How heavy of a trailer can I tow with a Honda Goldwing and how does the whole process work?
No, I don’t own a Goldwing or plan on getting one soon, so I won’t be towing anything with one, but I am curious as to what trailers they can tow (how heavy of a trailer). With that powerful 6 cylinder engine I wonder what is possible-
-I know lots of motorcycles often tow small, specialized cargo trailer, but say I want to tow something bigger like a small utility trailer, or a pop up camper, or the trailer shown here http://www.wintechracing.com/index.php?target=/trailers/index.php (scroll down to the picture with the Mini Cooper) could I do it?
-What sort of a trailer hitch would I need; do you know any manufacturers; how does it compensate for leaning into curves?
-Would the trailer need brakes?
-How practical is it to tow anything with a motorcycle?
I own a Goldwing, and I don’t tow anything. But I know a couple of people who do. And you have to tow the lightest available trailer that you can. You can’t have too much weight without affecting the bike’s cornering and especially stopping abilities. There’s schools that focus on nothing but trailering with a motorcycle, that’s how different it is
has to be from bike mfg/a big 2 wheel trailer can effect the steering of 2 wheeler and you go splat/know a guy who wouldnt listen and now he is two finger charley on his left hand/bikes steer by camber only
I, for the first time ever since I started riding 32 years ago pulled a trailer with my Harley FLHTC. It’s a pop up camper, Time Out camper weighing in at 345lbs unloaded. With all our stuff that we carry I would guesstimate it at 450lbs loaded. Check out their website, I have the cooler package and spare tire so that adds to the 345lbs as well. I pulled it to Sturgis, S.D. and I live in Detroit, MI and went along without a problem. I did get the trailer with the optional elect brakes which i wired my bike myself for. Talking with others that pull trailers, they mostly don’t have trailer brakes but I love them and notice the difference in stopping with and without them( i can activate and deactivate them while riding ). You have to make sure that your load is even and won’t move around shifting the weight side to side or forward and backward. Have to have proper tongue weight; a fish scale works for this. My hitch, if i remember correctly was from Custom Chrome. Bikes are not meant to tow and the handling is non-existant comparatively. I was cruising 80-85mph thru most of the way so power wasn’t an issue and won’t be for a wing either. I first pulled the trailer by myself to get a feel for it before i put my wife on the bike then made a few camping trips close to home before the big sturgis trip. Check out this site http://www.asylumcycle.com/ as they have a video on the set up on the timeout pop up and they also have other cyclemate trailers as well. If you have any questions here’s his email brian@asylumcycle.com and tell him that Bob from Michigan sent you. Hope this helps
here is a web site with plans for 3 differnt size trailers. Hom made or custom fab hitches.
http://www.wingtechtips.com/
I’ve seen guys tow full pop up trailers with old 1200 wings, they seemed to be fine. That does not mean it’s sensible of course. Bikes are not meant to tow anything. Especially at highway speeds.
It is telling that none of the manufacturers sell hitch products for the bikes they build. There is good reason for this.
I would not endorse any trailer manufacturers, but the best design i have seen to date (and tried) is similar to this:
http://www.schoolhousemcacc.com/
Towing a trailer might seem like a good idea, until crash avoidance occurs at 60mph and the bike responds like a barge. Many people get killed every year in N America on big overladen touring rigs due to hazards on the road and the inability to avoid them. Like wandering deer, moose, bear, etc.
In theory, the F6 Valkyrie or Wing will tow a full sized camper if one really had the desire. There is no lack of power, but the clutch may live a shorter life through mountain areas.
The trailer will tend to pull at the back of the bike, so a little more pressure on the bars is required when negotiating corners. Much like fitting a side car rig, any deficiencies in the fame such as loose bearings or poor design will be greatly amplified in the bars and wreak havoc on the handling.
Any trailer towing by a given vehicle will always have varying degrees of benefits from the trailer being equipped with brakes. As the contact patch on an mc is small, trailer brakes is reccomended. Otherwise the trailer is just more weight trying to push the bike forward. Especially in adverse weather conditions.
What is possible? A couple of thousand pounds easily: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFe1r8DnQqQ
For hitches, see: http://www.hitchusa.com/
(They even do a hitch for my little 30 hp 650cc Savage!)
Just sold my Trail-Pro trailer that i used to pull behind my ’89 FLHTC. The trailer’s empty weight was 185lbs but had a GVW of 1100lbs (not that i would want to pull that much). I averaged 500lbs total (trailer & cargo) with maybe 60 lbs on the tongue. Has zero problems from NH to Milwaukee for Harleys 100th Anniv. Less acceleration and longer stopping distances but if you keep those factors in mind at all times you won’t have a problem (no trailer brakes on mine). 1300 miles to Milwaukee, 800 miles while there and 1300 miles back without any problems at all. Didn’t get crazy and do 80mph, maybe averaged 55mph to be safe. Trailers are great for either long trips or just weekend get-a-ways.