CeesHofman Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) Okay - so I have gone through some of the posts on the page about people wanting to haul their motorcycles on the back of their toyhome... I don't mean to bring this back up - BUT, does anyone know exactly how much weight can be placed on one of these things? I am REALLY hoping to put Honda Trail 90 on the back of my 1989 Odyssey. This motorcycle is amazingly small and weighs in at about 170 some lbs... that coupled with a 50 lb hitch rack, would put me at about 220 lbs. Is this still over the limit? I know that a trailer would be the safest option, but I am not into having one of those dragging behind me as I plan on living in it full time for a good 6/7 months as I do a whole country loop. It is to tempting to just throw a hitch rack on the back and 'test' it. Is this a bad idea? What is the best way to reinforce the hitch? Has anyone drawn up plans/done this before and would be willing to shed some light on my problem? Thanks! Edited February 26, 2015 by CeesHofman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Okay - so I have gone through some of the posts on the page about people wanting to haul their motorcycles on the back of their toyhome... I don't mean to bring this back up - BUT, does anyone know exactly how much weight can be placed on one of these things? I am REALLY hoping to put Honda Trail 90 on the back of my 1989 Odyssey. This motorcycle is amazingly small and weighs in at about 170 some lbs... that coupled with a 50 lb hitch rack, would put me at about 220 lbs. Is this still over the limit? I know that a trailer would be the safest option, but I am not into having one of those dragging behind me as I plan on living in it full time for a good 6/7 months as I do a whole country loop. It is to tempting to just throw a hitch rack on the back and 'test' it. Is this a bad idea? What is the best way to reinforce the hitch? Has anyone drawn up plans/done this before and would be willing to shed some light on my problem? Thanks! The ideal.png I've easily got 200 extra lbs. on my back bumper on my 21' 1988 Toyota Minicruiser. I also added near an extra 100 lbs. in steel to reinforce the back and add a receiver hitch. I can see where it can hurt a thing as long as the RV still handles well and isn't dragging the ground. Neat little bike. I still have a Honda CT70 and a CL175 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverman77 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) I've easily got 200 extra lbs. on my back bumper on my 21' 1988 Toyota Minicruiser. I also added near an extra 100 lbs. in steel to reinforce the back and add a receiver hitch. I can see where it can hurt a thing as long as the RV still handles well and isn't dragging the ground. Neat little bike. I still have a Honda CT70 and a CL175 . I may be totally incorrect about my following thoughts, because I don't know Odyssey's at all. But, if your Odyssey rear bumper is anything like my '88 Dolphin rear bumper/poop tube holder, I wouldn't mount anything larger than a bicycle mount. My rear bumper is nothing more than a thin gage steel square tube to store the poop tube and secured on by only a couple of small welds. Maybe your Odyssey was built much more sturdier than mine. If you're not sure, you may wish to drive it into your nearest trailer hitch welding shop and ask their opinion/quote. Back in the 60's, my Dad purchased our '67 CT-90 brand new for $399. We hauled it around on every camping trip on our Aloha camp trailer (solid rear bumper) using the same motorcycle tire mounts that is in your photo. Those were some of the best camping memories, from way back in my childhood! ~Riverman77 Edited February 27, 2015 by Riverman77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverman77 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Okay - so I have gone through some of the posts on the page about people wanting to haul their motorcycles on the back of their toyhome... I don't mean to bring this back up - BUT, does anyone know exactly how much weight can be placed on one of these things? I am REALLY hoping to put Honda Trail 90 on the back of my 1989 Odyssey. This motorcycle is amazingly small and weighs in at about 170 some lbs... that coupled with a 50 lb hitch rack, would put me at about 220 lbs. Is this still over the limit? I know that a trailer would be the safest option, but I am not into having one of those dragging behind me as I plan on living in it full time for a good 6/7 months as I do a whole country loop. It is to tempting to just throw a hitch rack on the back and 'test' it. Is this a bad idea? What is the best way to reinforce the hitch? Has anyone drawn up plans/done this before and would be willing to shed some light on my problem? Thanks! The ideal.png Woops! I really meant to quote this post. Read my reply comment above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I don't regard the weight-carry ability to be the issue. It's more of a "too much leverage" issue. The back of a 21 foot Toyota RV extends so far past the rear axle - any weight put in back has a lot of leverage to pull weight off the front and have a bad effect on handling. The shorter Chinooks with lighter axles are rated for 1000 lb. trailers. If you can build a platform on the back bumper area to hold your bike, you have no danger of weight overload. Worse that can happen is the RV will get more front-end wander. With that little bike, I doubt you'll notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee & Joan Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I have seen ads from a couple of companies that sell a tiny trailer with swivel wheels so you can backup without jackknifing. Essentially they mount the platform to the entire bumper, then put the crazy wheels under that. This would take a good part of the weight off the bumper framework, let you back up without worry, and be much shorter than a trailer. They show 700 # + Harleys on the thing so the 90 would be like nothing. I have a CT90, my first bike, ah the memories. Saw this ad in Motorhome magazine. here is a site with many sizes http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html, the little 4X6 footer would be big enough http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel46.html I have seen them much cheaper