Is A Motorcycle Trailer The Way to Go For You?

Many riders would argue that going on a motorcycle trip is all about stripping back to the bare necessities and getting away from all of the everyday conveniences.  Some skilled packers can get everything that they need for a trip into a pair of saddlebags (Click Here to see how it’s done).  For others though, standard motorcycle luggage just isn’t enough, especially when riding two up on long trips.  That’s where pulling a motorcycle trailer comes into play.  Having all of that extra luggage space in a motorcycle trailer can make your trip much more comfortable, if you’re in to that sort of thing.

Motorcycle trailer

While having a motorcycle trailer can solve your packing woes, it’s not as simple as throwing a hitch on your bike and hooking up.  There are certain things to consider before you go that route, but if it works out for you, it will for sure change the way you go on motorcycle trips.  Listed below are some of the things that you need to know before you embark on a trip with a trailer behind your bike.

The first thing to consider is if your bike can handle the extra load behind you.  It’s probably not the best idea to pull all of your camping gear in a trailer behind a 250cc sport bike.  A full size cruiser or touring bike is a whole different story, though.  The extra power is nice, but how the power is delivered is what is important.  Having low end torque is important to be able to get the bike up to speed without the added stress.  You can achieve this a few ways including installing an aftermarket camshaft, a gear change and fuel mapping.

There are a few different styles of motorcycle hitches.  There are fixed hitches and then there are swivel hitches.  Many riders feel that the swivel hitches ensures that the motorcycle can lean as deep as it needs to in the corners without affecting the trailer.  While this is true, for most bikes with a fixed ball hitch, you can lean the bike to drag the pegs before you will max out the leaning capabilities of the hitch.

Motorcycle Hitch

Can your bike handle the load?  Your bike’s suspension and tires are going to be put under an even greater load with a trailer attached to your bike.  When you are packing up your trailer, you should keep in mind that the tongue weight should be around 10-15% of the loaded trailer’s weight.  With too much tongue weight, your motorcycle suspension and tires could be overloaded and you can risk a blowout.  You’ll also want to make sure your tires are always fully inflated.

Of course, with the added weight of the trailer behind you, your braking distance greatly increases.  If you have a nice pulling trailer you can sometimes forget it’s behind you but you’ll know it’s there if you have to stop in a hurry.  The added weight will push you farther than you would normally go without the trailer.  You will also want to make sure that you are stopping in a straight line.  You run the risk of jackknifing if you have to stop with the trailer at an angle behind you.

It’s a good idea to choose a trailer that is not much wider than the width of  your bike.  This will allow you to continue riding on one side of the lane.   With a wider trailer, you have to ride more towards the center of the lane where the road nasties and oil like to hang out.

For all you riders already pulling trailers, what are some tips that you can share to help out the rest who are about to dive into this adventure?

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Ryan
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