Guys,
I know you're gonna laugh at the title of this thread, but here's the deal:

I am planning on driving down to Miami in July and I really want to bring my Ducati up here, which is one of the few things that's left at my family's house. The Duc is your typical crotch rocket weighing around ~400lbs.

My hatch is the EG CX, basic SOHC 70hp bone stock (manual, of course). I have three questions for you guys:
1) Do you know the towing capacity (if any) on this little beast?
2) Would it be feasible to haul a SMALL trailer with the Duc on it for ~700 miles?
3) What's the best tow-hitch or kit you guys recommend for an EG Hatch?

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Walter


Modified by DSMAddicted at 8:58 PM 6/12/2008

 

You should tow the car back with the Ducati

 

well it is possible to do, with the lack of torque and power I wouldn't reccomend it. I don't have a reccomendation for two kit - just get a standard one

 

I imagine that the bike should fit though the hatch. It's only an extra 400lbs

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94CoupeEJ1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You should tow the car back with the Ducati </TD></TR></TABLE>

Damn, you beat me to it. LOL

OP, this engine has even less torque than power, which it already lacks...and as you probably know torque is what you want for maximum towing capacity.

Although I don't know an exact figure in lbs, I would imagine it would be a very small amount, and expect to accellerate off the line at a very slow pace.

 

yeah you would be prolly get passed up by semi trucks haha...

 

A lot of people don't know this....

A car towing capacity is rated by what a car can 'Stop' not what it can 'pull'

Yea if you were careful you should be able to Tow a ducati and a light weight trailer. given bike and trailer &lt;= 1000lbs.

If you did decide to do it keep a sharp eye on the temp gage and I might would spend a few bucks and get an oil pressure gage to be safe.

Now keep in mind it is going to take you a few hours longer to get to your destination and just go slowly.

 

Like this

 

^^^ that poor HX.

OP: you can buy Class1 hitch kits for your car, the hitch is rated at 200lbs tongue weight and 2000lbs gross trailer weight. BUT you don't have the higher model of the line either, so your braking zone is going to be hurt a lot, you acceleration is going to be just above that of a semi pulling a house on it's foundation.. up a hill.

But no reason why it can't be done. Just be very careful, keep an eye on the gauges and don't go for a WOT pull.

google "civic hitch", that's what I did when I purchased mine. (the EK kit works fine on the EG)

 

The front end of that HX looks like its messed up so they did what they could to make it work.
Thats an awesome idea.

 

That picture brought tears to my eyes. My 94 EX had a trailor hitch installed when I bought it. So people do tow things even though the book says not too. The PO also installed a DC 3-2-1 header and free flow exhaust to beef up the torque. I wouldn't be afraid to try it as long as the brakes were good and you aren't having over heating isssues.

 

As everyone said, it is doable, just not the smartest thing to do. Best bet, rent a tow truck or borrow a friend's truck, see if you can find a large enough trailer for both the Civic and the bike. I wouldn't not trust the stock brakes to be able to stop it, I'd be more worried about any uphill journeys that will be along your way. The Civic has enough braking power to stop an extra four hundred pounds behind it, but those motors and transmissions are hard enough to go up steep hills as is.

 

Guys,
Thank you all for the answers.

LOL @ the idea to tow the Hatch with the Duc, the pic is funny too.

You know... being able to tow the Duc with the Hatch would save me so much money and time, but at the same time I'd hate to damage the Hatch in the process, she's been so dependable and economical (things unknown to me owning a DSM) that messing her up would be sad. Plus I don't need to break down half way on I-95.

Steep uphills come only when I get near the neighborhood where I am currently staying in Georgia, at which point I could take the Duc down and just ride it home. Also, if I get an OPEN trailer, the light ones, that might shave another couple hundred pounds, no?

I figure if I flush the coolant, put new distilled water + water wetter and take it easy I might be able to pull it through...

Do you guys have a specific tow hitch that you recommend? I don't know anything about towing. Relic mentioned a Class1... any brand preference (the easiest to install, the better)? What are fair prices for these things?

Thanks for your help guys. Rest assured I am posting pics if I try this.

-Walter

 

I just picked up a Hidden Hitch brand hitch. decent quality, install looks to be really easy.
craigslist for $60. there are several on there for about the same price.

 

I would go with a class two, but you also have to make sure that you can find an appropriate trailer, you may have to go with a class three/four to tow a motorcycle. The weight isn't a problem, but the selection of the trailers you will need may be.

Is it an automatic or manual transmission? Might want to look into a transmission cooler.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by compuvision02 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would go with a class two, but you also have to make sure that you can find an appropriate trailer, you may have to go with a class three/four to tow a motorcycle. The weight isn't a problem, but the selection of the trailers you will need may be.</TD></TR></TABLE>
most trailers with bike mounts tend to be class1 for the smaller single position versions or class2 for single/doubles.
The size of the ball on the hitch can be changed to match the trailer if all you can find is a class2 trailer.

 

Relic1: I looked on my local CraigsList but there are none to be found. The Hidden Hitch part# for mine appears to be 60834. I also checked eBay and found an imitation of hidden hitch, but they want twice as much as what you paid for yours, so they can keep it.

Compuvision02: It's stick.

-Walter

 

Enterprise rents trucks for $50 a day, or have the small stuff shipped take the bus down and make it three day road trip on the return. Perfect excuse anyway.

 

http://www.craigshelper.com
or
http://crazedlist.org/
got mine from a person in miami. (I'm in chicago)
got here in three days.

Uhaul sells hitches also, but they tend to be more $$

 

i won't say it can't be done and done without damaging the car, but so you have all the facts before attempting the tow i'll add this:

from a 96 ex owners manual (which is better equiped in the area of power, braking, tire width/traction, and suspension...) "the maximum load you can carry in your Honda is 850lbs. it includes the total weight of all passengers and their belongings, and accessories... Towing a Trailer your car is not designed to tow a trailer."

then it says stuff about voiding the warranty..blah, blah.

concider yourself informed.

 

I've seen plenty of fat *** people piled in civics. I'm going to say the 850lbs listed in the manual is just a cya situation for Honda. I mean, people are stupid and the courts allow stupid people to sue.

Just use common sense, learn how to properly weight a trailor and be safe, for everyone around you's sake.

 

why would you do that?