Trailer towing

[Whistlingman]

Anybody have any experience with towing a small trailer? Pros, cons?

[crazy steve]

Pretty much everything you need to know about trailers....

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...trailer+towing

[JeffH]

Experience? Yes, mainly with a 5' x 8'. Say 5,000+ miles worth of towing on a variety of roads and bikes.
Also pull other larger stuff but I'm assuming 'small' means a little bike only trailer or small 4x8 utility trailer.

Key is regular maintenance with good tires & greased wheel bearings to keep from having a problem.
Otherwise pretty straight forward with the properly rated hitch, light connectors and safety chain.
Depending on the tow vehicle you loose maybe 2-3 MPG when you tow.

Only thing with a little trailer is that it is pretty Kamikaze to backup because you can't really see the trailer when it is directly behind you.
Small trailer sure is an easy way to get a bike to the ride point. Tow to Ride is sure better than no Ride at all.

Also important is the tow vehicle. It must be rated to drag along the Gross Weights you are expecting to tow.

Jeff

[Schming]

JeffH, if I'm not mistaken I believe Whistlingman is referring to a trailer towed by an Eleven.

[JeffH]

Yep, asleep at the wheel today. Time for an espresso jolt back to reality.
btw: never tried any trailer towing with my bikes.

Jeff

[Jerry]

I pull a home-built trailer. Pulled it with the XJ for years, now pull it with the Connie. Here is a photo (2008) of the XJ and trailer entering Yosemite National Park:



Pros: Carry more which makes for more comfortable camping.
Cons: Lowers MPG by a couple points, takes slightly different lines through curves.

I built my own hitch for the XJ, bought one (Hitch Doc) for the Concours. Other threads can offer ideas on how to build an XS - XJ hitch as several approaches have been taken by different owners.

[Tat2demon]

If youve never pulled a trailer before, do a few practice miles around town to get a feel for it before you load it up for your first trip. Makes everything a little different.

Also, not a bad idea to keep a fish type weigh scale in your trailer to check the tongue weight before you take off. I believe you're shooting for around 25-30 pounds max. You can re-arrange your load to balance that out if needed.

[fredintoon]

Anybody have any experience with towing a small trailer? Pros, cons?

Hi Helmut and welcome,
pro, you can carry more stuff.
Con, you will be tempted to carry more stuff.
Handling with a trailer?
Pro, unless you ride like a maniac, you won't know it's there.
Con; gotta remember it's there, it's a lot wider than the bike.
Alternative 1):-Single wheel trailer,
Pro, neat looking streamlined egg of a thing that leans with the bike.
Con, they're not cheap to buy.
Alternative 2) Hang a sidecar on it.
Pro, Sidecars keep a bike upright, carry lotsa stuff and are a serious chick magnet.
Con, Just like with a 2-wheel trailer, a rig is a lot wider than a bike.

[skids]

I can tell you that you really need to remeber that the trailer is there when you fill up with gas. Also, the weight (even if the tongue weight is right) can make control difficult when trying to stop on a downhill grade with a sandy or gravel surface.

[Jerry]

The decison on if to pull a trailer or not depends on if you want to camp, and if so, what level of comfort you want to have.

Many people carry a small, 1-man tent and sleeping bag and do not need a trailer. Advantage is less weight, items can be used as a backrest, and everything will fit on the bike. I started out camping this way but never liked the higher center of gravity that packing all the stuff on the bike gave me.

As I got older I wanted a higher level of comfort. I carry a tent large enough to stand up in, a folding chair, Coleman 2-burner stove, food, air mattress, extra clothing, and other creature comforts. Generlly I ride to a destination and stay there several days so this works out well for me. Set up once and take down once. When I do set up for one night I just pull the tent and go out for food. Easier to repack and get going in the morning.

If you trailer you should not exceed the bike's GVW rating. For me this meant keeping the weight of trailer, loaded, to under 200 pounds. I also upgraded my brake lines to stainless steel units. I did get an oil cooler but never got around to installing it. I had no heating problems when trailering with the XJ even when I lived in Arizona.

Trailering with a bike is not an exact science. I found a litle more tongue weight to be an advantage, generally about 15 - 20 percent of the trailer's weight is recommended. For a 200 pound trailer this works out to about 30 - 40 pounds. Originally my trailer had to little tongue weight so I moved the spare tire forward on the tongue to compensate. I pack the heavier items forward of the axle as well. This arrangment gives me good handling. I also used smaller tires on the trailer which keeps the tongue is in line with the rear axle when I am on the bike. This keeps the trailer's center of gravity low. Yes, you do need to get used to the trailer's weight for acceleration and braking, but after a few hundred miles this comes naturally.

I like having the extra capacity and feel it makes my camping trips a lot more enjoyable. For that I put up with the lower fuel economy, greater rear tire wear, and having to take slightly different lines through curves.


(XJ and trailer in Dragon's Head rest area - Utah - heading for California coast.)


(Camping with the trailer. Note large tent and Coleman stove.)

I had started out carrying a cooler on the tongue of the trailer but after a year I removed it and went to the small grey cooler you see on the XJ's luggage rack in the rest area photo. Plenty of capacity for me as I travel solo. 7 - 8 pounds of ice keeps beverages cold all day.

I've been trailering since my first rally in 2000 and most recent rally in 2013. It is a good way to pack more comfort into a camping trip.