motorcycle tow dolly?

Greg_E · September 13th, 2009, 03:27 PM

Anyone have one of these?
http://www.prohoists.com/Shopping.idc?ProductID=35

In theory I just bought one on ebay for $50 (shipped) because I am going to need to look far beyond where I can get someone to drive me to get a bike. Need to get a hitch on my car now, but it will give me a lifeboat when I have to drop my car off for service, or drop whatever bike I get for service too.

Hopefully this is not just a flimsy piece of junk.

noche_caliente · September 13th, 2009, 03:40 PM

I wouldn't trust my bike to one, but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it

Greg_E · September 13th, 2009, 04:29 PM

I'll let you know if I would trust anything on it after it arrives. The theory is sound and there are a few reviews that are positive, so with a light sport bike it should be OK. Nothing I'm looking at weighs more than an 08/09 250 so the weight on the tung should be under 200 pounds. It will get a good solid Gorilla Engineering test before I would trust a bike to it. I do know that it needs 2 more straps on the front wheel, one to hold it down and one to hold it into the carrier.

Wish I had the time to travel, there is a bike in Tennessee that is really cheap that I would love to go get. But that is more than a 2 day trip, especially towing something important back home.

CRXTrek · September 13th, 2009, 04:46 PM

I wouldn't.
It looks like if you got the handlebars tied down tight it would lift the rear wheel. Hitting a dip would put slack in the tie downs

Sailariel · September 13th, 2009, 04:58 PM

I bought a 4x6 Landscape trailer at Lowe`s for $400. Put a 3/4" piece of plywood down and bolted it down with 6 tie down eyes. The front wheel chock is made from 2x4s as is the rear wheel rail. The bike is held down with ratchet straps (8) and rides happily on our terrible roads in Maine. The chocks are removable so the trailer can be used to haul other things. I dump my used motor oil on the wood and work it in with a rag--preserves the wood--especially since the trailer is stored outdoors.

HKr1 · September 14th, 2009, 08:43 AM

What about transmission oiling? I dont have the manual handy, the 250 doesnt have any supplied by the pump??

Greg_E · September 14th, 2009, 09:26 AM

Wrap cord around the clutch lever so that it is disengaged, is much more of a problem from shaft drive bikes. Any kind of long distance would have me pulling the chain or belt.

camaroz1985 · September 14th, 2009, 10:47 AM

Transmission would still be spinning if you pull in the clutch. If you are in neutral at least the output shaft is still spinning. Don't think I would use it. Its like putting the miles on your bike and not actually getting to ride it.

KJohnson21 · September 14th, 2009, 12:24 PM

I'd only use one of those for short trips. For anything out of the local area I'd get a trailer.

Be aware that since you're towing the motorcycle itself, not a motorcycle on a trailer, the motorcycle should have current registration. Just something else to keep in mind when you're taking that bargain off of someone's hands.

Greg_E · September 14th, 2009, 12:40 PM

I'll have to check on that, needing registration is something I had not considered. I don't think you need it for a car on a front wheel dolly, even if the car does not have current registration. At least I've seen plenty of those being towed like that, and the dolly does not have a plate either.

Tigress · September 14th, 2009, 01:58 PM

The guy who bought my 04 Katana 600 had one and used it to take the bike about 50 or so miles home. Hubby and I watched him hook it up and roll away. It seemed pretty secure even for a larger bike. Obviously he made it to where he was going because we saw him at a bike event a week or so later. He said he uses it all the time and explained the hook up and stuff to my husband.

LazinCajun · September 14th, 2009, 02:07 PM

U-haul trailer rentals appropriate for 1 bike are cheap, especially if you're not towing it regularly.

g21-30 · September 22nd, 2009, 06:16 PM

Greg, what did you decide on the dolly?

Greg_E · September 22nd, 2009, 07:07 PM

Dolly looks OK, requires a 2 inch hitch receiver. Only thing listed for my car is a 1.25 receiver... Need to talk to the guys at Uhaul and see what they can do.

