trailers

[old_bartender]

1 i am thinking of pulling a trailer. looking for some feedback.
2 thinking about passager floorboard for the copilot as she has arthrltis in her foot.

[rover]

I pulled a trailer, one that I made, for several years. After the first few miles, could not feel that it was there. I could carry all my camping gear in the trailer, and more of it. Made those trips much more enjoyable. The XS's have more than enough power to pull trailers, and once you get used to them, you will not even know it is there. I have both front and rear boards on my F, and they are a blessing. So, good luck, and welcome to the club, many fine people here, always willing to help with info and parts. JC Whitney has passenger boards that are easy to adapt to the XS, well worth the price, your copilot will love them.

[Jerry]

I've also trailered for several years. The extra space comes in handy; I carry a bigger tent, air mattress, cooking gear, camera tripod, other assorted gear. Some places I've gone, like Zion National Park, do not have hotel/motel rooms nearby.

There are drawbacks. You loose mileage, about 3 - 4 mpg in my case. Handling does change, as you accelerate a bit more slowly and get on the brakes a bit earlier. (Compared to riding 1-up.) Trailer hitch for the XS has to be cutom built, as you will not find one on the open market. With a trailer your line through corners changes, as you have to consider the trailer wheels path, and there is some "pushing" from the trailer as well. You don't canyon-carve with a trailer out back.

For general riding you soon adapt to the trailer. The extra space is great, you don't have to worry about getting the bike top-heavy by loading up a tank bag and luggage rack, and your ability to carry a few more creature comforts makes camping a lot more comfortable.

One point: you will need to learn how to pack a trailer. All trailers need some weight on the tongue to follow the towed vehicle with out wobble of fishtail. That is why the axle is always behind the center point of a trailer. When I built my trailer it was to neutral, so I added a spare tire and carrier to the trailer front end to give it more tongue weight. This made the trailer handle well at all speeds. I pack heavier items (toolbox) toward the front. You wll have a learning curve, take it easy the first couple times out.



I wouldn't give my trailer up now when going on long trips or to rallies. Have gotten spoiled by having the space and extra comforts!

[Jerry]

If you are interested, here is is a link that explains how I built my trailer:

http://facstaff.uww.edu/fieldsj/mcycle/mctrailer/

I've upgraded since I wrote this, the Sampsonite soft-sided carrier used in the article was replaces by the Sears cargo unit shown in the photo of my previous post. I no longer carry a cooler on the trailer, use a small unit that I put on the XJ's luggage rack. Still the frame/suspension/wiring details are still useful, I hope!

[UncleSpot]

Jerry,
'been thinking about "going trailer" since my 1st trip from my USAF base in OK to CA for leave, in 1973. My saddlebags and trunk just couldn't hold enough "stuff" - expecially for camping, sightseeing, bringing presents home, or taking "stuff" from home back to base...
'have taken countless trips, every year since on full dress BMWs, Harleys, and a Guzzi, and have always "piled too much stuff on" so the center of gravity was TOO high and driving was a bit difficult in high winds, and going through curves...
You've givien me "NEW ideas" for a "future project", and I'll give my wife your address to "send complaints"

[trukleon]

Hitch

LOOOOKING GOOD Jerry,,how about the hitch that comes off the bike?? I would be very interested in seeing that or those pics too!!!

[rneal55555]

I'm thinking of getting one of these
then searching yard sales for a car top carrier to put on it. I've had a folding 4'x8' model that I think is made by yhe same company fo about 11 years now. Although I never have folded it it's been a good trailer even after being pulled from Fla to NY overloaded by 500lbs.www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=7262&R=7262

[Jerry]

Harbor Freight has one, slightly less expensive, probably same manufacturer:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42708

I see quite a few of these around with the cartop carrier addition. FWIW, I used the Sears 18 cu ft carrier, bought it on sale for around $80.00 or so, reg price at the time was around $100.00. I modified the latching systems to make the top fit at little more snug (elongated the bracket mounting holes to lower them) and added a weatherstrip around the top cover. So far it has stayed dry inside, and I've ridden through some fairly heavy rain.

Keep in mind that you will need to address the wiring issue. The bike uses a 5-wire system (ground, right turn, left turn, stop, and running) where the trailer used a 4-wire system. You will either have to get one of those 5-to-4 wire converters used on many vehicles or modify wiring. The converter box is more popular.

There are two types of converters, one has a separate power lead so the converter does not interfere with the car's computerized systems. Power to the trailer wiring is provided by this lead; the car's systems simply act as a trigger. Price is in the $40 - $50 range. The older and less expensive units simply pass power from the car's systems to the trailer wiring. This type works well on our bikes. Price is around $15.00 - $20.00. A common place to mount the converter is on the back side of the battery case.

FWIW, I use a generic 2-prong, 12v replacement flasher unit when I pull the trailer to handle the extra load. Only cost about $4.00, looses the auto-cancel of the Yamaha unit but I didn't want to run the risk of burning up the $70 OEM flasher.

License plates are sometimes an issue. Wisconsin didn' t require small trailers like this to have plates, both Arizona and Colorado require pates. I had to add a bracket and light to my trailer to comply, then have it inspected and get a title. In AZ this process, which included a permanent (buy 1 time only, no annual renewal) cost me $132.00. Colorado charges $20.00 for a VIN inspection on all cars/trailers plus the cost of plates, which it bases on age/weight of the unit. I'm still running the AZ plates, have been told small trailer plates are in the $20 - $30 range, so it cost about $40 - $50 to register a small trailer. Check with your licensing authority about requirements for plates, and get all the paperwork you can when you buy.

Am working on a How To concerning the XJ's hitch, have the text about done and hope to get some photos today. Hope to post the complete article in the next few days.

[Jerry]

XJ Hitch Web Page

For those interested in building a hitch for your XS or XJ, you might want to visit my latest web page. It describes how I built my hitch, and includes some photos of the instaled hitch. URL is:

http://idisk.mac.com/jerryfields/Pub...l/default.html