write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no
05-08-2007, 08:09 AM
#1
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no
I know this is non-technical, but I wanted to share my experience with other car owners. I have been searching the archives for a long time, but couldn't find any info on this, so here, other owners can now get guidance.
Hitch Install
I bought a 90-93 hitch for my 94 Accord, manufactured my Curt mfg, hoping that it would be the same. Two of the three holes aligned up to where the tow brackets were, but he 3rd holes on each side aligned up to a hole that didn't look very strong. In addition, the mounting bracket on the hitch was a 1/4" too long and it was bumping into the bumper bracket. We decided to cut the hitch and drill another hole in the correct place. The Accord has another hole in the chassis that you can tread a bolt through. After we did this, everything bolted up perfectly. I didn't bother to put on the tow brackets, because if my car ever needs towing, they can always hook on to the hitch.
Wiring
EBay has wiring kits for the Accords for $25-$40, which would just plug into the towing wire in the trunk. I didn't want to spend so much. I went to Auto Zone and bought two things:
1. Car side wiring kit- 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector - ~$2.99
2. Tail light converter ~$9.98
The Accord needs the tail light converter because it has a separate bulb for the turn signal, whereas the trailer flashes the brake light for the turn signal. Some cars do this as well, and they would not need a tail light converter. I found trailer connection diagram from the Accord manual and wired up the lights.
Receiver
I went to walmart and bought:
(1) 1 1/4" hitch bar with a 1/14" drop or a 3/4" raise. I used it on the side with the 3/4" raise - $18.73
(2) 2" hitch ball - $6.97
(3) 1/2" pin clip (to hold in the hitch bar) - $1.88
(4) Ball wrench (to screw on the hitch ball), which I later returned to walmart. - $9.86
Towing
I was picking up a motorcycle from Philadelphia to bring to Hampton, VA (not far from VA beach), approximately 320 miles. I decided to rent a trailer from UHAUL. I decided to rent the trailer for $14 per day for 3 days. When I went, the guy added on insurance for the trailer, extra $24. I went ahead with this since it was my very first time towing a trailer. The UHAUL guys helped me hook up the trailer and get it secure. I stuck the wiring out of my trunk.
Driving with a empty trailer took some getting used to. I wasn't sure how much I could turn with it and was unsure of how it behaved, so I took it to a walmart parking lot and made some turns and observed how the trailer behave making corners. ( I was worried that it would bump in my car at full circle in the accord. lol). I didn't feel much weight from the trailer, but it bounced alot and every pothole it would rattle, since it was empty. Overall, it was a good driving going up. I had to pay double tolls at each toll both though, and this pissed me off. I was a bit disappointed when I went to fill up my gas, I found I only got 24MPG. Normally, I would get 31.5 MPG on the interstate driving.
So, I loaded up my bike into my trailer
At first, I loaded the motorcycle all the way to the front of the trailer and put the wheel into the wheel bracket area at the front, but I realize that most of the weight was on the rear of my car and little on the trailer axle, so I moved the motorcycle as far back as I could to put more of the weight over the trailer axle.
You can see the sagging in the rear and a bit of lifting in the front of my Accord.
Driving with the weight
Driving in the city with the motorcycle on the trailer was a bit scary at first. I heard vibrations and rattles in the chassis/interior of my Accord. I soon realized that it was just the bad roads in Philly. I noticed that quite a lot of people gave me way when I needed to merge or to enter a road, especially guys. 1 or 2 females tried to cut me off, but most of the guys were pretty cool in letting me in front of them.
Driving at low speeds are the worst part of towing, especially in stop light traffic. It takes much longer to move off and I allow excessive braking distance in front of me. Overall, it wasn't bad though. The accord wasn't struggling or anything, you just felt the extra ~900 lbs on it. I have a 5spd Accord. I probably wouldn't recommend it for an automatic car. Driving on the interstate was where it got fun. Above 60 MPH, I could hardly tell that I was towing a 900 lbs trailer. It was smooth driving. The only thing that changed was that I couldn't use cruise control like I always do on the interstate. The cruise control would over correct and if I set the speed to 60 MPH, at times, it would overshoot and go up to >70MPH, so I just drove with my foot to save on gas. Normally, my cruise control would overshoot up to 5 MPH over the set speed when coming to the top of inclines. At speeds of about 50-55 MPH, I did feel the weight on the trailer though, something about it felt extra, not bad, but it just didn't feel as perfectly smooth as going >60MPH.
