james81273 Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hello, quickie question. I have received this bike trailer/carrier for a birthday present and iam not 100% sure... http://motorcyclecarrier.webs.com/apps/photos/ I would attach a photo instead of look here but i cant get the file to be the right size? Basically the design sounds okay UNTIL you hear that the bike is only half suspended from the carrier and the back wheel will constantly be on the ground as you drive to and from the trackday. This feels me with dread and i want to get your feelings on this... 1. The bike engine wont be running and therefore oil circulation is a major issue as even though the bike isnt in gear the wheel would be spinning around at say 75 miles hour and cause mass friction damage etc on the inside of the bike? your thoughts??? 2. Technically the bike is on the road, be it only half of it, so if its on a sworn or not road legal would the police have a point when it comes to slapping me with a dirty great fine and a trip to court? thanks for helping out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsy Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Not too sure about answers to your questions above, but you'd certainly want a pretty tough compound road orientated tyre fitted to the rear wheel for the road journey, otherwise it would be buggered before you got there! It would also have to be treaded as slicks aren't road legal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorenzo Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Can you fit it so the back wheel's attached, not the front? That way you save any gearbox wear etc. The other thing is where do you attach your cars numberplate? I'm sure you'd get a tug if you'd got a bike obscuring your plate on the car if your bike is essentially just a trailer. Incidentally, re the about 75mph bit, if you've got a trailer the limits 60 i think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billysbones Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 sell it and buy THIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaighn80 Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 sold a gsxr400 to a guy using fleebay, he turned up with an audi and no trailer, after thinking to myself that he would struggle to get it in the boot he pulls one of these out, i watch as he assembles it in about 30 seconds and is then waving goodbye before ive realised what has gone on. if your worried about the rear wheel spinning the gears around and not lubricating anything all that will happen is the main shaft in the gearbox will spin and nothing else that isnt covered in oil anyway, you cant use it with the rear wheel locked in as it uses the bikes steering as the pivot for the following (rear) wheel and yes you do need a number plate so i would bungee one on the back of the bike, yes you will need a road tyre and a legal one too, if its that much of a worry and your going to have to change the wheel/tyre anyway then why not take the chain off? he came from sheffield all the way to essex and had no problems getting back, having looked at them they aren't that hard for me to make so unless they have the idea copyrighted then i may be able to build one up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayla Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 It looks like a really good idea I think if I were to use one I'd remove the chain so there was no drive to the transmission at all, and maybe remove the rear brake pads too- belt and braces edit- it looks like it bolts on to a regular tow bar in place of the ball, is that right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deviant Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 1. The bike engine wont be running and therefore oil circulation is a major issue as even though the bike isnt in gear the wheel would be spinning around at say 75 miles hour and cause mass friction damage etc on the inside of the bike? your thoughts??? 2. Technically the bike is on the road, be it only half of it, so if its on a sworn or not road legal would the police have a point when it comes to slapping me with a dirty great fine and a trip to court? Don't worry about 1. The gearbox on a bike is only ever lubricated by splash (ie the gears flinging the sump oil around). The only pumped lubrication is to the cylinder head. Unless you are towing it tens of thousands of miles, the wear on the gearbox will be irrelevant compared to what it gets from being used. As regards 2. I would think that as soon as you mount a bike like that it ceases to be a motorcycle and becomes a trailer. Thus it would be subject to the laws regarding trailers (legal tyre and having the car's reg number and lights which work with the car lights on the back). It wouldn't require tax/insurance/etc. Might be worth checking with Pork though. People tow cars on dollies or rigid towbars behind motorhomes all the time, it's the same principle. The limiting factor is, as others have pointed out, stuff like tyre wear. Although given you aren't transmitting any torque through it, I don't know that it would be that bad unless you are driving across Europe to a trackday. When was the last time you managed to square a front tyre off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaighn80 Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 it doesn't replace the towball it has a plate that is bolted between the ball and the mount then everything fixes to that, check about the lights as i seem to remember that if the lights are visable then you dont need to worry about them. think you might be right about the tyre not being that badly worn by just dragging it, it does seem that bikes with more power tend to wear tyres quicker so i would guess that its all to do with the transmission of torque to the road that tears the arse out of tyres! the bike will be classed as a trailer, do you have towing privaleges on your licence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayla Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 do you have towing privaleges on your licence? Most people who've passed their car test will be able to tow a small trailer- I know there are weight limits past a certain pass date though, but a bike wouldn't even begin to get near the limit I wouldn't have thought. Hmm, I might have to cobble one up at college Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deviant Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Most people who've passed their car test will be able to tow a small trailer- I know there are weight limits past a certain pass date though, but a bike wouldn't even begin to get near the limit I wouldn't have thought. Hmm, I might have to cobble one up at college And a point to the young lady from oop north. *Everyone* with a full car licence is entitled to tow a trailer up to 750kg (and more under some circumstances). The weight limit is irrelevant in this context though unless you've got a Goldwing with panniers full of plutonium As far as I can see, the only legal question here is whether you are obliged to have working lights/reflectors at the back of the combination, or if you can get away with the car lights because the bike won't obscure them. You will certainly need to get a numberplate made up with the car's reg number on and stick it over the bike's plate, because the car plate will be obscured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaveunit Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 My only experience with these is that the AA picked me up with one once, and while I was panicking about its safety the whole way, it got back fine. My money is on a trailer though, i'd just feel happier about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Don't worry about 1. The gearbox on a bike is only ever lubricated by splash (ie the gears flinging the sump oil around). The only pumped lubrication is to the cylinder head. Unless you are towing it tens of thousands of miles, the wear on the gearbox will be irrelevant compared to what it gets from being used. As regards 2. I would think that as soon as you mount a bike like that it ceases to be a motorcycle and becomes a trailer. Thus it would be subject to the laws regarding trailers (legal tyre and having the car's reg number and lights which work with the car lights on the back). It wouldn't require tax/insurance/etc. Might be worth checking with Pork though. People tow cars on dollies or rigid towbars behind motorhomes all the time, it's the same principle. The limiting factor is, as others have pointed out, stuff like tyre wear. Although given you aren't transmitting any torque through it, I don't know that it would be that bad unless you are driving across Europe to a trackday. When was the last time you managed to square a front tyre off? I agree with your points except this one. Unless its a ducati (roller element mains), the crankshaft is almost certainly fed pressurised oil (as the mains and big ends on most production bikes are hydrodynamic). Also Im sure the 2006 R1 engine I have has pressurised oil feeding the centre of both gearbox shafts. There are oil galleries visible when you remove the gearbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deviant Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I agree with your points except this one. Unless its a ducati (roller element mains), the crankshaft is almost certainly fed pressurised oil (as the mains and big ends on most production bikes are hydrodynamic). Also Im sure the 2006 R1 engine I have has pressurised oil feeding the centre of both gearbox shafts. There are oil galleries visible when you remove the gearbox. Should have added crank in there. . Doesn't change the gist of the point though, as the crank isn't spinning. As for the gearbox, I'd be surprised, but that's not to say they don't - although oil galleries aren't necessarily pressure-fed. I've seen plenty of oil-galleries (albeit in car/truck gearboxes) which are fed from features in the casings designed to catch splash from the gears. I'd still be perfectly happy to tow any bike of mine in this fashion though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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