Went to a rally this weekend and seen more motorcycles pulling trailers than iv ever seen before. Some were BIG and some were little and some were home made. Some folded out to be tents and some were for show.

I myself wonder about the concept of trailers & motorcycles at all. I can't see how there safe in the first place. A motorcycle is bad enough with two up loaded to control in a split second situation. And the trailers are getting bigger and heavier.

We do about 16 bike rallies and other traveling a year. We camp some. We stay at hotels some. So i contimplated a trailer VS a hotel. We spend around $1,500 a year on hotels. Well .....I looked at the prices of the GOOD trailers and they start at $4,500 . Then theres EXTRAS for the trailer. The hookup on your motorcycle not to mention some dealers frown on trailers and warranties.

Then theres the morons that just cant get it figured out that most people have heard just about every exhaust on the planet and don't need to here yours at 2 in the morning. All the radios and noise that comes with bike rallies. the drunks that run into your tent or think your a life long friend just because your BBQing some chicken.
Then theres the weather. Hell i even seen a portable trailer with an aircondition.

So in closing, After close study and adding up all the figures, Its far better to rent a room than to pull a trailer.
Would love to here your opinions.

 

I pull a trailer on long trips. I typically tour two up for a week to three weeks at a time. I have found the trailer easier to deal with than changing the center of gravity of the bike by piling bags on the tour pack. I lose about 3 mpg with the trailer, have no handling issues and do not regret buying it Yes, it is quite an investment, but so was the bike. Couldn't logically justify it either. I stay in hotels about 90% of the time and camp the remainder. I have pulled a trailer around over 20k miles in the last few years. It is like everything else in life, it is ones personal preference.

 

Do you really want input, or just justification for your narrow views? Sorry if I come off strong - but your OPINIONS were purty strong, too. Ah've pulled trailers fer 10 years now, not for campin' but fer everything ELSE the better half likes ta have along on our 2-week road trips. Different weight jackets, ice chest, digital and film cameras, tripods, coffee pot, you name it we've usually got it. Don't really notice the trailer bein' back thar, an' our average road trip is 3,000 miles. This summer will be Americade in Lake George, NY - a round trip of 'bout 3900 miles. We'll spend 4 days gettin' thar an' 4 comin' back - so havin' the room ta store stuff'll be VERY handy. So, ah guess ya need ta go back an' figger out how foolish WE are fer havin' a Bushtec trailer (the upper end of the "expensive" stuff) AND stayin' in motels. Oh, yeah - when yer done, feel free ta stop by the room fer a stiff drink or coffee - we carry both.....we have the room!

 

I too have been pulling a trailer for a few years and fully think that I am safer towing a trailer than packing my bike like the Clampets on the way to Beverly Hills! Of course it does take longer to stop so I don't push the envelope while towing.

So far all my trailering has been with a 1500 Goldwing - Now I have a 2000 Ultra. What hitch do you rebel trailer tow'ers use anyway?

 

WOW ! To criticize me of my narrow opinion and turn and give an opposite narrow opinion makes us both narrow minded hu ? Or just strong personal opinions. At any rate, I could sure use the extra room when traveling but as always theres issues. As i stated in my first post theres an issue with people who just cant seem to figure out that riving there engines to no end wont help whatever there trying to attract or do one bit. They start around the time you get ready for bed and just when you want to sleep in just a few minutes more the next morning.
I really blew it when i saw the price on what i considered the best choice in trailers which was the Bushtec. $4,900 is crazy. I own two trailers. i had one custom built for work, inclosed for $2500 and another tanduem trailer i use for hauling cars that cost me $2600 brand new. One is7 X 13 & the other is 7X 15 . both together don't cost as much as the boshtec.
My focus was on using trailers for bike rallies rather than traveling . Was trying to justify buying one for rallies. Couldn't do it. We camped out at a rally at Angel city this weekend. Loaded up the harley and took off. Man was the bike top heavy. loaded down. Got there and found a place WAYYYYYYY in the back. thought it would be perfect. First night every moron that was there got together with the other morons and rived there bikes up so bad (mind you it was 12:36 am in the morning) that the REGULATORS had to stop it. But this is common pratice for most bike rallies. Theres always some guy that wants to show you how long he can hold his bike wide open.
then there was this guy that parked there truck on top of our tent. I **** you not. He ran over our lines and a side part of the tent. He said he was drunk and passed out. we had to get Security to make him move his truck. Finely one of them moved it. Now get this. This same man woke up the next morning and wanted to know why his truck was moved to the entrance of the rally and was going to sue. The following night around 11PM while the concert was still going on a guy that thought the trailer area was a drag strip couldent make the turn and took out our tent and hit the trailer beside us and riped a hole in there trailer. We left the tent and decided it was time to go to the motel. Two weeks before this we were at milledgeville and we got to watch a guy set his tent on fire with him in it. Another couple plastered a portopottie wide open on there bike.
The list can go on and on with calamities & rallies. But after weighing the price of trailers and this weekend, i felt a nice cement motel room with a big door no one could run over sounded really good. You know AC & all. LOL

 

I got a used time out at christmas, there hard to find I looked along time forone ,just don,t don,t know how muchI,ll use.I only pulled it ounce around to get the feel for it I was impressed how stable it was alot better then loading the tour pack up to the brim. I plan on going to Durango Co next month through the MT for a week with a group that pull trailers, that is the fun of it. It,s what you want that matters.

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Well, ah ain't so sure that ah really stated any opinions, other than the facts as ta what we travel with, did ah? An' note that we do NOT camp out. Some enjoy it, an' ah wouldn't mind it per se, but Mama loves ta ride, but hates ta camp - so she wins!<G>


That ah understand -but it's really a separate issue. Since we don't generally camp, ah hadn't heard 'bout that kinda stuff before, but it's good to know - because it's jest another reason NOT ta camp fer us, at least.

Ah love ta ride, love the comradarie - but am often embarassed/offended by the actions of some that think they gotta "live" the "outlaw biker" persona.


And neither require the engineering of a Bushtec, either - nor hold their value. Ah guarantee that I could sell our trailer quite quickly for very close ta new price, because they have an outstanding reputation. To be sure, there's plenty others out thar that'll do the job - but the larger-diameter tires on theBushtec, for example, take a lot of the "bite" outta potholes an' such - and to my knowledge the ability of the Bushtec tires to run flat at speed is the only one in the industry. Sure beats havin' a tire come apart....


Ah - gotcha. Whole different equation, an' as stated above, one that doesn't work for us. But have any number of friends that DO camp out regularly, pullin' their campin' trailers behind their bikes without issue. As to the drunks an' such, that is a management issue, and one ah'd take up with them in a heartbeat.


Don't fergit the color TV, shower in the same room, an' no worries about a sudden rainstorm!

 

my preferance is not to trailor. Im not retired and dont have loads of time so the trip is most of my riding. Like the idea and at campsites have seen the beauty of it. Get to meet more people versis a hotel ,(usually). b dog ,one thing to add on subject of expence is the price of some of these camp sites! hotels sometimes cost less[&:].

 

We talkin' the same kinda trailer? Ah'm talkin' 'bout the kind ya pull BEHIND the bike! Ah've never trailered a bike to a destination - ta us, the fun is gettin' thar!



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