Choosing the right RV

Veebyes wrote:
Something has to give. The 5er toyhauler sacrifices an awful lot of space just to carry the toys. The class A means a trailer for the bikes & when the weather is bad & you need a store run you a stuck. Riding Harleys you are very limited on what can be carried even if the weather is good.

Full timers are going to tow something. There are tow dollies that can carry both motorcycles and a car at the same time. 5ers offer a toy hauler option but once you get parked your daily driver is going to be a gas or diesel guzzling truck. I can live with the fact that my coach averages about 9 mpg when towing the car on a tow dolly. But once I'm parked my car gets 25-30mpg. A class A will allow you to have plenty of storage, comfort, with the right set up you can have your bikes and a car for a daily driver. Weather is no longer an issue. No sacrifices necessary.

Something has to give. The 5er toyhauler sacrifices an awful lot of space just to carry the toys. The class A means a trailer for the bikes & when the weather is bad & you need a store run you a stuck. Riding Harleys you are very limited on what can be carried even if the weather is good.

Do you want the Harleys because they are Harleys or do you want to ride for the sake of riding? If simple riding is the purpose maybe a bike with a bit more versatility would be better. Something that can carry 2 & carry a few bags of grocerys or what is needed for a days outing as well.

Have you ever RV'd before? If not, I suggest you try renting any of your possible choices first and see if you like it. If you do, try renting each type and choose that way. Class C's, A's, and TT's are readily available for rent in most areas. Toyhaulers not so much, but you will get a good idea what that is like by renting a large TT. 5th wheels and Truck Campers are really hard to find for rent, but I've even seen that available around here.

You can walk through parked RV's all day and not get any kind of idea what it is like on the road. For example, I found that most A's and C's are very noisy when driving -- especially on bad pavement. This may not be a big deal to you or many other people, but it was for us and that is the point. There are a ton of different opinions on here, but every person is different and has different needs. Try before you buy.

My vote is for a class A and here is why.
1. I like the option of not having to stop when my DW has to use the restroom.
2. Unless you have an unlimited supply of money, you will find yourself staying parked for extended period of time. That means you will have to take your big truck out for a gallon of milk or use it for your day to day running around. With a Class A you can tow a small vehicle for the day to day running around while not racking up miles and wear and tear on the engine you are going to depend on to take you around this great nation.
3. Since you will be fulltiming and not just out on a week long camping trip you will want to carry more with you. A class A will offer you more storage space.
4. There are tow dollies that offer room for your motorcycles as well as your car.

This depends on how large of motorcycles.
How about a Class A pulling a full size truck with the bikes in the back of the truck? You could build or have built a custom cap for the truck bed.

I'm a newbie also. Not full timing it, but doing extensive touring (3 months a year). Wife and I ride Harleys, love to tour and decided we wanted the option of continuing a trip when the weather got less than favorable for riding the scoots. Also wanted to bring the dogs. Going the 5th wheel TH route for the flexibility of having a pickup to go places a class A or C, nor a Harley can comfortably go.. Problem I've run into is the TH that I picked is maybe too much for a SRW pick up as I prefer to not buy a dually. Will hit the scales in a couple weeks to find out for sure. Also bought it because I feel if I don't like what I chose (or RVing for that matter) it would be easiest to sell this package. Let you know how it went in October!

They do make Class A and Class C toy haulers. Check it out they are really nice. I travel with a friend that has a Thor Outlaw.

http://outlawrv.com/

Good luck on your new adventure and remember:
Have an exit strategy in place from the get go and leave no storage units behind when you go full time! :B

I would look into a toy hauler/truck combo as well. It wouldn't hurt to rent a few different types. Actually using one for a few days is going to point out problem areas that an hour at the dealership won't. Some private campgrounds already have units set up for rental so no need for a tow vehicle up front.

Welcome to the forums. I'd start by reading the info by Johnny T found in the upper R box under Class A. Many people do fine with a 5er for FT but having owned one and now a Class A I like the A much better. It's the nicest and most expensive way to go down the road as everything is much more convenient. You can solve the motorcycle/car problem with something like this.

I would go and look at both a toy hauler and truck and a motor home. As stated, you have the truck to drive in inclement weather or when you need to get something larger than a sack of potatoes back to the campground. Expenses will be less with a TH and truck, especially with insurance. I would read the full-time forum over. Be patient. There is a lot to consider. Do you even know if you are going to like the RV lifestyle?