My homemade motorcycle camper
 

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Hi Everyone,
I have been on this forum about a year, and usually just hang out in the classifieds looking for and selling parts, bikes etc... I got curious about what all else was on here, and started looking around. That brought me here. I had no idea this trailer section was here. Anyway, I thought you trailer guys might like the motorcycle camper I built last year. No plans for this I just started with some thin ply and winged it. Here are the specifics:

Height: Body 42” ground to top 48” not counting roof vent.
Length: 8’ not including the 3’ tounge.
Width: 4’ not counting the fenders. 5’ total.
Weight: 320 lbs empty with the storage box on. 296 lbs without storage box. Interior fully insulated but not finished.
Lighting: 4 dot approved 16” led bars 160 total leds, and a lighted plate holder/brake light. Bright as the sun at night.
Tires: 8” high speed 81mph rated. Got to keep the weight low.
Suspension”. Adjustable, Independent flexride torsion axles mounted leading arm style. Combined 550lb rating.
Ground clearance: 7” but adjustable up or down.
Construction: Paint over canvas.
Wiring: 5 wire
Hitch: Standard 2” non swivel.
Tounge weight empty: 28 lbs Loaded 45-60. My Hitch is rated to 60lbs

I built this last summer prior to a fall Motorcycle trip to Canada. I have about 3000mi on it and it performs great. My wife and I are headed to Oak Island, Nova Scotia this June so should put another 4-5k on the trailer. My wife is learning to ride on the silver flhx and I’m now riding an 09 root beer colored ultra. I’m moving thru bikes right now looking for exactly what I want. When I settle on one I will repaint the stripe on the trailer to match. This turned into a long winded post, but I hope you enjoyed it.

-Chris

Not for me. But nice.

Beautiful trailer!
Keep an eye on the struts running from the top to the bottom rear of the fender. Lots of leverage there. I have had to change some of that stuff while on the road.
maybe you have a better hitch, if so I would be interested.

Very nice!!!!!!

How about some interior pics?

Great job! How about a few pics of the inside?

Nice .

Thanks for the positive comments. I have been keeping an eye on the hitch hardware, and it’s holding up great. I recently removed the hitch from the flhx to install on the ultra, and inspected it carefully. I went back thru my iPad and couldn’t find any interior pics. The trailer is in storage now and it would be hard to get pics. When the weather warms up I’ll get it out and take some. The interior is just 1” foil faced insulation with all seams tyvek taped. It’s very air tight so I leave the vent open some always when sleeping. Sorry about the interior pics, but I did find a video of one of my trial, slow speed handling runs. I can’t attach here so I uploaded to YouTube. Here is the link. I was taking it easy here. I done later tests and it will turn much tighter. The handling is surprisingly good. There are things I don’t like, but I will post later about those.

Smart and skilled enough to build his own MC camper AND test it out in a parking lot first. Great job! :icon_banana:
What does she weigh all up and ready to travel?

Thanks Nomadmax. I done many tests thru the build. And changed lots of things as a result. For solo trips about 350lbs. That’s an air mattress and bedding, and a cooler and food in the storage box. I don’t pack many extra clothes. Things like tools, unused riding gear, and basically everything else goes on the bike. For long trips I put a modular helmet in the camper. Now this summer with the wife who knows. She packs pretty light though. I have done some tests 2 up pullling the camper, and I would like more power. The 96” flhx with stage one does ok, but figure me 200 wife 120 camper loaded 400. That’s 720 lbs plus the extra windage of the camper. Performance does suffer as does mpg. It’s ok for everything but interstate cruising. On the interstate loaded 2 up sometimes 5th is needed to maintain speed. My 09 ultra 96” will be the same but slightly heavier due to the tour pak etc.. The best option with a camper or trailer is keep it light, and let the wife ride her own bike if possible. Or leave the trailer home and use hotels when the wife is along. My wife at least, really appreciates a hotel room at the end of the riding day. I got long winded again, sorry.

That's pretty nice, I like it!

Very cool, not for me, hotels and bars is the way I go. Even throw it looks to handle good I would not trust it with two wheels pulling it. I have seen lots of accidents in my time with campers. I have over 3 million miles accident free driving truck with two and three trailers at the same time, so I have down the road. Like I said not for me, looks great, ride safe.

Touchdown, I also really like staying at hotels while motorcycle touring. I think it’s probably the best way to do it most of the time and for most people. A private bathroom with hot shower and ac/heat is really nice after a day riding, but sometimes I want a different experience. One that can only be had with a hard sided camper. There are so many pros to this approach, but some definite cons as well. Safety is a big concern. Pulling a trailer with a motorcycle requires a lot more concentration and awareness, and is less safe no matter what your setup than riding without one. That’s just physics, but there are lots of things you can do to mitigate the risk. Trailer/hitch/bike setup as well as mental adjustment/experience on the part of the rider matters. It’s also why lots of trailers are pulled by trikes.

Oh Ya I get it, Just be very safe no fast moves.

Impressive and looks good! You might want to consider installing electric brakes on your camper. I pull a pop-up camper with my basically stock 96 (stage 0.5) and I also sometimes need to downshift to 5th to keep moving at a constant speed. As soon as it gets a bit warmer, I'll be installing an Andrews 48H cam and a FuelMoto 2:1 E-series exhaust that's sitting in the garage.

