Hello,

I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of either towing my motorcycle or shipping it from LA to NYC the 2nd week of May '11.

I have a Toyota Yaris which I am driving and a Class 1 hitch on my car currently. Does anyone know of someone selling a used motorcycle trailer for a Class 1 hitch in the SoCal area?

My another option is to ship it, I got a quote from Uship.com for $550 to ship my bike. I don't have that kind of $$$ now so any suggestions? Anyone transporting/towing a bike already from the West Coast to East Coast during that time?

Thanks!

Check craigslist but you should be able to find a Motorcycle trailer for less than the cost to ship, but it will add to your cost of gas driving accross the country, and when you get to NYC do you have a place to store the trailer as well?  Otherwise you could probably sell it when you get there.  Or just rent one from U-Haul.

Fly me out and ill ride it back  . That would be more expensive anyway. I would see what uhaul offers.

Uhaul rents trailers for about $20 if I remember correctly, they even have some motorcycle specific ones. They don't count mileage either! That's definitely the way to go assuming they don't want it returned to the same place. That way the only additional cost would be the gas. You could make use of it by stashing a few other items on the trailer too though. Unless it was a bike I was absolutely in love with, I feel like I'd probably rather sell it and buy a new one once I moved, rather than ship it.

A while back I saw some type of hitch connector where the front wheel of the bike would lock into the hitch apparatus and the rear wheel would spin free. It was like ~150 bucks. Try searching for that.

Quote from: seamax on April 22, 2011, 12:29:36 PM
A while back I saw some type of hitch connector where the front wheel of the bike would lock into the hitch apparatus and the rear wheel would spin free. It was like ~150 bucks. Try searching for that.

That could work if options are limited, I'd be paranoid and staring in my mirror the entire way though. Not to say there's anything unsafe about it, you're just not used to seeing it. Maybe remove the chain, pull off the rear rotor, and be ready to swap your tire when you get where you're going.

Quote from: tt_four on April 22, 2011, 07:21:57 PM

Quote from: seamax on April 22, 2011, 12:29:36 PM
A while back I saw some type of hitch connector where the front wheel of the bike would lock into the hitch apparatus and the rear wheel would spin free. It was like ~150 bucks. Try searching for that.

That could work if options are limited, I'd be paranoid and staring in my mirror the entire way though. Not to say there's anything unsafe about it, you're just not used to seeing it. Maybe remove the chain, pull off the rear rotor, and be ready to swap your tire when you get where you're going.

Yea that's 3000 extra miles on the rear tire basically. I think strapping it to a small uhaul is best. Although my original offer still stands...

4 tie downs
this....
http://www.harborfreight.com/870-lb-capacity-40-inch-x-49-inch-heavy-duty-utility-trailer-with-8-inch-wheels-and-tires-42708.html

a 2x8
2 2x4s
some wood screws
some bolts/nuts

make a rail C-channel out of the 2x4's and 2x8 and wood screws
bolt the c channel to the trailer
load bike
tie down

sell when you get to new york

I thought you meant LA as in Louisiana. Now that would be just a nice ride! 

Your best bet (may not go with emotional attachment) is to get it sold before you leave and buy one sometime after you arrive. Cash packs small and travels well. Beyond which, you'll have an oddball with strange California-only parts that will confuse any East coast mechanics that see the bike, if you don't do all your work yourself. And while you are trying to figure out how to park it in NYC, the NYC thieves will haul it away after you've dragged it cross country, unless you have a place lined up solidly to land it when you arrive (well, that's the country mouse opinion - city mice feel free to weigh in.)

Quote from: seamax on April 22, 2011, 12:29:36 PM
A while back I saw some type of hitch connector where the front wheel of the bike would lock into the hitch apparatus and the rear wheel would spin free. It was like ~150 bucks. Try searching for that.

That set up would not work with a Class 1 hitch.  If you have room to store it, a single rail trailer is great to have on hand.  My old Prizm/Corolla has about the same power as a Yaris and it pulls a bike with no problems and still gets pretty good fuel mileage (~27 highway).

-Jessie

Hey. Yeah that looks great! I was researching all weekend about single track motorcycle trailers. I really like the Stringer Folding Trailers (http://www.stingertrailer.com) but I don't have a couple grand to drop on it especially after I just dropped $950 on a used GS motor and swapping engines. I hope I can find someone soon on CL in LA who's getting rid of or selling cheaply a trailer. I would prefer shipping it for like $200. WOW! Your gas mileage for your Corolla dropped from 35mpg to 27mpg towing your motorcycle?!?! Jeez. I didn't think it'd be such a significant drop.

The stock GS tires are narrow enough that it will usually fit on rail trailers designed for dirt bikes. Don't know about the left coast but I see a lot of these on CL around Maryland.  I had looked at Stinger folding trailers before but I didn't like the lack of any kind of  suspension.  I never towed with one but I bet it would bounce around like an unloaded tow dolly.  It is definitely a noticeable drop when towing but still more than twice the fuel mileage my pick up gets 

-Jessie