Here's the gist of this idea a coworker of mine came up with, it involves a retired electric wheelchair lift with the base modified to fit into a class 3 hitch reciever, a harbor frieght motorcycle tire chock, modified to lock around the front tire of the bike. A pair of beams welded to the lift plaform with eyes welded to the outter edges of the beams, say the width of a taurus wagon. Tire chock is attached to lift platform, front tire of bike is then driven onto the platform, secured in chock, and ratchet straps go from the handlebars to the eye's on the outrunner beams with the rear tire still on the ground, lift is then elevated and bike is placed in neutral, and pulled behind car. Any reason why this wouldn't work? biggest reason for doing this is to avoid the gas mileage drop from pulling a trailer. Bike is a shaft driven honda, not sure on the type.
MC tires also tend to wear at fantastic rates. Usually 5-10K miles is doing ok depending on bike. that said I've seen the device you are talking about before. It seemed cheap and effective. Although I'd much prefer the 2 wheels up solutions of the harbor freight 4x4 trailer despite the small MPG drop.
Why bother seems a waste of steel and time.
There are so many off the self bike haulers out there.
http://www.motorcycletrailer.com/mag1/biklft1.htm
How heavy is the bike? i've seen hitch inserts with a "Tray" that will hold small (<300lb bikes) across the back of a tahoe
44Dwarf wrote:
Why bother seems a waste of steel and time.
That's like asking why would you buy a 500$ lathe to build suspension bits you could buy for 150ish when it comes to challenge builds, the biggest reason I imagine he's doing it, would be he has all the parts already, it's going behind a ford Taurus wagon. He's taking the trip this weekend.
Dunno, I'll pass all this along to him.
As for how heavy the bike I'm not sure, but it's a v4 shaft drive honda, not sure on the model.
You used to be able to buy motorcycle dollies that worked like what you're describing - the front wheel was held up on a device that hooked to the trailer hitch, and the rear wheel rode on the ground. They didn't have any fancy electrics, though, you just lifted up the front of the bike and set it in place. I don't think I've seen one in 20 or 30 years, though. Edit: I guess they're still available, here's one: http://www.motorcycletrailer.com/mag1/caddy1.html
In any case, I'd be leery about towing a shaft drive bike with the rear wheel on the ground. It seems like there could be a lot of wear on the gears without the engine running to pump lubricant around. With a chain drive bike you could at least remove the chain so the rear tire could freewheel.
Grtechguy wrote:
How heavy is the bike? i've seen hitch inserts with a "Tray" that will hold small (<300lb bikes) across the back of a tahoe
I once sold a Suzuki GS750 to a guy who showed up with one of those tray things mounted to the hitch insert of his old Cadillac. We loaded the bike up and away he went, I suspect it was way over the load rating but it worked that one time at least.
On motorcycles, sometimes they depend on the whole tranny turning to get lubrication to the right place at the right time, much like an automatic transmission. I learned this one first hand, my brother seized an XR350 because someone didn't properly reinstall the little tube that pumps pressurized oil to the transmission mainshaft. No, it wasn't me that screwed up (that time at least). So that means if it's pulled at highway speed but the engine oil pump is not turning, it's very possible to blow something up. I'd rather see a trailer or a crossways carrier, like a Moto Jack Rack.
The tow behind thing could be used along with a dolly, like a downsized version of the ones the tow guys use.
I see bad things in the future of this design, it's a Magna BTW. Seriously grtech has the best solution, plus they make them for larger bikes.
Friend of mine has one of those across the back types behind his bus-class motorhome. It drops down, he rides his full-dress Harley on it at around 900 lbs, it cranks up, off he goes. The tow hitch for the car attaches at the back of that.
I've seen those things that hold the front wheel to the bumper. I think you're better off with the HF trailer, which is on sale again. At around one fifty, you can't really go wrong with that.
+1 on a cheap trailer.
Think about the stress on the rim and hub of the motorcycle being towed by the front wheel only. Also, how hard is it going to be to back up with that on your hitch?
the last against - it is cheaper to have a spare small trailer wheel then a spare rear wheel for a magna.
Those wheel chair lifts tend to be pretty stout, as do receiver hitches. I'd expect you could readily enough set it up to run the whole bike up onto it crosswise and carry it that way.
Rear tire down, you've got a trailer. With all accompanying tolls. If you lived in NJ or DE, that would be quite an expensive problem. If you're going to be tolled based on pulling a trailer, you may as well pull a trailer, and all the things it can carry.
Not sure a Honda transmission can take being dragged around without the oil pump doing its thing. Just don't know. Though I'm sure being towed wasn't part of the original design consideration.
Anyone know if the trans uses pressurized lubrication or oil bath? That would be the determining factor.
I don't think the 2 wheel lift would work well on a taurus, I know my parents Explorer just about bottoms the rear suspension with just a couple bicycles on a receiver mount carrier.
Maybe this...
Carefull, though.
http://www.lightupload.com/video/funny/844/Motorcycle-Falls-off-Roof-of-Moving-Car.html
xci_ed6 wrote:
Anyone know if the trans uses pressurized lubrication or oil bath? That would be the determining factor.
Not really. All that matters is oil at the output shaft bearing and the secondary gear train. Those are the moving parts when towing rear wheel down, and as long as they have oil, you'll be ok, regardless of how they get it.
And that's the problem, none of us know if they are low enough to be in the oil laying in the bottom of the crankcase or not. I think they are, but I'm not 100% certain of it.
foxtrapper wrote:
And that's the problem, none of us know if they are low enough to be in the oil laying in the bottom of the crankcase or not. I think they are, but I'm not 100% certain of it.
They have to have the oil on them when the front wheel is lifted 2+ feet off the ground.
Could be, but on the bro's XR the 1st motion shaft (the one the clutch was attached to) was high, relatively speaking, in the cases. The crankshaft and the output shaft were low. This means the 1st motion shaft got little or no splash lubrication and if the front wheel were 2 feet higher than the rear, it would be even further away from the oil level in the cases. As I said earlier, it MIGHT be all right but if it weren't this would be a real expensive way to find out.
What about the fact that you could engage a gear then be dragging a tire on the ground, just something to think about.
xci_ed6 wrote:
Maybe this...
WIN!!! Now that is a Grassroots solution
