Today I picked up this old but well cared for trailer. And for cheap! It pulls incredibly easy. Literally cannot tell it is behind the bike. Only 158lbs empty. The swivel hitch is real nice. I needed a little more than what the bike's luggage can offer for weekend camping trips with my son. There will be no problem packing clothes for two, two sleeping bags, tent, camp stove, cooler, etc.
And to be honest, it was the mud flaps that sold me.
This is my first trailer, so I haven't pulled one before. I went for a ride today. Not too far as the trailer has no lights, I have to change the plug type to work with my bike. But the trailer pulled very nice. No tugging, no sway. It really did pull like it wasn't there. The swivel hitch, I have read, is a must have accessory. And while I haven't towed without one, I can see how it help. The bike can lean freely. The previous owner installed it. He said with the standard fixed hitch it had, the trailer wanted to prevent lean. He pulled it with a Goldwing.
Congrats! It looks real nice and will match my bike. I will give you $100.00. j/k I'm sure you either have or are planning to check the tires, bearings, etc. Does it have a spare? Enjoy and be safe.
Yes, has a spare mounted under the front. Both tires and spare are good. Bearings feel good, but I'll check and repack them. Will pick up a spare bearing set, too. I talked to the owner for quite a while. He's a retired maintenance machinist, lots of mechanical knowledge, and he took good care of it. The swivel hitch, for example, he built himself using an axle spindle. He sold this trailer because he built a new one out of aluminum diamond plate that is designed better for his needs.
I have been towing a trailer for years, When loaded you will need to be cautious as the bumps and curbs etc, can give the back of the bike a little wiggle when you hit or cross things, stay loose and let it move.
Thanks for the input. I'll put weight in it and do some practice rides before we take any camping trips. I don't expect to carry too much. Just enough for a weekend tent camping trip. Maybe 50-100 pounds I'd guess.
I know it's required by law to have safety chains but I truly believe those chains are a hazard to the biker. Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems if the trailer came off, the last thing I'd want is for it to start yanking me in directions I don't want to go. To me it would be safer for the biker to just let it go. But it's not there for the biker. I get that. Just seems like one more hazard I can do without.
Yeah. In a perfect world you'd not have to worry about it at all. In an almost perfect world the trailer would coast into the ditch should it disconnect. In reality, I'd rather go down than have the trailer go through someone else's windshield and kill them. Happened here near Green Bay a few years ago. A guy had one chain (2 are required). The trailer let go, snapped the chain, crossed the median, jumped the shoulder right into a car driven by a valedictorian college senior girl, killing her on the spot.
But with proper maintenance and pre-ride checks it shouldn't be a concern.
That's a great find. The mudflaps rock. It does look well cared for. If you like it enough to post a brag thread about it I am sure it will continue to be taken care of.
Also watch the tongue weight. For my trailer I found that 30 to 50 lbs works the best to reduce any handling problems and keep the trailer tracking straight. Your results may differ, find what works.
Rule of thumb: Hitch weight should be 10 to 15% of Fred's weight. Too light and the trailer will pull the back of the bike around. Too much weight and you may overload the scoots suspension. I pulled a Bunkhouse that weighed close to 500# loaded for a two week trip.
I do tend to take care of my things. We'll try it out this summer on a few weekend trips. If it works we'll keep it. If it doesn't, I'll sell it for what I paid.
By the way, if anyone wants those mud flaps, I'll send them to you for the cost of shipping. They're definitely coming off. I told my wife I could make her a couple pasties out of them for her. She didn't laugh.......
Some of the bigger motorcycle pop up camper trailers offer electric brakes as an option. As much as I love biking, I think if I need enough to justify trailer brakes, I'll just take the car or truck.
I read a story online somewhere, I think on the moto campers website, about a guy with a heavy trailer behind his bike. He was negotiating a curve and had to unexpectantly brake hard. The weight and momentum of the trailer pushed his bike's rear around toward the outside of the curve and down he went.
Yep - brakes on the trailer, activated by the brake lights through a controller; the controller increases braking strength through an adjustable ramp rate to a programmable limit. I can pull the lever just enough to turn the on the brake light and activate the trailer brakes to pull it into line, before applying the brakes on the bike. My bike weighs in at ~920 pounds, by the way; even in the Smoky Mountains, it pulls the trailer just fine. Mountains would be a nightmare without the brakes on the trailer.
It's the Aspen Ambassador camper, biggest one they make. http://www.trailmasterinc.com/aspen/aspen.html
We got the small Harbor Freight trailer, so we could off-load as much weight as possible to my friend's bike. He can't tell it's back there.
They have a notch cut out of them each, to clear the frame on this trailer. Not sure if you really want them. I'll get you a better picture tomorrow. If you do want them I'll send them out. I was just going to toss them, otherwise.
The fringe is 50% of the length. If I cut it off they'll not give much coverage. I'm going to put some normal flaps on there. I am not a fringe guy at all.
The fringe is 50% of the length. If I cut it off they'll not give much coverage. I'm going to put some normal flaps on there. I am not a fringe guy at all.
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