Once, I stopped on the side of the interstate to check up on everything and make sure everything was still connected. After I was supposed to merge back into traffic, it was a bit scary, because I didn't know how much acceleration I had to go from 0 to 60 in front of moving cars. I waited until it looked clear enough. The acceleration was definitely not bad. I reached to 60 MPH in a decent time and not holding up the lane. I was impressed. I wouldn't recommend stopping on the side fo the interstate if you don't have to though. That wasn't the best of ideas.
And so, I reached home after a good fun drive. I made 320 miles and my gas needle was at 1/8 tank left. I filled up and to my surprise, I got 24.4 MPG again. I actually got slightly better gas mileage with the motorcycle on the trailer than with it empty!
So, I went home and unloaded
Overall, its not bad to get 24 mpg once in a while when I need to move something big, and with UHAUL renting trailers for $14-$20 per day, its like having a truck for only when I need it. A truck would get less than 20 MPG all day long. I still get my great gas mileage all day, but have utility when I need it.
<3 my Honda
EDIT: Towing with automatic transmission (taken from post below)
If you are towing with an automatic, UHAUL always recommend installing a transmission cooler, which is like a small radiator for your transmission fluid. This is to keep it cool, because towing with an automatic transmission will create increased heat, which is the primary killer of Autos while towing.
I guess I should have not said that I would not recommend it, but maybe that you should install a transmission cooler if you want to tow with an automatic. The lower gears on the shifter of Automatic cars are actually to help with towing so yuo can manually move it to get the required engine braking when needed. Never downshift an automatic when going fast though. If you come to the top of a steep hill, its better to stop, and put the car in 2 or D3 and slowly descend it. These gears also preven unecessary upsifting when going up a hill. For example, if you are going up a steep hill and driving less than 30 MPH, you should just put your car in 2 and drive up the hill, to prevent it from shifting to 3 then back to 2 every time you put your foot on the gas and take it off.
Modified by profroopchan at 10:35 PM 5/8/2007
EDIT: What gear should I Drive in when towing (pending confirmation)
Okay, I did some research into this matter about going into 5th gear when towing.
I have never pulled a transmission apart, so I do not know if what I am saying is 100% true or not, but it does make sense to me.
On a 5spd manual, it is better to drive in 4th gear when towing on long distance. The reason for this is because 5th gear is a OVERDRIVE gear, where as 4th gear is a DIRECT drive gear. That means that in 5th gear, the car multiplies the engine speed to get a faster output at the wheels than the engine is turning. Effectively, you are going through gears. 4th gear on the other hand is a DIRECT DRIVE gear. That means, that it just takes the output from the engine and send is straight to the wheels. It does not go through any multiplying nor reducing gears, so there is effectively no additional wear on the transmission than necessary. Effectively, you are over stressing the gears in your car, whereas you could just send the power directly to the wheels without going through additional gearing cogs.
If you are regularly towing in a 5spd over long distances, it is better to just keep it in 4th to extend the life of the transmission.
Thinking about it now, I have heard about people ruining 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and 5th gear. I have not heard of a lot of people destroying 4th gear.
My mechanic friend says that eventually, if you are towing in 5th gear all the time, the car might start jumping out of 5th gear because it is worn (being a overdrive gear).
This kinda makes sense, because automatics have a TOW button which locks them into 3rd gear, which is the direct drive gear, whereas the 4th gear is the overdrive gear. So, in essence, automatics should stick to the direct drive gear as well for cruising.
As far as clutch wear, I consider myself a VERY conservative clutch user. I am always aiming to move off with as little clutch slip as possible. I allow my RPMs to drop to just above the extent to which the engine will start struggling, maybe about 500 RPM when moving off. It does wear your clutch a little more when moving off, especially when towing a jet ski and going up the launch ramp.
