To trailer or ride that is the question.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,933
Likes: 11
From: Kentucky
My general attitude is that if you trailer a bike to a rally because (for those without an actual, physical disability) you just don't have what it takes to ride there, maybe you should just stay home with the minivan. I recall a thread where one guy, here in KY posted that his bike fell over on the trailer, as he was taking it from Louisville to the Hog Rock rally in Illinois...98 miles away....
On the other hand, as I've been planning to got to Daytona in the fall, with my wife, I've come to the conclusion that trailering is the only practical choice. It's about 900 miles to where we are going (well southwest of Daytona) and that's a 2 day ride for me or a 3 day ride for her, on her Sportster. Then it's about 120 miles each way to Daytona from where we will probably stay (not going to spend the whole time in Daytona). When I factor in how much time we can take off/afford, etc., 4-6 days of riding doesn't compare very well with a 1 day, each way, drive in my truck with a trailer on the back. If I was retired or unemployed, I'd definitely ride everywhere, but in the real world, where I have a job and bills to pay, trailering is looking more like a necessity.
On the other hand, as I've been planning to got to Daytona in the fall, with my wife, I've come to the conclusion that trailering is the only practical choice. It's about 900 miles to where we are going (well southwest of Daytona) and that's a 2 day ride for me or a 3 day ride for her, on her Sportster. Then it's about 120 miles each way to Daytona from where we will probably stay (not going to spend the whole time in Daytona). When I factor in how much time we can take off/afford, etc., 4-6 days of riding doesn't compare very well with a 1 day, each way, drive in my truck with a trailer on the back. If I was retired or unemployed, I'd definitely ride everywhere, but in the real world, where I have a job and bills to pay, trailering is looking more like a necessity.
Another case in point....To get to were my wife and I will be riding to this weekend we/I still have snow covered mountain passes with additional storms forcasted for those passes during our riding days.....thus we will be trailering to our rally point were we know we can safely ride our bikes to and from our groups rally point and our final destination.
Both my wife and I have ridden on/in snow covered road when we got caught in an unplanned for storm but to start out and potentially finish a ride in snowy/icey weather is stupid in my personal views and it is better to be called a RUB, etc than to risk getting hurt just to claim "I rode there"
Both my wife and I have ridden on/in snow covered road when we got caught in an unplanned for storm but to start out and potentially finish a ride in snowy/icey weather is stupid in my personal views and it is better to be called a RUB, etc than to risk getting hurt just to claim "I rode there"
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,881
Likes: 34
From: USA
+1 I wouldn't think twice about using a trailer if it was snowing or icy. Riding when you know it is going to be icy is just stupid IMO.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: Crofton, BC
Last May rode our bikes through Grants Pass and Mt. Shasta snow, freezing rain and 4 days of rain...was dreaming of a trailer at the time LOL...but we made it in one piece and it's part of the adventure! Cold but fun and gaining experience IMHO
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