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Old March 21st, 2018, 07:55 AM   #1
spent_too_much
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Flat towing my Ninja

Long story short - I only own a car, and when I pick up a parts bike, or rebuild project, I rent a pick up truck. This has worked well for the last couple of years, but I recently learned of another option. My car has a receiver hitch ( class I - 200 lb max tongue weight ), and I stumbled upon a tow bar to flat tow a motorcycle.

The cost to purchase it was about equal to one rental, so I figured that I would take a chance.

I hitched up a parts bike to it the other day, and drove around a parking lot with it. I think that this just might work!

One note, you need to remove the front fairings, so that they are not damaged. Also, in a tight turn, the bike leans waaay over, but does not tip over / fall off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Watch the short video review, that demonstrates how to load it.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 08:21 AM   #2
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Looks pretty cool. Interested to know why you had to removed the front fairing? I am assuming strap mount points. Perhaps a set of canyon dancers would remove the need to take off the fairing.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 08:46 AM   #3
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Looks pretty cool. Interested to know why you had to removed the front fairing? I am assuming strap mount points.
Yes, to avoid damage to them from the handle bar tie down straps.

Canyon dancers? I am unfamiliar with those.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 09:02 AM   #4
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These are canyon dancers. Some people love them, others hate them because it may mess with their throttle.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 11:01 AM   #5
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You'd be surprised what you can tow on a Class 1 hitch. You just have to balance the load right.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 11:40 AM   #6
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For a parts bike, it might not matter terribly. But for any bike of value, it's recommended to remove the chain before towing like this. If the bike hits any bump hard enough to knock the shifter lever into 1st or 2nd from neutral, severe damage can happen quickly to virtually any of the spinny bits on the machine. It's also why shaft-driven and similar bikes where you can't remove the rear wheel from the drivetrain easily shouldn't be towed like this.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 11:42 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by csmith12 View Post
These are canyon dancers. Some people love them, others hate them because it may mess with their throttle.
I've got a different version of these that are supposed to be much easier on the throttle tube, but I can't remember the brand-name. Will try and find them if I remember to get to the garage tonight.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 11:59 AM   #8
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For a parts bike, it might not matter terribly. But for any bike of value, it's recommended to remove the chain before towing like this. If the bike hits any bump hard enough to knock the shifter lever into 1st or 2nd from neutral, severe damage can happen quickly to virtually any of the spinny bits on the machine. It's also why shaft-driven and similar bikes where you can't remove the rear wheel from the drivetrain easily shouldn't be towed like this.
or load them from the rear tire, then the front is on the ground instead.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 12:25 PM   #9
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I don't think that works for stability. If the forks can move, the bike would pretty quickly flop to the side and be dragged down the road almost sideways.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 12:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burphel View Post
You'd be surprised what you can tow on a Class 1 hitch. You just have to balance the load right.
I agree, I've towed a lot of things with a class 1 hitch.

For reference, there's a gross weight spec as well as a tongue weight spec:

maximum tongue weight: 200 lbs
maximum gross weight: 2,000 lbs

And the tongue weight needs to be about 10-15 percent of the gross trailer weight.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 12:38 PM   #11
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That picture with the bike leaning is insane. I could imagine the car behind you backing off.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 01:46 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by spent_too_much View Post
Long story short - I only own a car, and when I pick up a parts bike, or rebuild project, I rent a pick up truck. This has worked well for the last couple of years, but I recently learned of another option. My car has a receiver hitch ( class I - 200 lb max tongue weight ), and I stumbled upon a tow bar to flat tow a motorcycle.

The cost to purchaase was about equal to one rental, so I figured that I would take a chance.

I hitched up a parts bike to it the other day, and drove around a parking lot with it. I think that this just might work!

One note, you need to remove the front fairings, so that they are not damaged. Also, in a tight turn, the bike leans waaay over, but does not tip over / fall off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Watch the short video review, that demonstrates how to load it.
I think to be safe I'd disconnect the chain while towing unless you are only traveling a few miles.

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Old March 21st, 2018, 02:33 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by spent_too_much View Post
Yes, to avoid damage to them from the handle bar tie down straps.

