Trailering

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Nov 24, 2016
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i used to sneer at motorcycle trailers. I would ride seven states back and forth to college. Rode coast to coast when in my twenties. Now I trailer the bikes the 250 miles to our plate in Vermont. I get nervous on multi lane high speed highways. I like packing extra tools, riding gear. I like having the car up there for bad weather. I even like showing off the bikes on the trailer. I’m interested in your takes on the topic.
 
To me it seems deeply wrong using a trailer, it feels like ‘cheating’...

But...

You don’t ride bikes out of necessity any more, you ride them for pleasure. And your Norton is an old girl...

If wearing out your old girl riding for endless straight miles on your interstates isn't your idea of fun, then why do it ?!
 
I have a 6x12 box trailer with drop tail that will carry 4 bikes and a lot of gear. I t will also comfortably sleep 2 on folding cots, or 2 cots + 1 hammock. I used this one extensively for cross-country racing trips and still use it to attend rallies where I am expected to bring the gear for hospitality/coffee setup PLUS my bikes and sleeping gear.

Then, I have a 6-bike trailer I built in the 90s, for attending big bike shows. More bikes = better bike show. I also used it to move my collection from Laredo, cuts down on the number of trips, especially when I fully load it, then stick 2 or 3 more bikes in the pickup bed!

I just acquired a 24' box trailer that I plan to convert to a "Toy Hauler" type live-aboard for extended travel with the family in the future. I want to go race again, and this will be a lot more comfortable.

I have always relied on a simple tongue hitch with whatever size ball; For the big trailer, I've purchased an anti-sway rig (although I learned early on how to avoid swaying - THE HARD WAY)

Just make sure your tow rig is in good mechanical shape, you've got plenty of spare tires and gear to change a tire with, your lighting connections are good, and HIT THE ROAD!
 
I rode for 2-1/2 days to get to the tall timbers Norton rally at Elma WA in 2018.there weren't many people who road that far, except Jim Comstock... i saw a lot of trailers. I had a lot of time to analysis this phenomenon and came to the conclusion that at some point my age and the distance to travel means i will be fairly tired upon arrival if riding, were as if i tow the bike, i would be much more interested in touring around the rally location to see the sites.
 
No no no if its not ridden then what the point in having a bike, in 44 years my Norton has only been 2 times it didn't ride back home once when the Boyar black box shit itselfs 100 miles from home a week after the big fire lol and once when it threw a chain that wrapped around the front sprocket and was jammed between the case, even if I had a few bikes and put in a show I would still ride one but I have never done that so all good there lol and all them bikes that are show ponies built for just show, what a waste.
The only bike that I carry on my trailer is my dirt bike, it made for kick arse bush riding and not for the road.

Ashley
 
4 days straight 1300km each day starting in Nova Scotia and still did not reach hongcouver , i think in North America we have a different perspective of distance. I recognize that Aus also has some distance between it boundaries, so Ashman how many km or mi are you covering on a jaunt?
 
Some of the whiners (whingers?) need to just accept the fact that there are serious bikers who still ride all they can, despite physical ailments and handicaps, but are limited in how much they can manage in a day. Just knock off the "real men ride their bikes everywhere" crap. At 78 years of age I still love riding my Nortons, even if I can't manage more than a couple hundred miles in a day, and that's on a good day. I really admire folks like Jim who regularly ride over a 1,000miles to get to a rally, and the same to return. And I have met guys my age who still ride cross country to get to a Norton rally. But we can't all do that, and I"m talking can't, not won't. I'm enjoying all the bike rides and rallies I can as I get more feeble, but if I want to be able to attend the rallies that aren't in my area, I have to trailer my bike. It's not a character defect, just a fact of getting older (and wiser and more mature, of course). When I was first road racing there was a racer with only one hand ( and a stub on the other side) who had his bike set up so he could still race. We need to celebrate folks who keep riding in the face of adversity, not piss and moan because they aren't doing the iron butt thing.

