tom6n2 Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Hi im goin to bite the bullet and buy a bike rack this week ive had 2 qoutes from both dave cooper and kliponoff for there racks posted. Which if money wasnt a problem would you the riders choose dave cooper rack: galvonise finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamjayzee Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Hi, Can't comment on the Kliponoff rack, but the DC one I use is fine. I bought a spare centre section and have one on my mondeo estate and the other on my big old Nissan Patrol (for when it's proper muddy!) and both are fine. I have the van/ estate versions which take the bike slightly further out, and I have to take the spare wheel off the patrol. Other than that, it's a good piece of kit. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin916 Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Hi, I bought a Dave Cooper rack earlier this year. They were great to deal with as they advised which rack type I'd need (for a people carrier), he also supplied number board etc and delivery was within a few days. Rack is simple to fit and use and I'm really impressed with it. Only disadvantage is I keep hitting my shins on it when I load my sons bike into back of the car !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddabs Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 I've wrapped Pipe lagging round mine with cable ties - no more sore shins !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 great idea, had a rack from both suppliers little or nothing to choose between the two from my experience, always had the painted not the galvanised, a quick lick of hammerite evry couple of years and its as good as new, must be 8 yrs old i guess and lives out side 'au natural' 24/7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom6n2 Posted May 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 thanks for all the input looks like the dave cooper rack it is.. booked my car in for a towbar tommorrow at 2pm but what type of rack would you suggest as people have used a van/4x4 rack to put the bike further away from their car.. The car in question is a 1.4 6n2 vw polo and ive just weighed my subwoofer box and subs and that weighs 35kg so that will have to come out when i tow the bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddabs Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 i would recommend you take advice from DC, they are very helpful. i have mine on an estate and bought one that comes out a little further. also , there may be no point in fitting the ball until you have the rack as you will only have to take it off again. you may struggle to get it tight enough and its best for the tow bar people to fit it and torque it down - unless of course you have a torque wrench. when i had mine fitted, they were worried that the front of the car might lift, but its been no problem at all and you dont notice its there. seems a bit odd when you take into account the weight of the engine. remember to buy extra long bolts too. also when you use it, dont do what i do, and load the bike up and then forget that you have a whole heap of stuff to put in the boot! hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom6n2 Posted May 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) cheers caddabs for the advice i will get them to install the towbar tommoz and then arrange for them to fit the ball when i have the rack mount to hand... As for the boot space ive not used it since i passed my test 5 yrs ago as ive always had some sort of system in there. my old polo system in the new polo Edited May 17, 2010 by tom6n2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 aha,, having used a polo with a rack on the back i'd very much go for the standard rack. most of the tow bar mountings are in the boot floor and the leverage of the 4x4 rack may cause the boot floor to buckle ( mine did) i was carrying a pre 65 bike though. when getting the bar fitted ask for longer mounting bolts for the ball ( they might cost a couple of bob more). i always fitted my rack myself and even with just basic tools never had any problems tightening the thing up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_urban Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Ive got a klipoff on my 2006 1.4 16v seat ibiza works well. I think your year polo will have the same towbar kit i have it takes away the crash bar and bolts to the chassis rails so load is no problem. only problem i find is bike and rack bounce up and down so i put a strap from the handlebar to the top of boot lid make sure you get crash bar back from them ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom6n2 Posted May 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Ive got a klipoff on my 2006 1.4 16v seat ibiza works well.I think your year polo will have the same towbar kit i have it takes away the crash bar and bolts to the chassis rails so load is no problem. only problem i find is bike and rack bounce up and down so i put a strap from the handlebar to the top of boot lid make sure you get crash bar back from them ! cheers mate for the info. the tow bar place orderd me a swan neck type so im a bit behind on that at the moment. plus i got a spare crash bar as mines bent on the car where the last owner reversed into a bollard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r0b Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Just a query regarding a rack on the back of the car. A towbar has a maximum down force weight on it, mine is 50kg what I don't understand is how can you put a bike on the back of it and it be safe? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjbiker Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 A very valid point Rob, the 'nose-weight' of a Polo is indeed 50kg (according to Google) so for info here's a few facts; All cars (not commercials) registered after 1.8.1998 need to be fitted with a towbar that is 'Type Approved'. A type approved towbar will (should) have a label/plate on it indicating - Maximum nose-weight, Approval number and the country where the towbar was tested e.g. UK is e11 . Fitting a type approved tow-bar to new cars will not invalidate the vehicles warranty. If you do not fit a type approved tow-bar to a car registered after 1.8.1998 it could result in you being prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act.(I assume this is addressed to those people who actually want a towbar fitted and is not mandatory?) If you fit a non type approved tow-bar to a car registered after 1.8.1998 and you are involved in an accident you may find your insurance is invalid. You may also find your insurance won't pay out if they learn you're carrying more than the allowed nose-weight. Exceeding the nose-weight could result in loss of front end traction and steering (same effect as strapping your toolbox on the back of a Superdream and instantly learning how to flip your Honda at the traffic lights while trying to impress some hot chicks - but that's another story!) So - How heavy is your bike? What is the nose-weight of your vehicle? I suggest that tom6n2 fixes his speakers to the front of the car to even things out? Hope this helps you as much as it's helped me to pass away another half hour of nightshift............ GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 ''A towbar has a maximum down force weight on it, mine is 50kg what I don't understand is how can you put a bike on the back of it and it be safe?'' ask how safe it is to dress in Lycra and ride a motorcyle over rocks up steep hills etc first.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r0b Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 I will not be attempting to go up massive rocks in Lycra as I am new to trials, so I should think I would be quite safe going over small obstacles for the first year of my riding. I would not want to carry a nice expensive bike on the back of a towbar that is not intended to carry such weight, 1) I would be worried of the stress on the bar and the rear of the car. 2) I don't fancy it falling off, ie on the motorway especially if the towbar gives in and then you could end up causing a serious accident and being prosecuted, then you wouldn't even be allowed to drive your car. Don't get me wrong here, people can't afford trailers or a van or may not have the space so they buy a rack, which is fair enough but you have to make sure it is safe for all aspects otherwise your jeopardising yourself and opening yourself up to possible nightmare scenarios. Personally in my opinion bike racks on towbars are best suited to pedal cycles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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