I was thinking about purchasing a pull behind trailer and was wondering about the pros and cons of pulling a trailer and what problems others have had with pulling a trailer. Thanks for any input!

 

The only problem I've ever had pulling a trailer is when I ride with a group all the requests I get to put their crap in my trailer.


I've got a little over $300 in the Harbor Freight Tag-a-long trailer and have thousands of miles on it without problem. The trick to eliminating any trailer "wag" is in tongue length and the HF trailer's tongue seems to be perfect length, no wag what-so-ever. Watch tongue weight, I put no more than 15lbs on the tongue of the trailer and the way the HF trailer is configured it's really hard to get too much weight up front, most everything goes over the axle where it should be. The cooler (which I added) is always empty in transport, it is for use at the destination.


Give yourself a little more room to pass and a little more room to stop, but you will be surprised how easy it is to forget you have a trailer behind you. I get a little "clatter" from my hitch in town and that is a good reminder to take corners just a bit wider. The lights on the HF trailer are junk, swap them out for led. Wash the vasoline-like grease out of the wheel bearings and repack with good axle grease. Other than that, we love ours and plan on putting thousands of more miles on.

 

I am interested in this as well , the hf trailer would be perfect. Thanks for posting.

 

I have a Tag A long trailer also. A few more tricks to do is to pull the helper springs off of the leaf springs and put a piece of rubber hose on the spring bolts to help with bouncing (when empty or light load). Taking the helper springs off won't effect weight capacity since the trailer is only rated for 200lbs when pulled with a motorcycle. I have also found that mine rides better with only 25psi in the tires. You will want to upgrade to the HF LED trailer lights (they are super bright) and change the bearing grease!

I pulled mine behind my 1100 V Star through the Missouri Ozarks without any problems and the SG doesn't notice it. Just remember to give extra space for stops and don't try to fly through the curves.

 

I am using a Piggybacker trailer that is very similar to the HF trailer show above. It works great for carrying extra cargo. Like mentioned give yourself a little extra room to pass and for stopping.

http://www.piggybacker.com/Piggyback...o_Trailer.html

 

There are many types of "pull behind" trailers that will do a fine job ... You budget will dictate which one looks "more attractive" to you. I have a Bushtec and it's the crème de la crème when it comes to motorcycle trailers. Once you've got through the initial apprehension of pulling the trailer ( that'll take about a half an hour ) you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner for the long haul trips

 

After seeing what happened to a fellow rider pulling a trailer last year I will never ever put myself in that position, pulling a trailer with a motorcycle is just not a good idea in my opinion.

 

What happened?

 

For every doom and gloom story, there are many great experiences ... Either live in the shadows or take a shot at enjoying life and the positive experiences it offers ... I ( and several pals, 4 Bushtecs in all ) have been all over the country and not one negative experience.

 

Hmmm..... after seeing what happened to a fellow rider a few years ago, I gave up motorcycle riding (being facetious)....... everyone needs to evaluate the risks, rewards and tradeoffs