I'll tell you, the dolly isn't great and I don't think I would be happy if I had paid $125 for it, but for $50 it is probably serviceable if I can find a way to deal with the smaller hitch size. If only I had a welder. Also can't find steel square tube that will fit down inside the 2 inch tube and bridge the gap or I would just cut it and bolt up the adapter that I need. Not worth the 10's of hours and money I would need to take a piece of solid 2 inch square stock and machine it down to fit both ends either (I have a very small mill).

Probably end up selling it if Uhaul can't get me a hitch with the correct size receiver.

There is another company that makes a light duty dolly that does have the 1.25 receiver size pin, they say it is good for bikes up to about 500 pounds total, but they did not list a price and I forget exactly what their site is.

As far as beefing it up, I was going to run some straps to the trunk lid and the top of the dolly and take 25 to 50 pounds of leverage off the top. After that 2 more short straps around the wheel and straps to the lower triple clamp should see it as a very workable device. WOuld probably add forged eyes on the upper arm too, or at least welded eyes. They aren't supposed to have a lot of tension on them, but I would feel better with $6 more in parts that are higher quality and strength.

I did get some nice ratcheting straps at Walmart for $30 for four ten footers, they also had 14 footers for not too much more, up in the 3000 pound range though I seriously doubt the ratchet would really take that much force before breaking, I would give them 500+ though.

Sigh, still no closer to getting a ride and probably one of my last posts in here since I've basically decided that I'm not getting a 250, people are just way too stupid here! If I can pull transport together before it is sold to someone else I'll probably buy a 2003 Buell XB9R about 6 hours away. Don't really want to go 6 hours as it could turn out to be beat and not worth anything, but I might have to. There are none around me and it doesn't sound like the local dealer sold many at all. If I could get down to Georgia or farther there are plenty for sale and at prices that make me really hate the sellers of all bikes up here. Practically giving stuff away, but it would be a 2 or 3 day journey and I can't get that kind of time off until Thanksgiving... Far too cold to care at that point unless they really were giving it away.

Anyone interested in this dolly if I can sell and ship for about $55 (what I paid for it and shipping to get it)? Yeah it was that cheap on ebay, looks like an older stock as there was some light rust on a few parts, but nothing that would affect the operation. Looks like all the bolts are here and I would check it before shipping to make sure everything needed was included, and find a better box that didn't get worked over by Fedex to keep it safe.

g21-30 · September 23rd, 2009, 03:42 AM

Have you thought about the Florida area for a bike? You could take the autotrain from Orlando to DC and then ride home from DC.

Greg_E · September 23rd, 2009, 06:49 AM

The problem I have is that to do something like that I would need to buy the bike unseen in order to get the title and registration/insurance/etc. I'm just not comfortable buying a bike that I have not ridden, else there are some deals that would still be deals even after a $500 shipping charge. Just too many things that could be wrong to buy like that.

Temp plates are not always honored in other states so I don't want to go the bus/train/plane and ride it home route. Connecticut is noted for this behaviour, it is purely a revenue generator and lately most states are looking for any excuse to generate revenue.

September 13th, 2009, 03:27 PM	#1
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	motorcycle tow dolly? Anyone have one of these? http://www.prohoists.com/Shopping.idc?ProductID=35 In theory I just bought one on ebay for $50 (shipped) because I am going to need to look far beyond where I can get someone to drive me to get a bike. Need to get a hitch on my car now, but it will give me a lifeboat when I have to drop my car off for service, or drop whatever bike I get for service too. Hopefully this is not just a flimsy piece of junk.

