Hitch motorcycle carriers? good? bad?

ajaxguy

Well-known member

Well, the carrier you pictured is described as being good for dirtbikes up to 400 pounds in weight. Maybe you want the sportbike carrier instead?

An R1 is what, 425 to 450 pounds with some fuel load still in it? The carrier itself weighs about 75 pounds. That puts you right at or above the upper limit of a Class 3 hitch which is probably the most you have on your minivan.

Class 3 hitch is good for 500 pounds tongue loading on a standard receiver draw bar. The bike carrier is different though. It puts the weigh a bit further out than a standard draw bar, and that has the effect of putting a heavier lever on your hitch receiver. Your hitch receiver should be engineered to have some safety margin, but....

Also, unlike a standard draw bar which encounters mostly vertical loading and a little bit of horizontal loading, that bike carrier is going to add more vertical loading accompanied by potential rotational loading as your bike rocks on the axis of the hitch receiver. The rougher the road, the greater the bad effects of both vertical and rotational loading on a hitch carrier that is already at or over the load limit for your receiver.

On top of that, you're slinging all that bike and carrier weight at the very rear of your vehicle, a vehicle that will probably also be loaded up back there with the family and stuff you're taking with you on your trip. Can your minivan take the load on the rear suspension? What will it do for your minivan handling?

A small trailer will add a bit of extra weight over and above that of a hitch carrier but it will be drawn weight and not carried weight. The tongue loading on your minivan's rear suspension will be only 100 or 125 pounds compared to 500+ pounds with the hitch carrier. You'll find that a small trailer will make for a much more pleasant drive.
 
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Well, the carrier you pictured is described as being good for dirtbikes up to 400 pounds in weight. Maybe you want the sportbike carrier instead?

An R1 is what, 425 to 450 pounds with some fuel load still in it? The carrier itself weighs about 75 pounds. That puts you right at or above the upper limit of a Class 3 hitch which is probably the most you have on your minivan.

Class 3 hitch is good for 500 pounds tongue loading on a standard receiver draw bar. The bike carrier is different though. It puts the weigh a bit further out than a standard draw bar, and that has the effect of putting a heavier lever on your hitch receiver. Your hitch receiver should be engineered to have some safety margin, but....

Also, unlike a standard draw bar which encounters mostly vertical loading and a little bit of horizontal loading, that bike carrier is going to add more vertical loading accompanied by potential rotational loading as your bike rocks on the axis of the hitch receiver. The rough the road, the greater the bad effects of both vertical and rotational loading on a hitch carrier that is already at or over the load limit for your receiver.

On top of that, you're slinging all that bike and carrier weight at the very rear of your vehicle, a vehicle that will probably also be loaded up back there with the family and stuff you're taking with you on your trip. Can your minivan take the load on the rear suspension? What will it do for your minivan handling?

A small trailer will add a bit of extra weight over and above that of a hitch carrier but it will be drawn weight and not carried weight. The tongue loading on your minivan's rear suspension will be only 100 or 125 pounds compared to 500+ pounds with the hitch carrier. You'll find that a small trailer will make for a much more pleasant drive.

I felt like I learned something very valuable there, or it could have been just all those paragraphs and what not!!l lol
No that was a great reply, and makes complete sense! Didnt even think about that, so ya that stinger trailer is looking alot better right now!
 
Isn't the way that the bike blocks the view of the license plate from some angles a little sketchy, legally speaking?
 
Carrier only for dirtbikes, had one, worked well with a YZ450F (ended up selling the bike and carrier)......That folding trailer is perfect. I also would like to know what they go for and any local places to see / buy them?

Isn't the way that the bike blocks the view of the license plate from some angles a little sketchy, legally speaking?

When I was buying mine from Royal, the guy that was helping me out said a customer returned one after buying one the week before and got a 2 tickets from the OPP (cant do anything to the OPP) said one was for license plate not being visible and one was for break lights not being visible (which I can understand as people behind wont be able to see you slowing down)....but I bought one anyway...
 
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for lights, just get those magnetic removable trailer lights and plug them in, mount them on the bike some how in a proper position, or permanently mount some trailer lights on the hitch carrer itself.

However, I don't even trust my dirt bike on one of those things, nevermind putting the street bike in one. I vote trailer.
 
I built this, cost $26
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/24160_366560877778_509802778_3753934_3375441_n.jpg

24160_366560877778_509802778_3753934_3375441_n.jpg
 
It was for emergenceys, worked great even down the highway.

its kinda like saying how often does your bike jump and change gears by itself while rideing? if thats happening you got problems aready
 
I personally wouldn't tow it with the rear wheel on the ground....
also, this is what the owners manual states for my cbr

tranny.png
 
Hitch loaded carriers work perfectly fine. All the fear about using this product for me personally is unfounded and I have never been able to find or hear of a "failure" of the device itself.

I got one of these specifically to carry my bike to and from a track day. I have used it for a total of approx 1000miles so far. It does not wobble, it does not sag.

I recommend it to anyone with a class 3 or higher hitch on their vehicle, and its easy enough to load by yourself.

loaded.jpg
 
Hitch loaded carriers work perfectly fine. All the fear about using this product for me personally is unfounded and I have never been able to find or hear of a "failure" of the device itself.

I got one of these specifically to carry my bike to and from a track day. I have used it for a total of approx 1000miles so far. It does not wobble, it does not sag.

I recommend it to anyone with a class 3 or higher hitch on their vehicle, and its easy enough to load by yourself.


No one said that the hitch carriers were no good. The issue is with the capacity of the vehicle it's being mounted on.
 
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