Has anyone used a tow dolly / carrier like this?

CoconutPete

CoconutPete

1979 XS650 Special
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Looking for firsthand experiences from those who may have used one of these.

This will be purchased as "insurance" rather than as a means to regularly transport the bike.

I like the idea of having this in the garage and being able to call the wife and have her toss this in the back of the car and come meet me if I break down. I'm rarely more than 15 miles from the house when riding.

What got me was the "no frills, no fuss" line. This looks like thick welded steel and not trying to be something it's not.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-...ck-/172003214671?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275
 
Hi Pete,
looks great for, like you say, the short haul.
Only disadvantage is if your breakdown is anything that's rear wheel related you are still stuck waiting for a full trailer or a "Bro with truck".
 
Coconut,
You might be better off with one of (several manufacturers) the motorcycle haulers that sits your bike sideways, with both wheels off the ground.
 
Hi Tebo,
as the crosswise hauler supports the entire bike rather than just it's front end Pete best be sure that his car and it's hitch socket can cope with that ~500 lb load.
I have seen a big ol' Harley strapped to a crosswise hauler but the hauling vehicle was a 2-ton Detroit land-barge with (hopefully) a sturdy enough hitch socket.
I'd be worried trying to strap a full-sized bike onto a Japanese mid-size, HSLA steel or no.
 
Last edited:
Sideways carrier = no dice. I drive a VW Golf and the hitch is on a Toyota Sienna. It'll pull 3500lbs but I am NOT going to even consider putting a sideways carrier on it.

Yes, I have read those other threads, but besides Daddy G, nobody in those threads have actually ever used one of these carriers which is why I'm fishing for feedback.

Good point about rear-wheel related trouble Fred. I'm willing to chance it as I have refurbed the wheels and am running new bearings/tires/tubes etc. I haven't been through the engine yet, so that's the question mark.
 
CoconutPete said:
- - - Good point about rear-wheel related trouble Fred. I'm willing to chance it as I have refurbed the wheels and am running new bearings/tires/tubes etc. I haven't been through the engine yet, so that's the question mark.
Click to expand...

Hi Pete,
it's that MY last "fetch-it-home" WAS rear wheel related (stock swingarm pivot bolt failure)
and if it wasn't for tubeless tires & fix-a-flat my next two breakdowns would have been also (nail in rear tire)
And yes, engines can have sudden failures but getting a nail in a tire is far more common.
 
CoconutPete said:
Looking for firsthand experiences from those who may have used one of these.

This will be purchased as "insurance" rather than as a means to regularly transport the bike.

I like the idea of having this in the garage and being able to call the wife and have her toss this in the back of the car and come meet me if I break down. I'm rarely more than 15 miles from the house when riding.

What got me was the "no frills, no fuss" line. This looks like thick welded steel and not trying to be something it's not.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-...ck-/172003214671?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275
Click to expand...

I used a homebrew version of that to transport a bike from the UK to Ireland, a road distance of ~ 500 miles. One thing to remember, is take the chain off. I didn't, and I was lucky I didn't wreck the bike gearbox.
 
I've made 1 of those years ago and the major hold up with them is the wife's car has to have a trailer hitch on it !
if it had a trailer hitch I could just use my sisters bike trailer and be done with it.... so it wound up being cut up for something else I was making
never did use it for real just in the driveway and it looked to work real slick but as Fred mentioned about 75% of the time the rear wheel is effected so you can't roll it on the rear wheel and you best not put the back wheel in the wheel holder and try to strap the handle bars because when you turn it will turn the wheel and the bike will go wonky ! ..... maybe if the tie downs were tight enough it would work but I don't fancy seeing the bike tumbling behind me at 50 mph ! in the rear view mirror !
in short..... ( I know too late) Yes they work and work good but I had to drill holes in my bumper and put in Eye bolts for the tie down straps
and I could only use it on my truck.... and if I had the truck I had the ramps too...so what was the point ! LOL
a common problem with these things is the users do not compress the forks to the max and they bounce and get loose or worse shed a tie down and fall over......
......
Bob.........
 
I use to make them and used them a lot. The only downside is you can't back up because bike will not. I used it to pickup bikes that broke down and if you go to a metal place you can buy some channel and bend it and make one up for less than $30.00. I used the car or truck to tie the tie downs. I was just thinking about building another . I towed a sportster from Phila to FL with one and worked great. Mine were just a little more stronger but same design front wheel tow. I had one at shop and one in wifes car and boy did I save my legs. Just called wife HAHA
 
CoconutPete said:
Looking for firsthand experiences from those who may have used one of these.

This will be purchased as "insurance" rather than as a means to regularly transport the bike.

I like the idea of having this in the garage and being able to call the wife and have her toss this in the back of the car and come meet me if I break down. I'm rarely more than 15 miles from the house when riding.

What got me was the "no frills, no fuss" line. This looks like thick welded steel and not trying to be something it's not.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-...ck-/172003214671?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275
Click to expand...
yeah I saw these on ebay a few years ago and ordered up some box tubing to make my own as they cost 2-3x that in the UK.
never used one but they look great for a short haul recovery and they just fit in your boot .........sorry trunk
For that price it has to be worth a punt Pete
 
Indeed!

...and yes, I'd guess that the bottom would be bumpy with all those sunken ships from WW-I & II....:(
 
yah ...makes for a long bumpy ride , just make sure your heater works real good as it gets real cold trying to find your way around the deep trenches down there ! .....:laughing:
....
Bob......
 
Okie said:
40+ years ago, friend of mine made one like this, hooked on the back of his VW bug. Removed the chain and towed his 650 BSA from Texas to Pennsylvania no problem.
Click to expand...

good point about removing the chain. thats the one thing I'd worry about on any sort of distance having the gearbox final driveshaft constantly meshed or the gearshift getting knocked or jarred into gear whilst in motion
 
Yeah - I guess I'd remove the chain for towing too - but on the other hand, what's the difference? If you were riding the bike, the chain and gearbox would see exactly the same number of revolutions, except that they would be transmitting 10-20 HP at highway speeds. While towing, they are running essentially unloaded. I'd just want to make sure that the chain was lubed and that the gearshift wasn't liable to be knocked.

On the other hand, when towing an automatic transmission car, the OEMs always recommend disconnecting the driveshaft or using a dolly. The reason is that those transmissions have a pump that runs whenever the engine is operating and that pump circulates the working fluid throughout the transmission which cools and lubricates it. Motorcycles don't have any sort of pump for the transmissions (perhaps with the exception of the Hondamatics that Uncle Soichiro and his Merry Band built back in the 70-80's timeframe). The lubrication of the gearbox is generally all "splash" in a bike as far as I know (could be wrong though).
 
and with the bike going UP hill all the time most of the oil is settled in the transmission so the oil is deeper at that angle....
but Personally I would pull the chain for anything over 10 miles..... but that's just me !
.....
Bob.......
 

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