My wife & I have decided this year will be a motorcycle vacation to South Dakota. I was there last year, riding out & back for Sturgis. It's ~2700 miles round trip, plus whatever riding you do while there. If she could do it, Nancy would be miserable trying to cover the number of miles we would have to do per day to make this a 2 week vacation. So we are going to trailer.

After shopping around, it appears about the only trailer I can easily rent locally is an enclosed U-haul tandem axle 6'(inside) x 12' (x 5.5' tall) with a ramp door. Will that be big enough for my Limited & a Yamaha 1100 Silverado? (Or, it could be a Heritage Softail as opposed to the Yamaha - Nancy is starting to look around....) I'm not new to towing bikes; we used to have an open 5' x 10' tip-trailer that we used for that & towed 2 cruisers from Pittsburgh to West Palm Beach & back on it a few times. But I've not tried that in an enclosed trailer, & not with 2 bikes as big as these. I'm thinking 12' will allow me to stagger.

So - does anyone have any experience with towing in a 6' x 12' that can offer some advice for towing 2 bikes in there? How about in an enclosed U-Haul? What are these things like inside - are there multiple tie down locations? How can I use wheel chocks?

Also - me riding & her driving & towing 1 bike isn't really an option. I want to spend the time getting there & back in the tow vehicle with her.

 

Never used a Uhaul trailer, so can't help you there. I would think the 6x12 with those bikes would be very tight. Keep in mind the space you have to move around in there to tie them down. I have a 5x10 open that worked well with my 2 wheeler and I could stand to the side when tying down. I now have a 6x10 enclosed and it was tight in there to tie down one 2 wheeler. Just saying. Good luck with what ever you do.

 

If that trailer has E Track on the walls you should be able to secure the bikes, although it will be tight. Have you thought about buying a 7X14 cargo trailer?

 

My guess is what you are looking at renting is a 6X12 cargo trailer that is not designed to haul bikes.
I don't think it will work for you not because of space but rather because there will be no place to tie down.

I think you are better off trying to get a 6X12 open trailer.
This will allow you more space to get around the bikes to tie them down.

https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/6x12-...amp-Rental/HO/

 

A sheet of 3/4 plywood on the floor with two wheeldocks, staggered. No other tie-down points required; no suspension loading. A pair of 2X2's on either side of the rear tires so the back ends don't walk over and bump each other. Been there, done that, now have my own 6X10 for 2 Dynas

 

Friend of mine did that with his new RGS. Space was tight. Can not imagine putting 2 bikes in and not being able to move around up front inside the trailer by tying down. One problem you're going to face BIG time is, "Where would you put your ramp ?."


I would agree on renting an open 6 x 12 from UHaul. Much cheaper and easier to reach and tie down your bikes. Who cares what others think about you as a Trailer Queen traveling out West and back home.


Thorey

 

6X12 is going to be a tight fit. I have an enclosed 7X14 that we put my Limited and the missus 650 Yamaha in and I have to to really contort myself to get tie downs done up and stuff. ITs a staggered fit and I have e track and wheel chocks but it still makes me move my old bones into some weird positions.

 

I have, but I've no place to store it at my home so I would have to rent a spot at a storage facility to keep it at. I'm not opposed to spending a few dollars for that or even buying a trailer but I don't know how much I'll use it. Although I didn't mention it above, I'm renting a truck to pull it with too. Our 6 cylinder AWD SUV is tow rated @ 3500 LBS; I'd be pushing the weight limit with any common enclosed trailer. So for something that I might use once a year or so, it seems a better option to rent.

 

If I can ask - what type of wheelchocks are you using? How are you securing the 2 x 2's - do you just srew them into the deck, or do you use bolts & nuts?

 

Thanks Thorey - but I wouldn't need a ramp, because the trailer door is the ramp (hinged at bottom). The open trailer is an option, but I would prefer to go enclosed if I can. And as far as who cares what someone else thinks - certainly not me.