than these so do some web searches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee & Joan Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Here is another source www.idahotote.com I know there is at least one other ad I have seen besides this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmowrey Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I have an 85 Dolphin. Not sure how it compares to the Odysssey. We have a spare tire, a bike rack on which we carry two bikes, and a small wooden platform I built to carry my leveling blocks, and we carry two chairs and a small light-weight table bungied to our ladder in the back. All told, I figure that's about 200 lbs. hanging off the back. We look a little like the Beverly Hillbillies, but We haven't noticed any difference in handling or power with the addition of this much weight. Qualifications: We have had our leaf springs re-arched (and one new one per side added). Our bumper is heavily reinforced with a towing port that has large supports welded forward into the frame. (which probably adds even more weight!). The previous owner obviously towed something....the tail lights have a trailer wiring harness connected. But I don't know what they towed. We have reduced weight by removing the cast iron mechanism for the sofa inside (30 lbs) and we removed the drop down step (17 lbs) because we use a two-step plastic step which is safer and lighter. We also removed our stove and replaced it with a cook top and some wire pull-out shelving units for a net weight loss of 20 lbs. I can't imagine trying to tow anything. Not just for weight, but for driving, and especially for stopping considerations. The brakes aren't designed to stop this kind of load as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 . Not just for weight, but for driving, and especially for stopping considerations. The brakes aren't designed to stop this kind of load as it is. The braking-thing is the one aspect that would NOT worry me. Just need a trailer with good electric brakes and a controller mounted in the RV (unless the trailer has a surge-brake controller). It's the trailer-tongue weight pushing on the rear, that would be a big concern since it's so far behind the rear-axle. Second to that is the load on the engine and transmission. Both are pretty overworked with NO trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I have a 1982 Honda C70, Passport I plan to carry on the back of my 87' Dolphin. I have already replaced the tin foil bumper with a heavy gauge steel bumper with integral receiver. I plan to beef up my supports to the frame. Now I'm looking for a lightweight suitable carrier for the scooter. I am looking at a Harbor Freight, aluminum, handicap scooter carrier. It may take a little modification due to my Honda wheelbase. Can anyone suggest an aluminum carrier option that works well for a C70? For you folks who are carrying scooters, what are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyoGuy Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Mines on a bicycle rack.(Couldn't resist ) What the hell,... 25 mph, 225 mpg, Approx. 18-20 lbs. Can't figure out why the guys wearing colors on Harleys don't wave back . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Mines on a bicycle rack.(Couldn't resist ) What the hell,... 25 mph, 225 mpg, Approx. 18-20 lbs. Can't figure out why the guys wearing colors on Harleys don't wave back . SubaruCycle.JPG I had one of those once upon a time (Honda power). It worked great. Unfortunately my wife (sr. citizen) refuses to ride on the handlebars or on top of the motor. (Maybe I could mount a sidecar or pull her in a small trailer)! Our C70 seats two, goes 35-40 mph, and gets over 100 mpg. That's wasteful mileage compared to yours but sometimes we like to live extravagantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 My uncle had one of those one wheeled trailers back in the 60's. He had a hard time keeping a tire on that trailer. The tire would sometimes shake and tear the tread up. I hope that they have figured out a stabilizer for the wheel pivot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Just be aware that most (2/3?) of the weight of one of those single wheeled trailers is designed to be on the back bumper/hitch, vs ~1/10 tongue weight for a 2 wheeled trailer so you're not gaining that much. IMHO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee & Joan Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I found a couple of other swivel wheel trailer outlets some of them are dual wheel. http://www.toy-tote.com/ http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html Personally I went with the biggest Harbor Freight 4X8 Trailer, put my motorcycle on it (Honda XR250) Then moved the bike front to back to attain 45 # of tongue weight and placed a permanent front wheel "shoe" at that point so the bike always ties down at the same tongue weight. A lot of the problem with adding weight to the minimally supported rear subframe behind the axle is from the weight when it bounces up and down like going over a speed bump. A 300 pound bike hammering down on an extended lever puts a lot of torque on that subframe. A trailer pivots on the ball so it can't apply that much leverage, and the weight is taken up mostly on the trailer wheels. Braking and acceleration is like having another 400# on board to pull up hills or slow down. Can't figure out why the guys wearing colors on Harleys don't wave back . They don't wave back when I'm on my dual sport motorcycle either... It would be like the guy in the $500,000+ "Foretravel" waving to a Toyota Dolphin driver This guy would probably wave no matter what you got... Cowboy Built Motorcycle Carrier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mh1-ZPNMOM If you don't really use your bathroom or kitchen that much just install one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC29LmAk9HQ here is the ultimate low tech device, just don't let it pop in gear, I have seen these pull into very off road campsites, but it will use up your tire faster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUuszQxJEE as above $399 free shipping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSna6D5R6PQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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