.
Attach the straps to the lower triple tree?

That's how I strap down on a trailer.

May not work with as high as the T bar is.

And I'd use some big Zip Ties on the clutch lever to keep it pulled in.
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Old March 21st, 2018, 06:50 PM   #14
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We've got one of these. It works in a pinch, but it freaks me out to use it. Logically, you *know* it's stable, but ....
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 04:39 AM   #15
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I made one similar to that 40 years ago, made it so you remove the front wheel and used the front axle to secure it to the hitch, no straps, which let it ride lower in front and closer to the bumper. My brother was relocating 1000 miles and needed to get his car and bike there without another driver. He told me later, don't get into a spot that you have to backup!
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 06:15 AM   #16
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Handlebars are designed to be used with human strength to control the bike while in motion; not meant to be used with 1000 lb. capacity tied-downs to secure the bike during transport.

Any kind of straps on the handlebar/grips used to secure the bike during transport is likely to exceed the designated strength to control the bike in motion by the rider.

Secure the bike where the locations are meant to support the weight of the bike: wheels, axles, lower fork legs, frame, swingarm, centerstand.
I usually try to avoid the lower triple clamp on the fork, just to have less chance of straps coming loose during transport.

I have used such a hitch rack to transport lightweight, dirt bike in the past, the leaning bike during turns seems a bit worrysome to me. I wouldn't recommend it for long hours or heavier bike transport.

Better design would have a cradle for securing the front wheel around the tire..
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 06:30 AM   #17
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Handlebars are designed to be used with human strength to control the bike while in motion; not meant to be used with 1000 lb. capacity tied-downs to secure the bike during transport.

Any kind of straps on the handlebar/grips used to secure the bike during transport is likely to exceed the designated strength to control the bike in motion by the rider.
Ummm... Human input is not the sole design factor on strength of a clip on or solid bar steering setup.

Base material used
Impact resistance
Bend point
Bend psi
Break point
Break psi
MTBF Rating
Ect, ect

Then you can get to humans.....

I would agree though that tossing on a set of canyon dancers (or any strapping system) and cracking it down far enough to bend the bars is quite possible. And I would also assume at that point the forks will need some service after that venture too. I have learned to never underestimate the power of silly people.

For those of us with around the fork leg clipons, if the bolts holding the clipon in place are not tight enough, the strap pressure, bumps, potholes ect could actually pull the bars hard enough to move them. Possibly rotating them around the leg far enough for the strapping to come off. The bolt setup on the 250 should be fine enough though, it will break bolts before twisting around a fork leg.

As an added precaution, I would add some other strap/chain that goes through the front wheel and hooks to the hitch (receiver). If the entire system fails, you will just drag the bike vs loosing it. That strap/chain would be my liability insurance policy.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 06:42 AM   #18
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Side note,

Over the years of hauling bikes in many different ways, I can say with 100% certainty, that;

If you have weak or very soft springs in the front and you haul over rough, bumpy pavement/terrain, a strap hook will end up coming out of an eye bolt or open anchor point. Hitting bumps will cause the fork springs to compress, creating slack in the strap setup. At that point the hook is free to leave its anchor point. Rare, but happens, aka "light reflected off of Venus through some swamp gas and it hit your bike."

If nothing else, use duct tape to secure the hooks in place.

Ask me how I know...

Also, do not run your strap around sharp edges of trailers sides or any corners. At speed on the highway, the strap will vibrate in the wind. The sharp edge then acts as a knife and will eventually cut it's way though the strap.

Ask me how I know this too...

We have a running joke between the cincy riders that some of our strapping techniques are "government approved."

Front wheel in cradle
Extra chock behind front wheel
Front wheel strapped - each side
Bars strapped - each side
Lower triple strapped - each side
Rear wheel strapped - each side


Note how we don't use the hooks of the straps, we wrap around and go through the ring below the hook. Also note that the straps are wrapped around sharp edges of the trailer sides. $40 spent on straps for the way back home.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 06:43 AM   #19
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I like the wheel cradle idea A. Would feel better knowing the front wheel was more secure without regard to the strapping system.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:17 AM   #20
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my first thought is tire wear.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:20 AM   #21
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Great input from all of you! I will take these tips to heart when I use it for real.

