I just thought I'd post here because some people might be interested in hearing about it. I do most of my fishing out of my kayak, and also have a little jon boat. Both are lightweight, and are just hauled around in the bed of my pickup truck when I'm taking them to the lake. This year, I'm trying something different. I'm going to start using my motorcycle as a tow vehicle. First of all, gas prices are high and still headed up. Secondly, I love riding my motorcycle when the weather permits... which is usually when I also like to go fishing/boating... so why should the 2 activities be mutually exclusive? And lastly, it will just be cool to have the ONLY 2-wheeled tow vehicle in the boat trailer parking lot.
I'm in the process of building a lightweight trailer, with aluminum frame and torsion spring axles. I'm building it such that it can be used as a cargo trailer (maybe take the motorcycle on a camping trip and be able to take all the gear) or kayak trailer, or a boat trailer. No, I will not be backing the bike down the launch ramp... both the kayak and the jon are lightweight "hand-launch" boats. I don't know if any of you have every seen anything like this before, but I'll be posting photos on here when I'm done. I'm sure many heads will turn as I drive this rig down the road... after all, the trailered boat will exceed the length of the tow vehicle by 50%.
wow.id watch the tranny on the bike.....and wind lift.i have a 14ft on a trailer and pull it with a little ranger and have it strapped down good.id hate to think about how that would make the bike handle.good luck
I'd definitely be too scared to do that.....again many chances on going down the road and an accident happening....which is prolly why no one else has been doing it.....best of luck i'd definitely not want anything to happen!
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Bikes pull trailers all the time... especially big bikes. I have a 900 pound touring bike that makes 112 hp (I can't remember the torque value at the moment). I was talking to a guy who has the same bike as me (color and all), and he pulls a Harley Davidson trailer (fiberglass with like 20 cubic feet of capacity) which weighs over 300 lbs empty. My ultralite trailer is going to weigh less than half of that. I'm not worried about the bike tranny, pulling the trailer won't be much harder on the tranny than riding 2-up with some luggage in the hard bags. As far as the aerodynamics go, I'm certainly going to start out cautious and try to get a feel for it... maybe I'll haul the jon upside down if lift is a problem. I've spoken to a number of guys who pull trailers with their bikes, and most say that you don't even realize it's there... just make turns a little wider so you don't curb the trailer.
Inspection is not required for non-commercial trailer under 4000 pounds. When I finish the trailer, I'll take it to a certified scale (I use my local sand & gravel place) and get a weight slip. I just take the weight slip to the BMV and tell them it's "home built" and they issue a plate to me (after taking my money, which they seem to do every time I go in there).
Wonder what it will be like when one of those strong cross winds hit that lightweight jon boat? I can't help but feel it will be a bit dicey as I certainly feel it in my F150 when the wind hits my 3500 pound boat. Keep us posted through the season.
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Thanks to Dad for teaching me how to fish
I have a harley and talked to guys thats owned them with trailers.its different riding two up cause ur wieght is over the bike distributed,ur not towing and its not pushing you.i know they make trailers and guys tow them but those bikes burn some clutches sooner then bikes just riding two up.the other thing is look close at trailers built for bikes.they are rounfed on bottom for a reason..air flows over and past not under lifting up on somthing hollow.might be fine til you meet a semi turning that 55mph windforce to 110.its ur rig and your life.just saying be careful man.
Keep in mind that tow capacity is not so much of what you can pull. IT IS WHAT YOU CAN STOP that is important.
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I figured I'd get responses pretty much thinking I'm crazy. I've met people who have pulled trailers behind their bikes for thousands of miles. I'm going to be using my big bike, with big engine, and big brakes. My trailer with boat on it is only going to weigh about 250 pounds, maybe 300 with gear. I didn't come to this decision lightly... I didn't just wake up one day and think "other people pull trailers, so can I". I've done my homework concerning how the the specific bike handles towing, I've spoken with people who pull trailers with their bikes, I've read many articles about setting up a bike for towing, and I certainly plan on starting off light (empty trailer) and on back roads and gradually build up to highways, heavier loads, and bigger aerodynamic profiles. I understand the risks associated, and I don't think that a careful, responsible setup and execution of motorcycle towing is a poor decision. Certainly not like the guys who ride motorcycles wearing sandals, shorts, t-shirt, and no helmet.
I'll post photos of my rig once it's complete, and perhaps some of you will even see it out on the roads (or in the parking lof of one of the area lakes).
Well, I'm not entirely finished with the trailer, I still need to wire it with lights, varnish the decking, and add some fenders. However, since I got it done to the point of rolling, I went ahead and hitched it up to the bike with the kayak on it to see what the rig would look like. The photo was taken from a vantage point that was closer to the bike than the trailer/kayak... so it actually makes the kayak look short... barely longer than the bike, but it's a 12' kayak and the bike's total length is maybe 8 feet. I haven't road tested it yet, but once I get lights on it and get it registered, I'll take it out and then post how it went. Not sure I'll ever try the jon boat behind the bike, but the trailer with kayak on it doesn't seem very intimidating.
Downsizing the tow vehicle... in a BIG way
Downsizing the tow vehicle... in a BIG way
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