Dual Sport went off hitch carrier @60 mph

[sieg]

Originally Posted by Vertical C

Is it an adventure if you tow your bike?

No, but it appears it could be if you use a hitch carrier.

[Homey]

Any of you even notice that you've been debating this subject for four days and the OP has completely deserted you? Wonder if he got past reply #1?

[mikem9]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

I thought you were supposed to ride them. I must have been doing it wrong all these years.

Originally Posted by Vertical C

Is it an adventure if you tow your bike?

I believe it can be.

I think that depends on the type of riding you want to do and the type of bike you want to bring for the particular adventure. This site has expanded the meaning of "Adventure Riding" to mean anything from small dirt bikes to full on street bikes. Although the heart of the site is still about long distance covered with gear and a route which includes street and offroad. I don't think towing or not towing is the qualifier for Adventure. I believe it's what you do and the mindset you do it in that qualifies.

If someone wants to trailer their 250 lb, 400cc dirt bike with a tag across Kansas, so they can get to the Rockies to ride and camp for a week, riding some of the knarliest terrain known to motorcycles. To me that is just as much of an adventure as some guy riding his big adventure bike across Kansas and stopping at the 7-11 for some beef jerky and a cold drink.

[177in70s]

Original Poster (OP) Here: Used Hitch Carrier today successfully with Blue Honda 250 NX, as pictured a few posts back, plus a strap wrapped around both the channel and the bottom of front wheel and two more Cam Straps from Triple Clamp Loops down and rearward to S hooks already into stout 2" receiver post. Glad this thread is bringing out some pluses and minuses and lessons shared.

[viverrid]

Originally Posted by 177in70s

Original Poster (OP) Here: Used Hitch Carrier today successfully with Blue Honda 250 NX, as pictured a few posts back, plus a strap wrapped around both the channel and the bottom of front wheel and two more Cam Straps from Triple Clamp Loops down and rearward to S hooks already into stout 2" receiver post. Glad this thread is bringing out some pluses and minuses and lessons shared.

Thumbs up. Rigging is important. If the bike is on its wheels, tie down or otherwise fasten the wheels so that they can't turn. Follow up with belt & suspenders principle by placing tiedowns that will resist motion of the bike to either side. Too often i see people tying something straight down when the greatest risk is NOT the object lifting straight up.

There need to be ties on the diagonal to resist lateral motion. The "horizontal component" of the diagonal is what resists the lateral motion. Tying "down" is not to (only) be taken literally.

[Foot dragger]

Ive seen lots of things happen with all sorts of Hitch carriers,like has been noted,they are convenient but rinky dink.
Its the big unavoidable pot holes that they dont like,maybe an unplanned panic stop.

Ive seen handlebars blow out rear windows on nice SUV's,bikes launched or drug,broken welds,cracked chunks of steel that are supposed to hold 300 lb bikes on. Guys start re-engineering them and thats where some problems start.

Sudden violent moves by the vehicle hauling said hitch carrier seem to be the crux of the matter,things break,stuff falls off.

Maybe if you always drive mellow its fine,hard to predict what might happen in real life.
I use a truck.

[viverrid]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

Sudden violent moves by the vehicle hauling said hitch carrier seem to be the crux of the matter,things break,stuff falls off.

Maybe if you always drive mellow its fine,hard to predict what might happen in real life.
I use a truck.

What he said. To put it anothyer way, the carrier may seem to have static stability and be able to take the weight, when everything is standing still.

The problem is dynamic stability when things are moving around. Especially with the 2-bike carriers. I find it hard to believe anyone dares to manufacture and sell them, or are they all homemade? One of the most obvious issues is torsional stability. You could have 600 pounds of bikes that in a dynamic situation would be trying to (fixed) rotate the carrier shaft in the receiver, or rotate the ramps around the shaft. Just asking for a fail if those bikes start to rock due to a bump in the road that's only on one side of the 'tow" vehicle.

