Inexpensive Trailers

[Mellow]

Here are a few links to some cheaper trailer options (under $2,000) let me know if you are aware of others, these are basically car top carrier type trailers/kits:

The Piggybacker
(http://piggybacker.stehltow.com/)
http://piggybacker.stehltow.com/piggybackermovV3.gif (http://piggybacker.stehltow.com/)

Do It Yourself
(http://www.gadgetjq.com/trailer.htm)
http://www.gadgetjq.com/trailer_cooler1.jpg (http://www.gadgetjq.com/trailer.htm)


Al's Motorcycle Accessories
(http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/)
http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/files/IMG_0568.JPG
(http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/)

[GoldWingGL]

From what I hear, the best buy is Piggybacker...

[Mellow]

From what I hear, the best buy is Piggybacker...

Yeah, for $600+shipping, not bad.. I wouldn't mind having one just for the times I go to my parents place and want to take a few things with me. And at that price, it's not bad at all...

If you have a long trip and you want to bring a lot of stuff with you.. or if you are making a base camp and want to bring a lot of stuff then chain the trailer to a tree or something, this would be pretty cool.. then head off and explore the area.

So far, most of my long trips involve breaking down camp, riding, then setting up camp again rarely staying in the same spot for more than a night...

So, the issue for me is really being able to enjoy the twisties while pulling a trailer... Obviously, you shouldn't push a bike with a trailer like you would without one but for me it seems like you are giving up some options with a 2-wheel trailer... For instance, setting up a curve where you are at the outside of the curve, with a trailer your outside trailer wheel would be in the dirt... so your entrance into a curve has to be more conservative.

How do you trailer-guys ride in the twisties? This is one major reason I liked the uni-go so much - one wheel that tracks same as the bike so you know where the trailer wheel is... and, since it's not rated to hold much weight, it's not as much of a concern if you get a little aggressive.. But, the price tag (~$3,000) is tough to swallow...

[Mellow]

I just saw this one for around $1,500.. looks cool... it's going to be more secure than the car-top carriers and since it's fiberglass/gel coat they could probably paint it to match your bike. Don't worry Rick, I'm not getting a trailer, just looking for informational purposes.. I'm still a Uni-Go man but I'm also cheap ... the two don't mix.. LOL

http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/images/trailers/current_inventory/KK39944-2.jpg

http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/images/trailers/current_inventory/KK39944-3.jpg (http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/trailers/inventory_detail.cfm?InvID=6&CFID=22798&CFTOKEN=83050433)

[georgeorge]

Mine handles nicely in the twisties. It doesn't slow me down much at all. You do have to be aware of where the wheels on the trailer are on the road. But because the hitch is off the ground (up to about the height of the axle on the bike) if you lean hard right, the bike is actually touching the ground close to the same line as the left wheel on the trailer. It's weird to look at it in the mirror because as your taking the hard right turn the entire trailer appears in your right mirror and disappears in your left mirror. So your right, you need to take a turn very conservative. I just imagine that my lane is about 2 feet narrower than it really is and I'm fine. Going down Skyline Dr. the first time is when I realized all this. Taking a hard right turn, the right wheel on the trailer fell off the pavement. No harm done on that one, but I've been conscious of it ever since then.

[georgeorge]

Oh and on the trailers you've posted above, Joe, The one thing I don't like about them is that they use a ball hitch. It REALLY limits your lean angle. I looked at that when building mine and decided that it would not give me enough lean angle to keep twisties safe.

[Mellow]

Oh and on the trailers you've posted above, Joe, The one thing I don't like about them is that they use a ball hitch. It REALLY limits your lean angle. I looked at that when building mine and decided that it would not give me enough lean angle to keep twisties safe.

I was just looking at that and they apparently sell a coupler to allow 360 degree rotation.. I'm not sure I've seen one in person...

http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/images/accessories/TR-SH-1.jpg (http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/trailers/accessory_detail.cfm?ProductID=33&CFID=22798&CFTOKEN=83050433)

[georgeorge]

This is what I did. I get 360 degree rotation.