September 13th, 2009, 03:40 PM	#2
noche_caliente ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Kim Location: mundo de ensueño Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 250 Posts: A lot.	I wouldn't trust my bike to one, but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it __________________________________________________ Progrip tank pad, blue rim stripes, blue Pazzos, Roaring Toyz lowering kit, Puig DB in dark smoke, Cortech sport tail, super mini tank, and saddlebags, OES swingarm spools and Intuitive frame sliders

September 14th, 2009, 12:24 PM	#9
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	I'd only use one of those for short trips. For anything out of the local area I'd get a trailer. Be aware that since you're towing the motorcycle itself, not a motorcycle on a trailer, the motorcycle should have current registration. Just something else to keep in mind when you're taking that bargain off of someone's hands. __________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name?

September 14th, 2009, 01:58 PM	#11
Tigress Musical Genius Name: Belinda Location: O'Fallon, MO Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 09 Ninja 250R Blue AKA "The Kid" 08 Vulcan 900 Classic Blue(for now) AKA "Honey" Posts: 146	The guy who bought my 04 Katana 600 had one and used it to take the bike about 50 or so miles home. Hubby and I watched him hook it up and roll away. It seemed pretty secure even for a larger bike. Obviously he made it to where he was going because we saw him at a bike event a week or so later. He said he uses it all the time and explained the hook up and stuff to my husband. __________________________________________________ ti·gress n. 1. A female tiger. 2. A woman regarded as daring or fierce.

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September 13th, 2009, 04:29 PM	#3
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	I'll let you know if I would trust anything on it after it arrives. The theory is sound and there are a few reviews that are positive, so with a light sport bike it should be OK. Nothing I'm looking at weighs more than an 08/09 250 so the weight on the tung should be under 200 pounds. It will get a good solid Gorilla Engineering test before I would trust a bike to it. I do know that it needs 2 more straps on the front wheel, one to hold it down and one to hold it into the carrier. Wish I had the time to travel, there is a bike in Tennessee that is really cheap that I would love to go get. But that is more than a 2 day trip, especially towing something important back home.

September 13th, 2009, 04:46 PM	#4
CRXTrek FORMER MOTORCYCLE RIDER Name: Steve Location: On a Trek SU200 or in my CRX Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): Rode an 08 250r then rode an 08 ZX-6R until i totaled it on 7/10/10 Posts: 758	I wouldn't. It looks like if you got the handlebars tied down tight it would lift the rear wheel. Hitting a dip would put slack in the tie downs

September 13th, 2009, 04:58 PM	#5
Sailariel ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Alex Location: Belfast, ME Join Date: Jul 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Honda NT-700-V, formerly, Green 2008 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	I bought a 4x6 Landscape trailer at Lowe`s for $400. Put a 3/4" piece of plywood down and bolted it down with 6 tie down eyes. The front wheel chock is made from 2x4s as is the rear wheel rail. The bike is held down with ratchet straps (8) and rides happily on our terrible roads in Maine. The chocks are removable so the trailer can be used to haul other things. I dump my used motor oil on the wood and work it in with a rag--preserves the wood--especially since the trailer is stored outdoors.

September 14th, 2009, 08:43 AM	#6
HKr1 IC2(SW) Name: Kerry Location: Pensacola Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: A lot.	What about transmission oiling? I dont have the manual handy, the 250 doesnt have any supplied by the pump??

September 14th, 2009, 09:26 AM	#7
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	Wrap cord around the clutch lever so that it is disengaged, is much more of a problem from shaft drive bikes. Any kind of long distance would have me pulling the chain or belt.

September 14th, 2009, 10:47 AM	#8
camaroz1985 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ryan Location: Carlisle, PA Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2008 WR250R, 2006 Ural Raven (Sold), 2009 Versys Green (Sold), 2008 Ninja 250R Green (Sold) Posts: A lot.	Transmission would still be spinning if you pull in the clutch. If you are in neutral at least the output shaft is still spinning. Don't think I would use it. Its like putting the miles on your bike and not actually getting to ride it.

September 14th, 2009, 12:40 PM	#10
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	I'll have to check on that, needing registration is something I had not considered. I don't think you need it for a car on a front wheel dolly, even if the car does not have current registration. At least I've seen plenty of those being towed like that, and the dolly does not have a plate either.