I wholeheartedly agree with either using a zip tie on the clutch lever and / or removing the chain.

Great tip about the strap hooks coming out of the eyelets. I will wrap the straps thru the eylets, and back up to the ring in the hook.

I agree that the lean angle, only in a full lock turn, is scary.

Backing up is impossible, as I cannot see the rear of the MC, just the handlebars, which don't pivot.

I will not load the MC by the rear wheel. I agree that this would not only have too much weight on the tongue ( 200 lbs max - for me ), but would be severly unstable in transit.

I will not use this method for a MC that I care about, just for my parts / project pick ups .
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:26 AM   #22
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I will not load the MC by the rear wheel. I agree that this would not only have too much weight on the tongue ( 200 lbs max - for me ), but would be severly unstable in transit.
The tank slappers would be fun to watch though.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:37 AM   #23
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Once upon a time...




You'd be surprised what you can tow on a Class 1 hitch. You just have to balance the load right.

I like your enthusiasm!

My vehicle, is not rated to tow at all, so I have a self imposed 500 LB limit. I figure this would roughly equal myself, plus a couple passengers - which the car is designed for.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:44 AM   #24
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I agree, I've towed a lot of things with a class 1 hitch.

For reference, there's a gross weight spec as well as a tongue weight spec:

maximum tongue weight: 200 lbs
maximum gross weight: 2,000 lbs

And the tongue weight needs to be about 10-15 percent of the gross trailer weight.
Excellent points, and I agree. There is a third factor though, the towing capacity of the vehicle. Mine is not rated to tow at all. I have a self imposed 500 lb capacity, if it is just myself in the car.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:45 AM   #25
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Ummm... Human input is not the sole design factor on strength of a clip on or solid bar steering setup.
I never said that it is the "sole design factor", but it is the primary design factor.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:48 AM   #26
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We've got one of these. It works in a pinch, but it freaks me out to use it. Logically, you *know* it's stable, but ....
CaliGrrl, since you have used it, do you have any advice for me please, aside from what the others have stated?
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 07:50 AM   #27
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As an added precaution, I would add some other strap/chain that goes through the front wheel and hooks to the hitch (receiver). If the entire system fails, you will just drag the bike vs loosing it. That strap/chain would be my liability insurance policy.
Excellent idea. Thank you.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 08:19 AM   #28
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Excellent points, and I agree. There is a third factor though, the towing capacity of the vehicle. Mine is not rated to tow at all. I have a self imposed 500 lb capacity, if it is just myself in the car.
That has to do with the litigious nature of the U.S. market (and lack of driver-training and skills). If you compare with foreign versions of exact same car, you'll find they'll list a towing-capacity in owner's manual. General rule-of-thumb is you can tow up to weight of towing vehicle.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 08:21 AM   #29
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My go to for no trailer is a hydraulic assisted lift/ramp. It can haul 400 pounds of MC, and the unit is close to 100 pounds. A 250 ninja causes a 2010 Jeep Liberty to drop pretty far in the rear. It would not work on class 1 or 2.

Your hauler looks pretty neat. May need to fabricate one just for giggles. Need to check cost of scrap steel vs buying a ready made.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 08:42 AM   #30
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That has to do with the litigious nature of the U.S. market (and lack of driver-training and skills). If you compare with foreign versions of exact same car, you'll find they'll list a towing-capacity in owner's manual. General rule-of-thumb is you can tow up to weight of towing vehicle.
Valid point. I did notice, that for my vehicle in Australia, that there were ample towing references. I'll search out the specs...
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 08:51 AM   #31
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Anything which is not a truck or SUV will likely not have a factory recommended tow capacity. But an aftermarket hitch and receiver for the vehicle will usually have a rated capacity. My Honda Civic has an aftermarket hitch and IIRC the max tongue weight is 200 lbs.