I changed my clutch at 150k miles because I was paranoid, and I do not know how the previous owner drove for the first 80k miles of the car's life. When I changed the clutch, it had about 1/2 the clutch life left in it. it was only a little bit more worn than the brand new Honda genuine clutch that I was putting in, so driving habits play a HUGE part in clutch wear. I am almost certain that I wont ever need to change my clutch again because of how conservative I drive, based on how little the old clutch was worn when I was taking it out.
You ONLY wear the clutch when you are moving off, or if you do not know how to rev-match when changing gears. When the car is in motion and is in one gear, the clutch does not wear. The clutch is locked in place. You would need huge amount of load to start stressing the clutch to the point of slipping. I use all genuine Honda parts in my drive train, so I am sure they are up to Honda specifications. If you use other after market clutch kits, I could not guarantee the same results, but I think Honda clutches should be good to hold up to the stress of the extra 1000 lbs limit of towing, maybe even more, but I wouldnt want to stress the limits of my clutch/drive train like that too much or to for example tow other vehicles and crazy stuff like that.
Overall, once you are in gear, there is no clutch wear, unless you have a super cheap clutch and pressure plate, or worn out clutch and pressure plate.
In terms of the automatics, the torque converter effective replaces the clutch. The torque converter really can handle almost infinite load compared to the clutch of a car. The fluid swishes around to move the car, so there is no wear on anything in the torque converter with load. The fluid does break down faster, but you can just change the automatic transmission fluid easily. It is however harder on the transmission with towing. Everyone know's that automatic transmissions have a VERY limited lifetime compared to manual transmission. A driver who knows how to properly rev-match and takes care of the syncros in changing gears can minimize the wear on the manual to make it last an extremely long time. In automatics, the driver have less of a control over how things operate, so it can be a hit or miss situation when electronics does not do what they are supposed to do, or doesnt shift the gears in the correct manner, increasing wear on the automatic transmission.
I would recommend reading the How Stuff Works article on automatic transmissions if you do not know how they work, or if you own one. It really puts things in perspective for the novice automatic car driver.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automa...nsmission4.htm
If someone is a mechanic, you can correct me if I am wrong about this 'direct drive' gear versus a 'over drive' gear.
Other useful treads to read on towing
Here is the same writeup in the Accord section (Different responses)
Here is one tread I started about lowering and still being able to tow a jet ski.
User:silverstrike asking about tow capacity for towing Snowmobile
Modified by professorman at 12:21 PM 2/20/2008
Hitch Install
I bought a 90-93 hitch for my 94 Accord, manufactured my Curt mfg, hoping that it would be the same. Two of the three holes aligned up to where the tow brackets were, but he 3rd holes on each side aligned up to a hole that didn't look very strong. In addition, the mounting bracket on the hitch was a 1/4" too long and it was bumping into the bumper bracket. We decided to cut the hitch and drill another hole in the correct place. The Accord has another hole in the chassis that you can tread a bolt through. After we did this, everything bolted up perfectly. I didn't bother to put on the tow brackets, because if my car ever needs towing, they can always hook on to the hitch.
Wiring
EBay has wiring kits for the Accords for $25-$40, which would just plug into the towing wire in the trunk. I didn't want to spend so much. I went to Auto Zone and bought two things:
1. Car side wiring kit- 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector - ~$2.99
2. Tail light converter ~$9.98
The Accord needs the tail light converter because it has a separate bulb for the turn signal, whereas the trailer flashes the brake light for the turn signal. Some cars do this as well, and they would not need a tail light converter. I found trailer connection diagram from the Accord manual and wired up the lights.
Receiver
I went to walmart and bought:
(1) 1 1/4" hitch bar with a 1/14" drop or a 3/4" raise. I used it on the side with the 3/4" raise - $18.73
(2) 2" hitch ball - $6.97
(3) 1/2" pin clip (to hold in the hitch bar) - $1.88
(4) Ball wrench (to screw on the hitch ball), which I later returned to walmart. - $9.86
Towing
I was picking up a motorcycle from Philadelphia to bring to Hampton, VA (not far from VA beach), approximately 320 miles. I decided to rent a trailer from UHAUL. I decided to rent the trailer for $14 per day for 3 days. When I went, the guy added on insurance for the trailer, extra $24. I went ahead with this since it was my very first time towing a trailer. The UHAUL guys helped me hook up the trailer and get it secure. I stuck the wiring out of my trunk.