September 14th, 2009, 02:07 PM	#12
LazinCajun ninjette.org guru Name: Anon Location: Atlanta, GA Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 (Blue!) Posts: 488	U-haul trailer rentals appropriate for 1 bike are cheap, especially if you're not towing it regularly.

September 22nd, 2009, 06:16 PM	#13
g21-30 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sam Location: Northern Virginia Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R 2009 Posts: A lot.	Greg, what did you decide on the dolly?

September 22nd, 2009, 07:07 PM	#14
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	Dolly looks OK, requires a 2 inch hitch receiver. Only thing listed for my car is a 1.25 receiver... Need to talk to the guys at Uhaul and see what they can do. I'll tell you, the dolly isn't great and I don't think I would be happy if I had paid $125 for it, but for $50 it is probably serviceable if I can find a way to deal with the smaller hitch size. If only I had a welder. Also can't find steel square tube that will fit down inside the 2 inch tube and bridge the gap or I would just cut it and bolt up the adapter that I need. Not worth the 10's of hours and money I would need to take a piece of solid 2 inch square stock and machine it down to fit both ends either (I have a very small mill). Probably end up selling it if Uhaul can't get me a hitch with the correct size receiver. There is another company that makes a light duty dolly that does have the 1.25 receiver size pin, they say it is good for bikes up to about 500 pounds total, but they did not list a price and I forget exactly what their site is. As far as beefing it up, I was going to run some straps to the trunk lid and the top of the dolly and take 25 to 50 pounds of leverage off the top. After that 2 more short straps around the wheel and straps to the lower triple clamp should see it as a very workable device. WOuld probably add forged eyes on the upper arm too, or at least welded eyes. They aren't supposed to have a lot of tension on them, but I would feel better with $6 more in parts that are higher quality and strength. I did get some nice ratcheting straps at Walmart for $30 for four ten footers, they also had 14 footers for not too much more, up in the 3000 pound range though I seriously doubt the ratchet would really take that much force before breaking, I would give them 500+ though. Sigh, still no closer to getting a ride and probably one of my last posts in here since I've basically decided that I'm not getting a 250, people are just way too stupid here! If I can pull transport together before it is sold to someone else I'll probably buy a 2003 Buell XB9R about 6 hours away. Don't really want to go 6 hours as it could turn out to be beat and not worth anything, but I might have to. There are none around me and it doesn't sound like the local dealer sold many at all. If I could get down to Georgia or farther there are plenty for sale and at prices that make me really hate the sellers of all bikes up here. Practically giving stuff away, but it would be a 2 or 3 day journey and I can't get that kind of time off until Thanksgiving... Far too cold to care at that point unless they really were giving it away. Anyone interested in this dolly if I can sell and ship for about $55 (what I paid for it and shipping to get it)? Yeah it was that cheap on ebay, looks like an older stock as there was some light rust on a few parts, but nothing that would affect the operation. Looks like all the bolts are here and I would check it before shipping to make sure everything needed was included, and find a better box that didn't get worked over by Fedex to keep it safe.

September 23rd, 2009, 03:42 AM	#15
g21-30 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sam Location: Northern Virginia Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R 2009 Posts: A lot.	Have you thought about the Florida area for a bike? You could take the autotrain from Orlando to DC and then ride home from DC.

September 23rd, 2009, 06:49 AM	#16
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	The problem I have is that to do something like that I would need to buy the bike unseen in order to get the title and registration/insurance/etc. I'm just not comfortable buying a bike that I have not ridden, else there are some deals that would still be deals even after a $500 shipping charge. Just too many things that could be wrong to buy like that. Temp plates are not always honored in other states so I don't want to go the bus/train/plane and ride it home route. Connecticut is noted for this behaviour, it is purely a revenue generator and lately most states are looking for any excuse to generate revenue.