Just because everything seems balanced when at rest in the parking lot, doesn't mean it's going to stay that way once you get moving and stuff starts bouncing up & down.

As I mentioned, I have an old Moto Jack carrier that uses a hydraulic bottle jack to lift one bike from under the skid plate. Then the carrier BOLTS to the footpegs with hook bolts (don't tighten too much or you'll break something off the bike). Much more rigid than strapping a bike that's sitting on its tires (on its springy suspension). Even so I never put more than a DRZ on it, and I could feel a difference in the "tow" vehicle's handling.

[high dangler]

i think that the same people that use a hitch carrier are same ones that haul furniture and mattresses around ontop on of their car tied down with string.
So what, if it falls off and kills someone ?

[DrLewall]

Originally Posted by Grreatdog

If it is an enclosed U-Haul trailer don't tell them why you are renting it. They denied a van trailer to me when I said it was to trailer my motorcycle down to SC and back. Which is weird since they give motorcycle hauling instructions for both types..

due to hauling "flammable" liquids

[Barry]

I think if you match the capabilities of the vehicle, reciever, and carrier properly, you are fine. People have failures towing trailers for the same reasons carrier failures mentioned in this thread occurred. Improper use.

I have had two, never had a problem with the one I used to have, or currently have.

Barry

[corndog67]

I think if you buy a cheesy used Toyota truck for a buck or two, you'd be way ahead in safety for your bike when trippin' down the road. And when someone wants to borrow it to haul some wood or their dogs to the vet, make them change the oil for you.

[SilkMoneyLove]

The key thing is to think about how the bike will move around. You don't want it to go up or front or back. So, I usually run straps from the ends of the bike to the middle of the hitch carrier (make a V with the straps, holds the bike in center). Then I use my cheaper straps to wrap the wheels to the carrier (this keeps the bike from going up). I also used to use a strap from each end of the carrier to the roof rack on my SUV, but that was beacause I overloaded the carrier and wanted to take some weight off and keep it from bobbing around. If you can keep the rack from bobbing around and keep the bike from bouncing around in the carrier, you won't bust your rear glass or lose your stuff. It is a bitch to undo all of the straps to pop the hatch and get something from the back after it is all loaded, so make sure you have your overnight bag easily accessable.

The main thing I do is use enough straps so that if any one breaks, I won't lose my load. I have had straps break due to age.

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadu]

Originally Posted by Barry

I think if you match the capabilities of the vehicle, reciever, and carrier properly, you are fine. People have failures towing trailers for the same reasons carrier failures mentioned in this thread occurred. Improper use.

I have had two, never had a problem with the one I used to have, or currently have.

Barry

Agreed. I think the horror stories come from the people who've never used them... "haters gonna hate" and all that.



I've had this HF hitch carrier for about 3 years now, and after 12-15 uses carrying all kinda of bikes (Aprilia scooter, Yamaha TTR-125, Suzuki DR-Z400), no issues to speak of so far.

The conveniences of the hitch carrier far out-weigh the inconveniences of a trailer. Strap it down properly and then just drive.

[Barry]

Originally Posted by Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadu

Agreed. I think the horror stories come from the people who've never used them... "haters gonna hate" and all that.



I've had this HF hitch carrier for about 3 years now, and after 12-15 uses carrying all kinda of bikes (Aprilia scooter, Yamaha TTR-125, Suzuki DR-Z400), no issues to speak of so far.

The conveniences of the hitch carrier far out-weigh the inconveniences of a trailer. Strap it down properly and then just drive.

Agree. When I drove my KTM 525 home 360 miles, I had 6 straps on it. 2 on the bars, 2 on the rear frame, and one locking down each rim.

[Grreatdog]

The one thing I don't like about them is masking the vehicle tail lights. I don't know if those are tail lights or reflectors on the one in that picture, but I added trailer lights and a trailer wiring harness to mine.