You might conclude that I'm a bit touchy about this subject, and you'd be right. I'm hoping to keep riding my Nortons well past 80, god willing and the creek don't rise, and it really annoys me when I trailer my bike so I can do an event, and get snarky comments about it from some .... (fill in your favorite pejorative here).

Wow. I feel much better now.

Ken
 
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My only beef with trailering is if someone trailers a spotless bike to a rally, off loads it for judging (scooping the pool since it is spotless) then trailers it again without riding.
Some of our rallies now have a rule that a bike has to be ridden on the day ride to qualify for a prize. Not that prizes are that important but it is good to have a level playing field.
 
Some of the whiners (whingers?) need to just accept the fact that there are serious bikers who still ride all they can, despite physical ailments and handicaps, but are limited in how much they can manage in a day. Just knock off the "real men ride their bikes everywhere" crap. At 78 years of age I still love riding my Nortons, even if I can't manage more than a couple hundred miles in a day, and that's on a good day. I really admire folks like Jim who regularly ride over a 1,000miles to get to a rally, and the same to return. And I have met guys my age who still ride cross country to get to a Norton rally. But we can't all do that, and I"m talking can't, not won't. I'm enjoying all the bike rides and rallies I can as I get more feeble, but if I want to be able to attend the rallies that aren't in my area, I have to trailer my bike. It's not a character defect, just a fact of getting older (and wiser and more mature, of course). When I was first road racing there was a racer with only one hand ( and a stub on the other side) who had his bike set up so he could still race. We need to celebrate folks who keep riding in the face of adversity, not piss and moan because they aren't doing the iron butt thing.

You might conclude that I'm a bit touchy about this subject, and you'd be right. I'm hoping to keep riding my Nortons well past 80, god willing and the creed don't rise, and it really annoys me when I trailer my bike so I can do an event, and get snarky comments about it from some .... (fill in your favorite pejorative here).

Wow. I feel much better now.

Ken

Damned right Ken!

Next time you’re at such an event, just ask those whiners if they’ve raced at Daytona, if they make their own carbon fibre primary cases, machine their own yokes, build their own 1007cc Norton engines, supply special parts to folk all over the world, etc, etc... AND do all of this at 78... AND still ride whenever they can?

When they say no, finish the speech with a nice loud “well fuck off then”...!
 
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[QUOTE="850commando, post: 464 so Ashman how many km or mi are you covering on a jaunt?[/QUOTE]

I knew I get some to bite but all good, I have spent most of my life on bikes and my Norton for most of that time 44 years now it was a everyday rider and done lots of long miles on it in my younger days and older days it has clocked up well over 160k miles, my Norton still goes great but now its semi retired 6 years ago but I still get out on it, I am also retired at 61 but I now have my 1200 Thruxton that is my go everywhere ride and in 2 years of ownership it has clocked up quite a few long distant trips and 4x 15hrs straight in the saddle 1500km days and into night only stopping for fuel and food, I have also done quite a few long day rides on my older 900 Thruxton and when riding with the mates I have been riding with for over 45 years we still ride all day only stopping for fuel and food when needed, my old 81 Triumph Thunderbird brought new also clocked up 250k kms in the 9 years of ownership, so yes I do clock up a lot of miles on my bikes and still ride long trips when I can.
I am married but I have a lot of freedom for going away on my bikes, some of my mates hate me for it lol I just pack my bike up and go sometimes without warning, we also have bike shows here where the bikes rode in get higher points, but I have no problems if they are show ponies and trailed in but myself am a rider and hopefully will be riding till the day I leave this planet and Ken I hope you are still riding your Norton when you are 100+.

Ashley
 
Ash... mileage / smileage... that’s not the real measure of bikerness...

The real measure of bikerness is... how many pistons you get through!

My current trend would appear to be approx one pair of pistons every two years. So, a piston per year.

Beat that y’all...
 
