Motorcycle trailer for Class C

[gretchenjack]

I just bought my first Class C RV (Bigfoot). Drove from CA to NC by myself! Yay and made it no issues.

I have a Vespa 300 (350 lbs) and a Townie bicycle (35 lbs) so togther lets round up to 400 lbs of weight for both and I would like to haul both with me. I need help in figuring out what to purchase and what would be the best and easiest loading on/off scenario for me. I wanted the LIFT type but I'm afraid its too much weight for the RV. Anyone have good recommendation for what to use? Any thoughts on light weight trailers? My fear is that the trailer will be bouncing all over the road.

Gretchen

[FireGuard]

I would go with a receiver hitch for your application. Beef up the hitch if needed.
I’m not sure what the bottom of the Vespa is like but there is a rack that the frame sits on and pins go through the foot pegs to secure it. It raises and lowers with a hydraulic bottle jack.
It’s called “Moto jack rack”.

[Desert_Captain]

I have to agree that putting that much weight on your rear bumper is a very bad idea for all of the reasons set forth above. I have trailered 3 different motorcycles from 500# to 860# over the last 4+ years and nearly 25,000 miles all over the southwest.

If you can live with an open trailer as noted Kendon makes the best riding and they stow in the smallest footprint imaginable. I had one for 2.5 years and loved it. I recently upgraded to a 6 X 10' {14' overall} cargo trailer to handle the larger bike and as a bonus picked up a bunch of additional storage allowing me to move some of the bulkier items {BBQ, Firepit, LP Cylinder etc} out of the storage bay on the coach and back into the trailer.

Don 't be intimidated by towing, you won't even feel the small trailer back there and the impact on your mileage will be negligible.

Here is a shot of our setup taken a couple of weeks ago on the Colorado River at Buckskin Mountain SP:






:C

[camperdave]

I use hitch carriers too, one on front and one on back when needed. My bikes are fairly lightweight dualsports.

I also have a cheapo leaf sprung 4x8 Harbor Freight folding trailer. I use it for lots of stuff, and it would do fine behind the motorhome with a bike or two on it. Yes it bounces a bit, but no big deal. If you've got the cash and want to really do it right, Kendon makes the best riding motorcycle trailers out there.


Personally I avoid towing if I can for speed limit reasons, but no doubt a trailer is easier to load a motorcycle onto than a hitch carrier.

On the rear, I use this carrier with my 350 pound bike: SMC-600R

On the front I use this one with a 250 pound bike (I much prefer the above carrier, but already own this one so I use it when I'm bringing 2 bikes): MCC-500

[DrewE]

I would be cautious putting that much weight on a typical class C trailer hitch that has a tongue weight limit of 500 pounds. The carrier puts a greater torque on the receiver than a normal ball hitch would (the weight is further out from the receiver), and so puts different and additional strains on the hitch and the frame extensions it attaches to than probably were expected. It may well be okay, or it may cause trouble; at the least, having a competent truck frame shop review the hitch and setup would not be a bad idea.

It would also be wise to see how much rear axle capacity you have left. Bear in mind that the additional weight on the rear axle will be greater than the weight put on the hitch (as the motorhome acts as a lever), I would guess somewhere in the vicinity of 600-700 pounds. The front axle, of course, will be unloaded by the same amount as the "extra" weight on the rear axle so that the total weight on both axles will increase by the actual weight of the carrier and bikes.

[noteven]

Hi gretchenjack - scooter transmissions work very well for "inching" - try taking your Vespa for a walk .... then try walking beside it with it going up an incline - see how comfortable you are do this. You might find it ok to carry the scooter on a carrier and use a stool to step up as it levels off. Get a carrier with a front wheel chock so the scooter will kind of want to stand up once it lands..

Having said all that - the bicycle will be in the way every time you want the scooter on the ground...

A trailer can be a pain depending where you travel. But -they can be really handy too - if you go that way look at a small enclosed - you can use it for a garage for stuff, additional solar roof, plus unload whichever two wheeler you want when you want. And your stuff is out of sight and secured.



They only "bounce all over the road" if they become disconnected 🙂

[gretchenjack]

My fear of this type of ramp would be me dropping it when loading. My Vespa weighs 350 lbs and if it went sideways I could not hold it up. Maybe in my younger days...but no longer:-(

[klutchdust]

I used a trailer hitch motorcycle carrier for a older vespa type scooter on my Class C 30 footer and never felt it being there. A few extra pounds in my air bags to level the coach and it was fine. I now carry a Honda Ruckus, same thing.




I fabricate steel items, I could not build this myself for the cost. I did ditch the ramp and use a wooden one as the belly of my Ruckus would hit when loading, not the scooter though.The cost to bend a new ramp was more than the cost of the carrier. I made a few mods for the Ruckus because it sits lower on the short tires. I inspected all the welds and construction and I give it a "good purchase" seal.