I'm looking at the couple in the picture you posted and I'm trying to see how you would get any other motion besides the rotation, like side to side and up and down. It must work or they wouldn't sell it though.

[georgeorge]

Oh I see it now.... you bolt a regular ball hitch to it also. then the whole ball hitch can rotate on the trailer..... very cool.

[Mellow]

That's a cool idea...

I've followed a few trailers before and have seen them leaned over pretty good so I'm assuming they have this coupler. The Uni-go had a u-joint setup and you could lift the trailer up as far as you wanted, or until the hernia kicked in.. lots of swivel action.

Maybe some of these old timers that have had trailers for a while will chime in...

[motomac]

FYI, you can dump your bike on its side with a ball coupler and it won't hurt anything. There is something like 47 degrees tilt capablility with a ball coupler. Unless you tip the bike over on its seat and windshield, the ball coupler will remain intact. Don't ask me how I know this!!! I have a ball on the Bunkhouse and a swivel hitch on the Breeze. The only reason the swivel is on the Breeze is it came that way. Of course the Unigo has the universal hitch, which makes backing the thing up a real pain, cause it allows the trailer to lean and then you can't steer it. Constantly having to pull up and start backing again.

[Chief]

I have the regular ball hitch on my Time-out cargo trailer. I pulled it with my Valk down Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway and scraped the pegs on the Valk lots of times. Never had a problem with the trailer. In fact, I like cornering with a trailer cause you don't have to brake much, just let off the gas and let the trailer slow you down.

[Chief]

I would also suggest getting the 12" wheels instead of 8". I heard from some of my Wing buddies a long time ago that the bigger wheels made it easier, but I've never pulled one with 8" wheels. My Time-out has 12" and my Bushtec had the big wheels.

[GoldWingGL]

As Mac has said, you can lay a wing over on the crash bars and the ball coupler will not bind. Also, as my wife will tell you, I love the twisties and my Trailer has never held me back from enjoying the ride. She has had to close her eyes at times?lol?but that is mostly because of a cliff on one side?lol.
She don?t like those??:eek:

[motomac]

My Breeze has 8" wheels and it does very well behind the Wing. I have pulled at over 100MPH more than once, not far, but it just goes where the bike goes and the 8" wheels have never been a problem. My first Bunkhouse had 8" wheels, but the '04 has 12". Haven't really noticed much difference in them.

[GoldWingGL]

Since there are too many links to post, I have put together a crude (basic) page with a bunch of Trailer Manufacture Links.
There are both Cargo and Tent Trailers. :wow1:

http://www.goldwinggl.com/Trailers.htm :fish1:

[Mellow]

I just noticed this one at Als Motorcycle Accessories ($650 including shipping) :

http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/files/IMG_0538.JPG

http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/files/IMG_0539.JPG (http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/uni_mate_one_wheel_trailer.html)

[motomac]

Dang, it looks like the only suspension on that wagon is the air pressure in the tire!!! Sure would like to see the right side of it. Looks like it would haul twice as much as a Unigo at a 1/3 the price!!!

[Mellow]

Dang, it looks like the only suspension on that wagon is the air pressure in the tire!!! Sure would like to see the right side of it. Looks like it would haul twice as much as a Unigo at a 1/3 the price!!!

Yeah, I'd like to see more.. I've never seen this one before and just accidentally clicked the link on their page.

The uni-go holds 5 cubic feet and this is 8 cubic ft. The Uni-go weigh in at 70lbs and this one is 80lbs. The Uni-go is $3,000 and this is $650... hmmmm...

I actually like the shape better for camping and ground clearance.. The description states it has a coil spring suspension.

The cargo weight sits lower on the uni-go but I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

[Mellow]

okay.. here are some more pics...

http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/files/IMG_0544.JPG

http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/uni_mate_specs.html

[motomac]

They could have inverted that box and got a lot more use out of it. Looks like the top is bigger than the bottom. By the way I ain't gettin' no more trailers!!!!

[Mellow]

They could have inverted that box and got a lot more use out of it. Looks like the top is bigger than the bottom. By the way I ain't gettin' no more trailers!!!!

