometimes two big bikes at once. Just like the furniture floor models you see thrown together at the store, if it's not assembled right..............

 

[PapaUtah]

Contact your local H-D dealer. They are the most experienced at trailering bikes. Most dealers have a line they can order for you or recommend. Open or enclosed. They would be the folks to see.

Or you could try contacting Featherlite or one of the other manufacturers directly.

 

[03silverbullet]

Check out Scandi-Pacific located in Huntington Bch. Ca.

I bought a 3 rail trailer with extra wide rails for about $500.00

Its light enough that I can lift it up and put it on its side.

Its ramp was a little short, so I bought a longer one and strap it on one of the rails.

I've had it for about 4 years, I use it all the time and it works great.