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Trailering:
When I have my trailer behind my bike I constantly get asked what it’s like to pull a trailer with a
motorcycle. I say “it’s like pulling nothing at all”. If you have the right size bike and a trailer that is
capable of highway speeds you should have no problem.
Let’s talk about hitches for one quick second; first and foremost, there is no motorcycle manufacturer
that makes trailer hitches for their bikes.
I believe some manufactures will void a warranty if the
issue is related to the hitch. I have a standard 1-1/4 receiver hitch (custom made of course) that has
a 2” ball on it. It does not swivel nor does the tongue of the trailer.
My bike has laid over to the
floorboards with the trailer on and both trailer tires have stayed on the ground. This is very important
to make sure that you have complete uninterrupted leaning of the motorcycle.
Having all the extra
storage doesn’t do anything if you can’t lean into the turns.
The second thing to take into consideration is the chains. Make sure that you use the ones that come
with it.
I know someone that has replaced the steel ones with those decorative plastic ones.
He feels
that if the trailer should come off, he wants it away from the bike.
Not me. I want to know where it is
rather than have it crash into me broadside.
If the chains are too long remove one or two links from
them.
ALWAYS cross them under the tongue.
The purpose of this is to catch the tongue in the event of
a mishap, as not to contact the road surface witch would cause a very bad day. |
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Another consideration is the electrical. You might want to install an isolator device.
This draws power
for the lights directly from the battery instead of the bike’s electric. The reason for this is that the
wiring to the taillights is sized only for the stock lights.
If you add more load to the circuit, you could
cause the wires to overheat and melt the insulation and cause a bad day.
Weight distribution is
important too. You want to make sure that the tongue weight is limited to only 25 pounds. This keeps
the weight in the trailer where it belongs and really don’t change the handling characteristics from
what you’re used too.
BE CAREFUL stopping and highway off ramps. The trailer will be pushing you as
you try to stop. Take it easy at first and always remember that it’s behind you. ALWAYS use an
escape route plan in case of an emergency stop.
Ernie |
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