LOL.. Yeah, you pretty much have to have everything in it's own bag to fit in the trailer more efficiently.

[Trekker]

That Uni-Wheeled trailer from Al's is interesting... The suspension is a coil spring and it looks like it has a universal hitch like the Uni-Go. What is nice (besides the price) is the capacity. I am not completely sold on the height off the ground.

Monogo from Canada has a similar style trailer that sits lower by cutting a wheel well into the cargo compartment. It is about $900 US (I think).

http://monogo.com/Anglais/laRemorque/remorque.php

[GoldWingGL]

Here are a few Exclusive Pics I got from Alan at http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/ of the suspension.

http://www.goldwinggl.com/S_Pics.html

[Diggers1300]

The cargo weight sits lower on the uni-go but I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

IMO, keeping the weight lower is better. I tried packing my Uni-go various ways and the best results are when the heavier stuff is packed on the bottom. I put my sleeping bag on top to fill whatever room is left so nothing shifts.

Now to the darkside... The trailer from Al's has a flat tire not rounded. Could be problematic in the twisties. But this is not where to discuss the car tire vs motorcycle tire thing. :rolleyes:

I have pulled my Uni-go through the Dragon (two-up) and got some pretty amazing looks. On the way back from Big Bend a couple of weeks ago, we ran two-up with the trailer from the park to Marathon at GPS indicated 100-110. Uni-go was rock solid! Very much worth what I paid for it.

I don't think I would try that with the trailer from Al's (too high off ground) or the Mono-go (because of the hitch pin not being rigid enough). The Uni-go replaces the roller splines with nylon splines making the U-joint much stiffer.

Just my $.02 worth. Well that was kinda long- maybe $.03 worth.
(or maybe it ain't worth nothing at all :p )

[motomac]

+1 on diggers comments on the Unigo. And any trailer for that matter. The heavy stuff should always go on the bottom. 10-12% of the total weight of the trailer should go on the tongue at the hitch. If your trailer is wagging as you go down the road the most probable cause is too little tongue weight. Move some of the heavy stuff closer to the front.

[Freelancer]

Has anyone tried using a soft-sided carrier on a Harbor Freight (or similar) trailer? While not as secure as a lockable case, it reduces weight to a minimum (empty) and still offers 15 cu ft of capacity. At $185, it's not cheaper, but it's a lot lighter.

Freelancer

[Tx White Knight]

Has anyone tried using a soft-sided carrier on a Harbor Freight (or similar) trailer? While not as secure as a lockable case, it reduces weight to a minimum (empty) and still offers 15 cu ft of capacity. At $185, it's not cheaper, but it's a lot lighter.

Freelancer
Welcome Freelancer Do you have a link to the large soft-sided carriers you are talking about?

[Mellow]

Another real good trailer for the money... The Aluma MCT

Around $1,400

http://i2.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/8e/7f/136f_1.JPG

http://i23.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/8e/7f/32bc_1.JPG

Ebay Link (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Aluma-MCT-Motorcycle-Trailer-Pull-Behind_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQitemZ11009 6985146QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V)

[BAGR]

Just build it yourself for a Inexpensive trailer. Here is the place to go for all the tricks and tips to do it. There are many different ways discussed here.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTrailertowing/start

[SidecarMike]

FYI, you can dump your bike on its side with a ball coupler and it won't hurt anything. There is something like 47 degrees tilt capablility with a ball coupler. Unless you tip the bike over on its seat and windshield, the ball coupler will remain intact. Don't ask me how I know this!!! I have a ball on the Bunkhouse and a swivel hitch on the Breeze. The only reason the swivel is on the Breeze is it came that way. Of course the Unigo has the universal hitch, which makes backing the thing up a real pain, cause it allows the trailer to lean and then you can't steer it. Constantly having to pull up and start backing again.

I'm with MotoMac on this. Way back when, I had a ball hitch on a CB 750. One day we toured Fort Boonesboro Kentucky and had the bike and trailer parked on a grassy spot. When we came out, it had rolled forward a little and off of the kickstand. Although the bike was laying on it's side, supported by a highway peg and saddlebag, the trailer still had both wheels on the ground.