My first year racing Spec Miata I hauled my race tires, canopy, tools and gear to the track with my race car using a 4'x4' Harbor Freight trailer and a bolt-on hitch/receiver. Hauled the gear to the track Saturday morning. Unbolted and removed the hitch. Went racing. Sunday afternoon reattached the hitch and hauled the gear home. This sort of thing was not uncommon in amateur club car racing a few decades ago. Had one fellow racer comment he knew I wasn't going to be a reckless driver on the track since I was dependent on the race car staying driveable to get back home.

When trailering the thing to keep in mind is the effect on stopping distances. But a 400 lb bike on a 3000 lb car is not going to be bad. Weight-wise not too much different than having 2 large friends in the back seat.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 10:11 AM   #32
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Realistically, almost any car will handle a Ninja 250/300 on a lightweight trailer. If it's a little 4-banger, you might have to keep in the right lane going up hills, but one of the things I've discovered about towing is that it pays to take it easy regardless. Just because you can get up to 70, doesn't mean you can haul it back down from that speed in a controlled fashion if something happens in front of you. Get your go-fast on at the track.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 10:29 AM   #33
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We haven't put a bike on one like this for anything other than trying it out, enough to know that it's freaky.

Mostly it's going to be driving slowly and carefully. Otherwise, you've gotten really good advice. I had to laugh at the post about straps and sharp edges... friend learned that lesson, too. Doesn't even have to be all that sharp a corner to eat a strap on the highway....

Oh, and you kind of compress the suspension when tying the bike to a trailer.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 02:53 PM   #34
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I'd say you should compress bike's suspension at least halfway when towing. Otherwise if you hit a big bump, it will compress the suspension further and straps will be loose momentarily.
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Old March 22nd, 2018, 10:23 PM   #35
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Flipside is, overcompress the forks and you'll blow a seal. Really, 2-3 inches is good enough. Without your added weight, the bike's suspension is effectively oversprung and overdampened, plus the trailer itself has some suspension, even if it's just the tires. The straps won't slack enough to fall over from ordinary jostling. Especially if you're strapped into a wheel chock. And don't go buckwild with ratchet straps either. Cambuckles are quicker, easier, and safer when it comes to lashing down a bike.
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Old March 23rd, 2018, 06:02 AM   #36
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If you’re gonna blow fork seals on trailer, they’re gonna blow when you’re riding! Yea, 2-3” is about 40-60% travel and it’s not going anywhere. I’ve found this amount through watching the straps when hitting bumps. Adjusted so they weren’t completely slack In middle of pothole and then get slapped tight when bike rebounds. I’d rather lose some form seals than entire bike, which I’ve seen too many other people do.
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Old March 23rd, 2018, 06:09 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redonninrf View Post
My first year racing Spec Miata I hauled my race tires, canopy, tools and gear to the track with my race car using a 4'x4' Harbor Freight trailer and a bolt-on hitch/receiver. Hauled the gear to the track Saturday morning. Unbolted and removed the hitch. Went racing. Sunday afternoon reattached the hitch and hauled the gear home. This sort of thing was not uncommon in amateur club car racing a few decades ago.
Heck, I did that for 20-yrs up to last year when motorcycle-racing bug bit me! The little HF trailer was most useful thing ever!

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Old March 23rd, 2018, 06:12 AM   #38
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Then I adapted it to motorcycle duty.

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Old March 23rd, 2018, 06:26 AM   #39
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None of my straps have the hooks any longer. I take a cutoff wheel to them. Then they get replaced with the connectors that have the screw lock. Harbor freight has a great selection. Additionally I use short lengths of strap with loops oat each end for very secure latching. Those hooks will sooner or later fall out out and the end my not be nice.
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Old March 23rd, 2018, 11:09 AM   #40
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So, this is my hauling setup for race weekends. I've modified the hitch-hauler over the winter to trim a little weight, since it's a FWD van and being light in the front makes it feel sketchy, but the bike is quite secure.



Sponsor plug - Matrix makes really nice tie down straps - Carabiner on one end, built-in soft strap on the other. I got the 1.5" ones to use with my Bonnie, but they're overkill even for that.
https://www.matrixracingproducts.com...-tie-down-set/
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