Driving with a empty trailer took some getting used to. I wasn't sure how much I could turn with it and was unsure of how it behaved, so I took it to a walmart parking lot and made some turns and observed how the trailer behave making corners. ( I was worried that it would bump in my car at full circle in the accord. lol). I didn't feel much weight from the trailer, but it bounced alot and every pothole it would rattle, since it was empty. Overall, it was a good driving going up. I had to pay double tolls at each toll both though, and this pissed me off. I was a bit disappointed when I went to fill up my gas, I found I only got 24MPG. Normally, I would get 31.5 MPG on the interstate driving.
So, I loaded up my bike into my trailer
At first, I loaded the motorcycle all the way to the front of the trailer and put the wheel into the wheel bracket area at the front, but I realize that most of the weight was on the rear of my car and little on the trailer axle, so I moved the motorcycle as far back as I could to put more of the weight over the trailer axle.
You can see the sagging in the rear and a bit of lifting in the front of my Accord.
Driving with the weight
Driving in the city with the motorcycle on the trailer was a bit scary at first. I heard vibrations and rattles in the chassis/interior of my Accord. I soon realized that it was just the bad roads in Philly. I noticed that quite a lot of people gave me way when I needed to merge or to enter a road, especially guys. 1 or 2 females tried to cut me off, but most of the guys were pretty cool in letting me in front of them.
Driving at low speeds are the worst part of towing, especially in stop light traffic. It takes much longer to move off and I allow excessive braking distance in front of me. Overall, it wasn't bad though. The accord wasn't struggling or anything, you just felt the extra ~900 lbs on it. I have a 5spd Accord. I probably wouldn't recommend it for an automatic car. Driving on the interstate was where it got fun. Above 60 MPH, I could hardly tell that I was towing a 900 lbs trailer. It was smooth driving. The only thing that changed was that I couldn't use cruise control like I always do on the interstate. The cruise control would over correct and if I set the speed to 60 MPH, at times, it would overshoot and go up to >70MPH, so I just drove with my foot to save on gas. Normally, my cruise control would overshoot up to 5 MPH over the set speed when coming to the top of inclines. At speeds of about 50-55 MPH, I did feel the weight on the trailer though, something about it felt extra, not bad, but it just didn't feel as perfectly smooth as going >60MPH.
Once, I stopped on the side of the interstate to check up on everything and make sure everything was still connected. After I was supposed to merge back into traffic, it was a bit scary, because I didn't know how much acceleration I had to go from 0 to 60 in front of moving cars. I waited until it looked clear enough. The acceleration was definitely not bad. I reached to 60 MPH in a decent time and not holding up the lane. I was impressed. I wouldn't recommend stopping on the side fo the interstate if you don't have to though. That wasn't the best of ideas.
And so, I reached home after a good fun drive. I made 320 miles and my gas needle was at 1/8 tank left. I filled up and to my surprise, I got 24.4 MPG again. I actually got slightly better gas mileage with the motorcycle on the trailer than with it empty!
So, I went home and unloaded
Overall, its not bad to get 24 mpg once in a while when I need to move something big, and with UHAUL renting trailers for $14-$20 per day, its like having a truck for only when I need it. A truck would get less than 20 MPG all day long. I still get my great gas mileage all day, but have utility when I need it.
<3 my HondaEDIT: Towing with automatic transmission (taken from post below)
If you are towing with an automatic, UHAUL always recommend installing a transmission cooler, which is like a small radiator for your transmission fluid. This is to keep it cool, because towing with an automatic transmission will create increased heat, which is the primary killer of Autos while towing.