[IR Harry]

Well, I have a Goldwing and I pull a camp trailer. I dropped it a couple of weeks ago in the gravel, and the bike was laying on the crash guards. Trailer was still flat footed, and the hitch was not bound - just unhooked it and stood the bike up. So I think all the hype about ball hitches not allowing enough swivel is just hype.....if it was to go further, I don't think it would make any difference what was holding the trailer on...you are still in trouble....

[Mellow]

Well, I have a Goldwing and I pull a camp trailer. I dropped it a couple of weeks ago in the gravel, and the bike was laying on the crash guards. Trailer was still flat footed, and the hitch was not bound - just unhooked it and stood the bike up. So I think all the hype about ball hitches not allowing enough swivel is just hype.....if it was to go further, I don't think it would make any difference what was holding the trailer on...you are still in trouble....

Yeah, I agree, for the Wing anyway.. maybe for other bikes with more of a lean angle or for those that, if on their side, would bind the trailer. I guess it's possible you could go into a ditch or some strange road angles where the bike and trailer are on two different surfaces where it might make a difference.. .But, bottom line, if you have a trailer you are more conscious of those situations and probably won't put yourself into them.

[BobKat]

I have the swivil hitch on my camper, just in case I should drop the bike!:D

Didn't want to risk twisting things up.

I am a fairly agressive rider in the twisties, but not quite as much as some here, and the trailer has not slowed me down much. Just as someone pointed out, you have to keep in mind the trailer wheels sticking out as you pull by any obstruction.

I once caught a bearing buddy on a curb in a slow speed parking manuver and it slaped me right down!

[wrk101]

As far as a ball hitch limiting your lean angle, I have towed a trailer, one kind or another, behind a bike for at least 250K miles. I have never used a swivel hitch. And I have unfortunately had the bike down, and the trailer was still sitting on the road laughing at me. And the ball still had room to go.

I don't plan to ever lean that far (bike down) so I am very comfortable that a standard ball has more than enough play to allow for maximum lean. Note, all of these comments are based on towing behind a goldwing (GL1500 and GL1800) where lean angles are somewhat limited. If I was on a CBR600, then the lean angle might be compromised. Of course, I would not tow behind a CBR600.

I think the swivel hitch is one of those costly items that solves a problem that does not exist....


YMMV.

bill

[Brake Pad]

I ride the 2007 Star Venture, I pull the Matrix Trailer, By Rover
www.matrixmfg.com


I got my trailer for under 1500.00




:tent8: :tent8:

[Mellow]

I ride the 2007 Star Venture, I pull the Matrix Trailer, By Rover
www.matrixmfg.com

I got my trailer for under 1500.00

:tent8: :tent8:

That's the first time I've seen that one... I like how the spare tire is hidden. The only downside is if you need it you have to unpack what's up front but I can't recall the last time I've even heard of anyone needing the spare so hopefully, it stays there forever.

Is there another compartment towards the rear?

[Trailace]

That's the first time I've seen that one... I like how the spare tire is hidden. The only downside is if you need it you have to unpack what's up front but I can't recall the last time I've even heard of anyone needing the spare so hopefully, it stays there forever.

Is there another compartment towards the rear?
That looks like a nice trailer if your into trailers.:D

[Brake Pad]

That looks like a nice trailer if your into trailers.:D


It has very little slots toward the front, I keep tools there, & my locks, & spare grease cartridges.
I put my tent and supplys, Plus all my clothes for the travels. It has a pocket to hold a full size Cooler.
I've had, 250 lbs in it. and the fastest Ive traveled with it was 87 MPH

[GoldWingGL]

That looks like a nice trailer if your into trailers.:D
Hey Rick, those is fightin words don't ya know...LOL:p

[Brake Pad]

The wife doesn't like to camp on the motorcycle, shes a Hotel type ladie, But when I travel,
the tent goes with me. But no matter where we go, the tent & sleeping bags are in the trailer, ....Just in case....:tent8: