I just lay the bike down in the bed on my truck and close shut the tailgate.

Iv'e been looking into some cheap alternatives for those of us that have SUV's and cars.

While this is not recommended for long hauls do to the lack of lubrication of the drive train but would nice to have in a pinch and you can get it on EBAY for less then $150




Or for about the same price you could get this set up. (Some one on the Forum has made their own)




But I am leaning towards a trailor and this is got to be the best trailer http://www.motorsporttrailers.com/
I have found for size, price, ease of use, and folding storage capabilities. If you have never seen this check out the website and videos of how the load them and the vehicle used to tow 2 bikes!

i dont have a pic, but for close runs i go with the "single strap angler"  put the bike in the bed with the front wheel in one corner and swing the rear wheel all the way over until it hits the other side. then just put your side stand down and put the strap to wear it pulls down and against the side stand

Quote from: JB848 on February 02, 2010, 01:22:58 PM

Or for about the same price you could get this set up. (Some one on the Forum has made their own)

Before going with one of the hitch mount carriers, check the tongue weight rating of your 2" hitch (not all hitches are created equal).  I know the factory 2" hitch on an '03-'09 4 Runner is not a real 3rd class hitch, just a cheap box steel piece that attaches to the frame with 2 bolts.  And even if your hitch is rated to handle the weight, slide underneath and see what kind of shape the mounting bolts are in.  Corrosion can be a big problem if you live in an area that salts the roads.

-Jessie

hey, dont be a foo and put your bike on a car that'll dig a trench every time you hit a bump either 

I'd love one of those racks that carries a bike sideways along the back of your vehicle, although if I had a truck big enough to support the weight of a bike on the back, it would be big enough to put the bike in the bed. The only think we have is a small car, and even though I know I could put a 2" hitch on it and would love to have a trailer, I live in the city and have no where to store a trailer short of leaning it up against the fence in my back yard white trash style. Something like that small rack that just holds the front wheel would be ideal, except that I would be way too worried to actually use it.

Looking at that last link and checking out this trailer is the first time it's actually occurred to me that maybe I can find a trailer that I could unbolt and just stash in the back of my basement. That way I could go with the 2" hitch, and then just pull that out if I ever needed it. I'd like to be able to haul things other than a motorcycle, such as drywall or a piece of furniture, so I'd love something with a 4x8 bed, but assuming it's all a strong enough metal frame I could then just bolt 2 4x4 pieces of drywall onto it, better yet 3 2.5x4 foot pieces. Even if it was a motorcycle, it'd be useful to have a flatbed if I found a good deal on a crashed bike that was missing a wheel, or had a wheel too messed up to roll, and I couldn't actually push the bike into a track.

I don't know much about trailers, but I'm going to have to look around to see what I can find.

Anyone else have anything along those lines, or does everyone else here have a truck, or at least somewhere to keep a decent trailer??

Well well, look who opened their mouth too soon....


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42709

A FOLDING 4x8 foot trailer that only needs 5ftx3 foot of storage space. I'm sure if I wanted it to compact even smaller than that I could just pull it apart, or even stand it up against a wall. They have a couple different ones, but the cheapest is only $299. I've actually been debating on buying a truck for the hauling capabilities, but a $300 folding trailer sounds like a MUCH better option.

Do you have to inspect/insure a trailer, or can you just hook it to your car and go? I'm sure you at least have to register it. All that thing would need is an 2x8 board with a $40 wheel chock bolted to it and you'd be in business!

Here's mine. Wifie and I drove 2200 miles this past summer with it on the back of tha Jeep. It never hit the ground once .

Just drive it up, I stand next to it and feather the clutch and roll it right up, then strap it down and put the back ramp over the rear wheel. Takes about 20 minutes.
I use a lot more straps than the other one.


There's something to be said for redneck engineering. It folds up and stows nicely.

Quote from: lilwoody on February 02, 2010, 07:57:59 PM
There's something to be said for redneck engineering. It folds up and stows nicely.

or just sits in the yard till its used again. like all my buddies' stuff

trailer with a wheel chock mounted on it...trailers can be picked up cheap. I would do the pickup thing with the straps but have an impreza outback wagon. bike aint fitting in that trunk

Quote from: JB848 on February 02, 2010, 01:22:58 PM
Iv'e been looking into some cheap alternatives for those of us that have SUV's and cars.

While this is not recommended for long hauls do to the lack of lubrication of the drive train but would nice to have in a pinch and you can get it on EBAY for less then $150




Or for about the same price you could get this set up. (Some one on the Forum has made their own)




But I am leaning towards a trailor and this is got to be the best trailer http://www.motorsporttrailers.com/
I have found for size, price, ease of use, and folding storage capabilities. If you have never seen this check out the website and videos of how the load them and the vehicle used to tow 2 bikes!

WHAT FAIRING SI ON THE RED ONE??? does that fit a gs500!?

Well following up on my previous posts:

lilwoody: Yours was the rack I was referring to. As I told you when you first posted those pictures I thought it was ingenious idea! There is only one hangup for some of us, it is that installing a Class III hitch on some vehicles is not practical and some if not all require addition turn signals, as your pictures clearly show, because the vehicles left and right turn signals are blocked by the bike. Also after a lot of research and reading there is a phenomenon associated with these side mount racks called "The Wobble". As all draw hitches are not created equal and some have large tolerances between the the inside diameter if the draw hitch and the outside diameter if the draw bar. Some manufactures offer an additional anti-wobble device at an additional price, for some people this rack just isn't an option, for others it is the perfect solution! As a side note, after studying the design of yours and others, I thought it would be an excellent option to be able to add a smaller hitch at the end of the rack to facilitate towing a lite trailer in addition to the bike and rack? Have you ever thought of doing that?

remo2k9: That bike in that single wheel towing device is not a GS and I am not sure what kind of bike that is maybe someone else can enlighten us. As far as this device goes there are several advantages to it. There is very little weight actually distributed to the draw bar even under braking. The higher the angle on the front wheel the more the weight it transferred to the rear tire of the bike, so very light duty draw hitches can easily handle a bike. The issue of long trips can be overcome although not desirable for most, the chain can be removed so the rear wheel is free and the drive train is safe for long distance towing. Also there is no further lights required in most states because all of the towing vehicles turn and braking indicators should be clearly visable, but I would double check with your local laws before using! As a side benefit the position of the bike between the two drive wheels eliminates a lot of road debris actually hitting the bike under tow vs the side mount rack, which even though it is high off the ground, if you have ever towed something that crap finds a way to hit what ever it is you are towing! I actually used a similar home made device like this to tow a friends Harley from Northern Idaho to Northern California bolted to a stock 1971 VW Beetle bumper with 4 passengers. So weight and strength of the device used is pretty much a non-issue.

As for this MS-1 trailer from http://www.motorsporttrailers.com/ I think it is a little pricey but for most of us this is the best of both worlds. There are several pro's that I would like to point out. It is an extremely light trailer as demonstrated by this picture:
There is a very small car towing a single bike. The rail has been moved to the center of the trailer for balance.

Multi-configuration options for one or two bikes as demonstrated by this picture:
Once again notice a car is towing these two bikes!

And I know this is my favorite option! It folds up for storage. So as for previous remarks, without fear of looking like white trash this trailer can neatly be stored outside, in a car port, or a garage when not in use.
Also  by just looking at the design, a sheet of 1/4" or larger plywood could be added for additional uses. Also if I were to purchase this trailer I would do just that on the front 1/3 of the trailer and also mount or bungee a protective piece to the front angle of the rails to protect the bikes from road debris while towing.

My bikes ride inside my Sprinter.
I stand up an unmounted car tire between the bike and the wall to keep all the pointy bits safe.
Don't really have the strapping thing organized yet, I just kind of throw some straps around it.

It does wobble a bit , that's why you see the straps to the roof rack. Before I do another long haul with it I'll have 1" recievers welded to the hitch and put in 1"x1/4" box tube stablizers as far out fron the center on the channel as I can. That was actually in my original plan, I even have the 1" reciever cut and ready to weld. While I had it at the welders I was going to have him tack the hitch in a few spots just to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. That little trailer looks perfect for when I get a heavier bike. The GS is all the weigth I'd want to put on my rack.

Plug:  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=51433.0;topicseen


Note: Not mine, just saw it in the 4 sale section

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on February 03, 2010, 08:39:45 PM
Plug:  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=51433.0;topicseen

What's your opinion on it??

Quote from: tt_four on February 03, 2010, 09:22:55 PM

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on February 03, 2010, 08:39:45 PM
Plug:  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=51433.0;topicseen

What's your opinion on it??

If you asking me? I really need to see which model it is (pictures). There are many models out there.

Ooh, nevermind, I missed the part where you said it wasn't yours and you just saw it in the classifieds section.

I have to rescind my earlier statement a little. There are more options out there for Class III Hitches then I thought. I was able to find a bolt on package for my 04' Escape rather easy and cheap $158 shipping included.


I still think a side mount rack like lilwoody designed might be a little much for my Escape. But I could get a hitch and a caddy for around $300. While half of the total cost, the hitch, can be used for many other things it is a very cheap option with little to no storage requirements while not in use. Heck I could just leave the caddy in the back of my truck with my tools

I'm assuming this is the hitch in the picture:  http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/c-383-ford-escape.aspx

That hitch would be fine for the motorcycle caddy or pulling a small trailer but I wouldn't trust it with a side mount rack.  The tongue weight rating on the '04 Escape model is only 350 pounds.  The dry weight rating of a GS exceeds that.  And I don't know the physics to give you an exact measurement but I know that the downward force of the motorcycle weight will increase when the truck goes over a bump   

-Jessie