How to carry motorcycle

Ace! wrote:
I think Versahaul says DO NOT carry the bike on the front. Seems like the best way to do it to me, but they probably know better than I do.

I'm going to purchase a hitch mounted carrier for my bike. I planned to carry it on the front, but now I'm reconsidering that.

I carry my Honda CRF250L on a Versahaul on the front hitch.

Had to modify the carrier to add about 6 inches of height for more road clearance. Even then was snowplowing my way across a couple of deep washes on Hole-in-the-Rock Road in UT (without the bike mounted). The standard height is totally inadequate for anywhere but paved roads. I relocated the carrier to the rear hitch extension for the drive back up HIR Road, which was some improvement.

I suspect the caution against using the front hitch has more to do with obstruction of the headlights, which is outlawed in some states.

Getting the bike on and off such a mount can be hazardous. Dropped the bike the first time removing it. Wheel came right out of the support channel. Best to have a spotter when doing this, IMHO.

In my sig is what I use and it won't affect your payload weight.

Honda 230 on a Zieman rack welded to the top of a 4' Super Truss. The tie down points are narrow but doesn't pose a problem. I cinch her down good with ratchet straps but use a 6" 2x4 between the front tire and yoke so's not to crush the forks.

Versahaul with ramp. 2" receiver hitch. I did have jeep bumper and unibody strengthen. Four tie down straps. One cable lock. One man operation to load and unload. Zion RV park. Half mile to Zion entrance in case you were wondering where this photo is at. The scooter was a blast touring the park. Take that bike with you any way you can! lol

I have a Versahaul - works great the key is the device they use to take the slop out of the tube that slides into the receiver. Can't see why it won't work on a front receiver as well.

They don't have a place to put down the side stand on a heavier bike while you start tying down, unless they have added a stand platform option. We use a skyhook to steady the bike and get the first tie strap hooked.

Good piece of kit.

There is a bunch of carriers out there and most rated at 500lbs. so that is no problem. As far as where to carry, that's a no brainer in my book. Been carrying my bike up front for many years and miles with zero problems. As said the only problem you'll have is one side of your bike will be covered in bugs.

I removed the rear bumper of my TT and extented the main TT frame rails by 2 or 3 feet and reattached the bumper. This gave me a nice 3x7 platform on which
I take (among other items) a dual sport bike weighing about 350 lbs.

It's also a convenient platform to carry bicycles, coolers, deck-chairs....

If you use a dedicated motorcycle ramp, check that you are not blocking your rear lights AND your licence plate (I got a ticket for an obscured lic. plate). Also check the overhang, you MAY need a red flag if the overhang is over 4ft (?).

Gerry

Check with Discountramps.com. Look under hitch mounted carriers. While I don't own a TC anymore, my daughter has it. I hope I am allowed to make this small post. My hitch is made by Rage, reasonably priced and carries a 400 pound BMW 650 with no issues.

I use one of these with great results on the rear with a 32" Torklift extension. The built in loading ramp is one less thing to move, lose and/or trip over. Tilt a rack

ejfranz wrote:
Do a search on this topic as it has been discussed a fair bit.
I have carried a WR250r (`310lbs) on the front hitch for 5 years and over 40 000 KM with no issues. The bike will get cover in bugs , but will stay clean when you travel wet gravel roads.
i have an inexpensive metal rack from Princess Auto. There are 4 places to tie down to. See Sig Picture.

I tried a search, but nothing came up. Do you have any suggestions for key words to use?