I guess I should have not said that I would not recommend it, but maybe that you should install a transmission cooler if you want to tow with an automatic. The lower gears on the shifter of Automatic cars are actually to help with towing so yuo can manually move it to get the required engine braking when needed. Never downshift an automatic when going fast though. If you come to the top of a steep hill, its better to stop, and put the car in 2 or D3 and slowly descend it. These gears also preven unecessary upsifting when going up a hill. For example, if you are going up a steep hill and driving less than 30 MPH, you should just put your car in 2 and drive up the hill, to prevent it from shifting to 3 then back to 2 every time you put your foot on the gas and take it off.
Modified by profroopchan at 10:35 PM 5/8/2007
EDIT: What gear should I Drive in when towing (pending confirmation)
Okay, I did some research into this matter about going into 5th gear when towing.
I have never pulled a transmission apart, so I do not know if what I am saying is 100% true or not, but it does make sense to me.
On a 5spd manual, it is better to drive in 4th gear when towing on long distance. The reason for this is because 5th gear is a OVERDRIVE gear, where as 4th gear is a DIRECT drive gear. That means that in 5th gear, the car multiplies the engine speed to get a faster output at the wheels than the engine is turning. Effectively, you are going through gears. 4th gear on the other hand is a DIRECT DRIVE gear. That means, that it just takes the output from the engine and send is straight to the wheels. It does not go through any multiplying nor reducing gears, so there is effectively no additional wear on the transmission than necessary. Effectively, you are over stressing the gears in your car, whereas you could just send the power directly to the wheels without going through additional gearing cogs.
If you are regularly towing in a 5spd over long distances, it is better to just keep it in 4th to extend the life of the transmission.
Thinking about it now, I have heard about people ruining 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and 5th gear. I have not heard of a lot of people destroying 4th gear.
My mechanic friend says that eventually, if you are towing in 5th gear all the time, the car might start jumping out of 5th gear because it is worn (being a overdrive gear).
This kinda makes sense, because automatics have a TOW button which locks them into 3rd gear, which is the direct drive gear, whereas the 4th gear is the overdrive gear. So, in essence, automatics should stick to the direct drive gear as well for cruising.
As far as clutch wear, I consider myself a VERY conservative clutch user. I am always aiming to move off with as little clutch slip as possible. I allow my RPMs to drop to just above the extent to which the engine will start struggling, maybe about 500 RPM when moving off. It does wear your clutch a little more when moving off, especially when towing a jet ski and going up the launch ramp.
I changed my clutch at 150k miles because I was paranoid, and I do not know how the previous owner drove for the first 80k miles of the car's life. When I changed the clutch, it had about 1/2 the clutch life left in it. it was only a little bit more worn than the brand new Honda genuine clutch that I was putting in, so driving habits play a HUGE part in clutch wear. I am almost certain that I wont ever need to change my clutch again because of how conservative I drive, based on how little the old clutch was worn when I was taking it out.
You ONLY wear the clutch when you are moving off, or if you do not know how to rev-match when changing gears. When the car is in motion and is in one gear, the clutch does not wear. The clutch is locked in place. You would need huge amount of load to start stressing the clutch to the point of slipping. I use all genuine Honda parts in my drive train, so I am sure they are up to Honda specifications. If you use other after market clutch kits, I could not guarantee the same results, but I think Honda clutches should be good to hold up to the stress of the extra 1000 lbs limit of towing, maybe even more, but I wouldnt want to stress the limits of my clutch/drive train like that too much or to for example tow other vehicles and crazy stuff like that.
Overall, once you are in gear, there is no clutch wear, unless you have a super cheap clutch and pressure plate, or worn out clutch and pressure plate.
In terms of the automatics, the torque converter effective replaces the clutch. The torque converter really can handle almost infinite load compared to the clutch of a car. The fluid swishes around to move the car, so there is no wear on anything in the torque converter with load. The fluid does break down faster, but you can just change the automatic transmission fluid easily. It is however harder on the transmission with towing. Everyone know's that automatic transmissions have a VERY limited lifetime compared to manual transmission. A driver who knows how to properly rev-match and takes care of the syncros in changing gears can minimize the wear on the manual to make it last an extremely long time. In automatics, the driver have less of a control over how things operate, so it can be a hit or miss situation when electronics does not do what they are supposed to do, or doesnt shift the gears in the correct manner, increasing wear on the automatic transmission.