My first thought on seeing it...a tiny bit of moisture on the road would cause that to jack-knife in a panic stop every time...

I did not install brakes or a swivel hitch when building my camper. I did this on purpose, and in many thousands of miles pulling my camper thru rain, sleet, and snow I have not regretted my choices. However, all concerns about trailer safety are welcome and appreciated.

I got a lot of negative safety comments when I first started with my Bushtec ... Thousands of miles later I'm still vertical with it and enjoying it when the need arises ... Yes there a different "mindset" when it's behind me and that's to be expected. :>)

I agree, When riding I am towing at least 50% of the time, Never had a single issue cause by the trailer and there have been times it and the bike have been loaded down.

Looks nice and we'll built. I'm thinking it a bit large for a motorcycle, especially in windy conditions.

I used to pull a TimeOut Camper two up with a stock 1989 ElectraGlide. Wasn't zippy but did everything I wanted and was never scary.

I've had two cargo trailers (still have one) that I used from '92 'till 2000.
I pulled them with a stock two stock EVO's and one stock T/C 88, once across Death Valley and once to Alaska.
The T/C 88 was on an UC and going through the Rockies and the Tetons, I determined that unless I just wanted to take my time and use the gears (wisely) I could use some extra torque, especially if I had a passenger.

Not having trailer brakes (for me) goes back to the idea of the trailer (loaded) does not exceed half of the weight of the tow vehicle.

The issue of towing a trailer these days (for me) is the warranty issue (voiding) if your bike is equipped to tow a trailer.
In the past, I've stopped at dealerships for oil changes and an electrical/starting issue while pulling a trailer and the techs (unhooked and rehooked) my trailer and didn't even comment on the trailer.

Now that my wife rides her own bike (most of the time) we don't really need the trailer much anymore but it would be nice to have the option of using it sometimes.

I can only remember meeting one person that had something negative to say about towing a trailer and it came from the wife (passenger) of the owner of a GW that had a rear tire blowout on his bike.
They went down and the trailer somehow swiveled around and nearly landed on her head.

To me, this would be a reason to fear old or badly worn tires more than towing a trailer.

Nice!
 

Can't believe you made this... very cool camper and paint scheme too.

Seen peeps make something like this using a harbor freight kit tralior.

Yours is nice though 👌

Wiz

Thanks for the comments guys. 2am you’re right on about the tires. I put new tires on before I started pulling the trailer, but I replace my tires early on my bikes anyway. Keeping tires in great shape is good advice for all bikes, but the consequences of not doing so can be much worse while towing a trailer. The weather is changing here in Missouri. It’s going to be almost 80 today. Come on summer!

Very Cool ! Nice job, looks well built.. Looks like it corners well too.

Threads lie these are exactly why I come to forums. Love seeing things like this. How too's, creativity, ideas. The rest is fun, but love this stuff.

More pics, even if it isn't done. I'd enjoy seeing the inner workings and how you constructed this from the inside out. Don't not post pics just because it isn't finished. I'd love to see the guts!

Everyone says they never notice the trailer behind them. I sorta believe that. But you will never convince me in an emergency stop or maneuver it is safe. I realize I am a stick in the mud about trailers.

As in pulling a trailer with any vehicle, going straight on a flat service requires very little extra energy and it's almost as you have nothing behind you but going up inclines requires more power in order to maintain speed, and just as with any other vehicle downshifting to a lower gear(s) and maintain a slower speed to minimize the load on your engine is just common sense.
Even when a vehicle is NOT towing a trailer, you cannot expect it to run as easily up hill as it does on level ground and downshifting and lower speeds may be required depending on the grade you're climbing.

Riding downhill, with or without a trailer is a no-brainer.
Maintaining a slower speed and downshifting to a lower gear in order to allow the engine to assist with braking can help take the pressure off of your vehicle brakes, especially if you are on a long, downhill ride.

As for "feeling a trailer", this to me is most noticeable at lower speeds and especially when one of the trailer tires takes a bump.

And as with any tow vehicle pulling a trailer, you NEVER pull into a place that you CANNOT pull through or out of!

BTW, the "swivel coupler" is something that I would ride without, I've had both and there is a difference and that will be very evident if you find your self in a very tight turning situation or if you should "dump" you bike.
I saw one guy who had dumped his bike while pulling a trailer and it bent his hitch.
Having a swivel hatch allows your bike to be on it's side (Heaven forbid) while the trailer remains upright.

Nice setup, I've always wanted a popup trailer to tour with....the wife, not so much...LOL

Awesome camper!

That's pretty nice!

Absolutely beautiful trailer
 

Hey Chris, i just had to leave a comment after reading your post. I would really like to see more pic's of your trailer if possible. I have been contemplating building something just like it. A low, long and sleek teardrop is what i have been sketching and building in my head. Then just a few minutes ago as im looking at different designs online and i came across the very design i have been thinking about. First its beautiful. The size and proportions are perfect. I really like the way you made the trailer short so it doesn't hinder visibility. Also the way you set up the tail light is spectacular. I would very much like to see more pic's if your able. I have seen a lot of motorcycle teardrops but the lines on yours is the nicest one i have seen. I hope to see more pic's if possible. Again your trailer is beautiful. Much respect.

@SSgtYoungGW Have you looked into the CLC teardrop camper? Looks like a cool project.

https://www.clcboats.com/teardrop