Well I’m the wuss here I suppose. I’ve taken some week long jaunts but on my Honda ST1300 - big, fast , modern, comfortable, dependable, etc. - you get the idea. When I first got the Commando I now have I would do day trips on it - probably 150 - 200 miles max. After spending 4 years restoring my 1950 ES2 I bought a small enclosed ramp door trailer to take it to events that are any sort of distance from me. I’ll ride it on nice days and clock maybe 100 miles tops. I don’t kid my self - a 500 cc long stroke single that is 70 years old has its limitations as does a 66 year old rider.
I think I am in pretty good shape - was a runner for many years till the knees gave me trouble - and I still surf but not year round any more - 60 degree water temp seems to be my threshold these days.
I don’t get the whole Iron Butt thing - riding motorcycles is risky enough to be sure but when you factor in fatigue the risks increase exponentially. At my age I don’t have anything to prove but to each their own.
 
The real measure of bikerness is... how many pistons you get through!

My current trend would appear to be approx one pair of pistons every two years. So, a piston per year.

Beat that y’all...

I seem to have got the mixture just about sorted now, so I’ll lose this contest of bikerness.
 
Ash... mileage / smileage... that’s not the real measure of bikerness...

The real measure of bikerness is... how many pistons you get through!

My current trend would appear to be approx one pair of pistons every two years. So, a piston per year.

Beat that y’all...
One pair of pistons every 2 years suggests a high mileage, but you only do a lower mileage it suggests something is wrong, somewhere.
 
okay so lets get back to trailers.

i built one just so i could haul my bikes from home to storage or work locations . i let my plates expire so moving them sometimes on a trailer is handy, not only that i have worked at numerous locations 5hours from home and want a bike to ride but still need the vehicle . so a trailer is a good thing in my mind . As pointed out by the OP, at times it can also be a safety issue. i sold a 73 850 interstate, and to make the deal happen i trailered it to Vancouver during a period when the prairies where under a winter storm, so riding it was just not possible.

After all that i agree, trailer queens should have their own category at a judging event.
 
I used to attend a British/European rallye every year for 15 years; to enter the bike show you had to check a box as to whether you rode to the event or trailered.
 
Vans and trailers have other uses aswell. My missus can't sit on the back of my Commando or Trident for 330 miles to get to Portsmouth or Plymouth any more to get the ferry to Spain or France. So I either take the bike out and park the van at the port or cross with the van ( with bike inside). She did the whole bike journey for many years and I can't fault her now, she's got more miles under her belt than many "real bikers". If it means I can still go with her to Spain etc then I don't really care what anyone thinks anyway. I can still do the complete journey no prob, and that's what I do when I go with mates.
 
Thanks for the positive responses. Back to a more positive note, after some trouble getting my 961 hung up on the exhaust pipes last time I had to roll it up on the trailer, I started looking at easier loading alternative trailers. I'm currently using a landscaper's trailer, which has a pretty short ramp, so bikes like the 961, with exhaust systems underneath the engine, can get hung up pretty easily. The trailers that really caught my fancy were drop downs like these

Trailering


Trailering


Trailering


This particular design is made to order in Georgia, about 2300 miles away, and they don't ship. There's at least one other builder of similar designs, but he also is located far, far away, and doesn't ship. But I did manage to find the plans for building one like it, shown below. Tempting to try building one, but I'm already way too far behind in projects. If anyone is interested, the plans are available for free here:

http://www.trailersauce.co.nz/trailer-plans/ground-loading-trailer/introduction/

Trailering


Ken
 
Cool stuff. I got a tri-fold alloy ramp, and I simply back up at the nearest convenient place where the truck's rear tires can be lower than the flat surface I'm unloading on. That way, the trailer or tailgate is ALMOST level and loading/unloading is a one-person job.

If it's flat all around, I just deal with the incline (tri-fold ramp is arched, so nothing drags typically). I can do it on my own, but it's a lot easier with a helper. In fact, I have loaded, unloaded, reloaded and finally unloaded 9 bikes by myself, on at least a dozen occasions, without "beneficial" surface level differences. The last time I did that was probably 10 years ago, and certainly don't forsee doing that ever again; I'm 62 and I no longer feel 21...
 
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