I would recommend reading the How Stuff Works article on automatic transmissions if you do not know how they work, or if you own one. It really puts things in perspective for the novice automatic car driver.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automa...nsmission4.htm
If someone is a mechanic, you can correct me if I am wrong about this 'direct drive' gear versus a 'over drive' gear.
Other useful treads to read on towing
Here is the same writeup in the Accord section (Different responses)
Here is one tread I started about lowering and still being able to tow a jet ski.
User:silverstrike asking about tow capacity for towing Snowmobile
Modified by professorman at 12:21 PM 2/20/2008
05-08-2007, 08:19 AM
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Great write-up with the pics.
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?
My gas mileage turns to crap when I tow too. Granted, you are pulling an extra 800 lbs or so.
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?
My gas mileage turns to crap when I tow too. Granted, you are pulling an extra 800 lbs or so.
05-08-2007, 08:22 AM
#3
My Name is Nobody
Re: (marmaladeboy)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Hahahaha that's I thought... let me see should I use two tie downs, or foutry three of them
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Hahahaha that's I thought... let me see should I use two tie downs, or foutry three of them
05-08-2007, 08:36 AM
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Re: write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no (profroopchan)
Great write up!
so Uhaul only rents the "trailer" portion? I'm assuming you would have to purchase your own hitch and wiring much like how you described?
so Uhaul only rents the "trailer" portion? I'm assuming you would have to purchase your own hitch and wiring much like how you described?
05-08-2007, 09:04 AM
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Re: write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no (MSchu)
do they rent the hitch or make your purchase it? I don't tow anything around so i don't want to be stuck with a hitch afterwards
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05-08-2007, 10:48 AM
#8
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Thread Starter
Re: write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no (KiddEng)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KiddEng »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> do they rent the hitch or make your purchase it? I don't tow anything around so i don't want to be stuck with a hitch afterwards</TD></TR></TABLE>
UHAUL sells hitches for about $300+. I bought a used rusted one off ebay for $60 shipped. I spent another $20 getting it sandblasted, then painted it with primer then paint. I could have gotten one in good condition for about $100-$120 from EBay though.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by profroopchan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
At first, I loaded the motorcycle all the way to the front of the trailer and put the wheel into the wheel bracket area at the front, but I realize that most of the weight was on the rear of my car and little on the trailer axle, so I moved the motorcycle as far back as I could to put more of the weight over the trailer axle. </TD></TR></TABLE>
It seemed like it would have been too much weight on my tow bar. The bike would have been in the middle before the axel, with most of the weight on the tow bar and on the trailer. I wanted most of the weight evenly distributed over the axel of the trailer with 60% being in the front and 40% in the rear. The engine is slightly forward of the axel. It seemed more stable like that. On the drive down, I was thinking that I should have put something to kind of brace the front wheel in the position that I tied it down. What do you guys think?
do they rent the hitch or make your purchase it? I don't tow anything around so i don't want to be stuck with a hitch afterwards</TD></TR></TABLE>UHAUL sells hitches for about $300+. I bought a used rusted one off ebay for $60 shipped. I spent another $20 getting it sandblasted, then painted it with primer then paint. I could have gotten one in good condition for about $100-$120 from EBay though.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The motorcycle is supposed to sit against the front of the trailer though, no?
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by profroopchan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
At first, I loaded the motorcycle all the way to the front of the trailer and put the wheel into the wheel bracket area at the front, but I realize that most of the weight was on the rear of my car and little on the trailer axle, so I moved the motorcycle as far back as I could to put more of the weight over the trailer axle. </TD></TR></TABLE>
It seemed like it would have been too much weight on my tow bar. The bike would have been in the middle before the axel, with most of the weight on the tow bar and on the trailer. I wanted most of the weight evenly distributed over the axel of the trailer with 60% being in the front and 40% in the rear. The engine is slightly forward of the axel. It seemed more stable like that. On the drive down, I was thinking that I should have put something to kind of brace the front wheel in the position that I tied it down. What do you guys think?
