Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-09-2013, 03:26 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Quote:
Originally Posted by jage
What about the front?
That's a great option too. My Buckstop came with a receiver built-in, so I make good use of it. Bike goes on front whenever I have a trailer. Also have a carry a big cruiser up front because we couldn't push up the ramp when it was on the back. Visibility is fine, but it makes for a pretty small approach angle.
Attached Thumbnails
motobike rack front.jpg  

__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 03:27 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

My only real concern with carrying bikes up front is deer strikes. Also it blocks my LED bar, which I like on long lonely drives since it lights up a good 1/2-mile+ of highway.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 04:03 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 127
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Has anyone used one of those front-wheel "cradle" style motorcycle haulers that leaves the rear tire on the ground?

Probably not so hot for off-road use...
chromisdesigns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 04:25 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Wow CarringB! I've never seen anyone else hang anything off the back of a van as far as I do, but you are even further!

I'm glad it can be done. Not much approach/departure angle, but if you need that get on the bike!

I can't wait to see how the Ride-Rite bags help mine out, my rack is pretty heavy when I add 4 bicycles, firewood, cooler and bins full of camping gear. I'm sure it's about the same as a street bike back there (300-400 lbs.) I also have a dirt bike rail from my Enduro days that I will be mounting on my 3 point hitch someday, but no bike now so no need yet.
Sorry to hijack.



86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 04:30 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Roonie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PNW WA
Posts: 618
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

as we have discussed via PM here is mine and thought I would add it to this post for future folks searching the topic...
I got the Reese 14" extension and that was enough to clear the spare and the box on the aluminess bumper. My motorcycle is a Yamaha WR250R dual sport weighing in at around 270+ lbs. I can feel the bike there on the back on rough roads for sure. It also reduces departure angles significantly as I scraped the carrier already. I have done about 500+ miles with this configuration and it has done well. The main failure points in my setup is the carrier for sure since it is the cheap Cabela's one. If you had a more robust carrier I would not hesitate with this configuration for traveling, not for off roading..... The hitch extension puts a lot of weight out there off the back and it makes the van act differently.

Also the brake lights are that much harder to see. This was a little worrisome to me.





Roonie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 05:22 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 201
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

For those of you who have used motorcylce carriers, have any of you encountered or had any issues with the carrier wobbling? I'm wondering if it's just me who was having this issue.

Thanks
__________________
2006 Express Duramax 2500
Spoolin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 10:00 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 989
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

There was someone on this forum who fabricated a setup with two rear hitch receivers (instead of a single one in the middle) for their motorcycle carrier. Looked really stable and was a great idea. You can probably find the post if you search around a bit.
__________________
2007 Ford RB Diesel SMB 4x4 Pueblo Gold; Custom configuration (aisle layout); PIAA 580 driving lights; Picked up on Oct 19, 2007.
sdwindansea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 11:31 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoolin
For those of you who have used motorcylce carriers, have any of you encountered or had any issues with the carrier wobbling? I'm wondering if it's just me who was having this issue.

Thanks
Yup. That's why I run straps to the roof rack. I have a cheapo "anti-rattle" collar, but it doesn't do very much. Straps work better for me on the rear. On the front, I simply tap in a plastic shim (carpenters shim for windows) to take the slop out.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 11:34 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roonie

Also the brake lights are that much harder to see. This was a little worrisome to me.
I added full marker/stop/tail/turn lights to mine. I did a little trick wiring using some relays, so red lights only come on when they get power from the battery charge connector at the rear 7-way. Otherwise, side markers and turn signals work on both ends, and the reverse lights become aux driving lights when the rack is up front.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2013, 11:48 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
KTMRIDER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 560
Re: Hitch Motorcycle carrier feedback please

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwindansea
There was someone on this forum who fabricated a setup with two rear hitch receivers (instead of a single one in the middle) for their motorcycle carrier. Looked really stable and was a great idea. You can probably find the post if you search around a bit.
After using my Joe Hauler rack for a while I also had two extra mounting points added. On roads in bad shape with lots of bumps the rack would bouce up and down a bit, enough to have the handguard hit the rim on the box and bend it. Adding the two extra mounting bars really helped this. I might move the box to the opposite side because of this.
The rack I have also has the cam adjuster to prevent wobble in the actual hitch. It works but also takes extra time installing and removing. Does it work well enough to justify the extra time, not sure. I know the builder himself doesn't use it because of the extra time.
I also have an old MotoJackRack I use on occasion. Have an extension so I can run it on the front or back of my van, allowing me to carry two dirt bikes. The MotoJackRack feels sketchy but I have used it on and off for years on different vehicles with no issues. It also keeps the bike up higher which is a big plus on an EB van to help prevent dragging on steep driveways and off-road.
Eric
__________________
2006 Ford E-350 V10 Agile 4x4 SMB EB50

2000 Ford E-350 7.3L Quigley 4x4 hard top with custom interior by Xtreme Fab - Sold
KTMRIDER is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.