RonH Posted July 25 Report Share Posted July 25 (edited) I thought some of you might like to see how I transport my bike around. I don’t have a truck or trailer and was not even considering getting one just to haul my bike around so I designed and built this one and have used it with no issues for about a year now. I’ve read others describe something similar but I had never seen photos of what it looked like so as an architect I thought I’d design and make my own that’s simple, effective and affordable. I drive a Mini Cooper S and first looked at off the shelf carriers but all I found, in the US, were overly large and cumbersome plus they required a 2” hitch setup. Also, with the hitch I put on the car, the only option was a 1 1/4” hitch, which gave me a tongue weight of 300 pounds. With the off-the-shelf models, a 2” hitch and my motorcycle was pushing the tongue weight close the 300 pound limit. The carrier I made is about 25 pounds so with my bike weight of about 160 pounds I have a safety margin of 115 pounds above whatever the safety margin is on the hitch. It’s made of 1 1/4” square, steel tubing with a wall thickness of 3/16”. After it was all welded up with extra plates at the joins I drilled 5/8” holes so I could use locking hitch pins to hold it by the foot pegs. I also drilled and tapped two more holes to hold the bike down using the skid plate at the front. I just simply lift the bike up onto it and bolt it down. Easy peasy! The paint has taken a beating over the year but it’s worked swimmingly. It’s easy to store in the car boot too which is a plus because it’s so small. There’s no ramp, straps or tire supports because they aren’t needed and the shocks are never compressed. Anyway, it’s worked out well and I’d do it again in a heart beat. Just thought someone might be interested. Be safe! Edited November 2 by RonH Typos 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markparrish Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 I don't feel you got as much feedback as this deserves! It has certainly got me thinking. Thank you for sharing your innovative idea, lots of nice little details and obviously a design that you have evolved by trying it and adapting - I'm off to have a peep under my wife's car! Cheers, Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonH Posted July 27 Author Report Share Posted July 27 Thanks Mark! I was surprised too that no one had commented on it. Anyway, I’m glad you may have gotten some inspiration for yourself. If you give it a go and want to bounce some ideas off of me or have questions let me know. Thanks again! Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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