05-08-2007, 11:09 AM
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It seems like the rear wheel was braced against the ramp, so it should be fine. You just don't see it done that way too often.
The thing with UHaul trailers is that they usually require specific UHaul wiring connectors.
UHaul also offers a $5 lifetime warranty if you purchase the hitch (and installation) through them. I had a UHaul hitch thrown onto my Odyssey. With the wiring harness, draw bar, ball, and installation, the total came out to $210.
The thing with UHaul trailers is that they usually require specific UHaul wiring connectors.
UHaul also offers a $5 lifetime warranty if you purchase the hitch (and installation) through them. I had a UHaul hitch thrown onto my Odyssey. With the wiring harness, draw bar, ball, and installation, the total came out to $210.
05-08-2007, 05:42 PM
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Re: (MSchu)
this is awesome I thought I was the only that used my car to tow my bike. Its a b20 turbo 95 coupe. The best part now is when the ricers pull up to me and pipe me off cause they see my hitch, the look on their face when they hear the bov is worth the $210 it cost me to have the hitch installed at uhaul.
05-08-2007, 09:40 PM
#12
Honda-Tech Member
Re: write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no (profroopchan)
Awesome!
I wish I could put a hitch on the Integra and tow the bike to a track day but 12+:1 compression ratio + 91 octane won't make it over the grapevine.
I wish I could put a hitch on the Integra and tow the bike to a track day but 12+:1 compression ratio + 91 octane won't make it over the grapevine.
05-09-2007, 03:10 AM
#14
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Re: write up: Towing motorcycle with a car - 56k no (Jasper_db1)
I towed mine over the grapevine, no problem, but with that compression ratio you must be all motor so yeah that could cause some problems. I actually towed it 300 miles from the san jaoquin valley CA to San Diego. I must admit the first 50 miles I was worried and hearing all kinds of noise like "profroopchan"
but after that it was all good. but the looks going up the grapevine and actually pulling past cars was priceless
but after that it was all good. but the looks going up the grapevine and actually pulling past cars was priceless
05-23-2007, 07:19 AM
#19
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Thread Starter
Re: (MSchu)
How often do you guys with non-track bikes tow your bike? I am wondering if it is worth it to buy a small trailer. I like that small trailer that BrokenLimits moded to fit his bike. Shouldnt be too expensive either. Does it pay of for you to have the trailer?
UHAUL rents them for $15 per day if returned to same location, so I am thinking thats not bad for the occasional use.
UHAUL rents them for $15 per day if returned to same location, so I am thinking thats not bad for the occasional use.
05-23-2007, 04:10 PM
#20
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Re: (profroopchan)
Hmm...i would tow my bike...
If i had a trailer...
I would buy a trailer...
If i had a car...
I would have a car, if i didn't live in florida...
I love my bike...i love florida.
If i had a trailer...
I would buy a trailer...
If i had a car...
I would have a car, if i didn't live in florida...
I love my bike...i love florida.
08-16-2007, 07:45 AM
#23
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I brought this thread back because I'm in a dilemma. I'm going to be doing trackdays soon, and I'm not always going to have access to a truck, sooo...
I was thinking of putting a hitch on my VX, renting a UHaul trailer when I need it, and installing a stock JDM B20 for the pulling power, and LS or GS-R brakes all around for stopping power. That way I'll still get decent mileage with the car when I'm not towing, and I won't have to buy a truck. What do you guys think?
I was thinking of putting a hitch on my VX, renting a UHaul trailer when I need it, and installing a stock JDM B20 for the pulling power, and LS or GS-R brakes all around for stopping power. That way I'll still get decent mileage with the car when I'm not towing, and I won't have to buy a truck. What do you guys think?
08-16-2007, 07:55 AM
#25
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Re: (Phoenix1)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Phoenix1 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What do you guys think?</TD></TR></TABLE>
For the time/$$ you'll spend doing motor/brake swap you could probably get a cheap 4cyl Tacoma.
For the time/$$ you'll spend doing motor/brake swap you could probably get a cheap 4cyl Tacoma.