Tow, Tow, Tow your bike safely down the highway?

[SlickRick]

Hi people with "old" bikes.

I have had an experience recently with my bike needed to be towed back home. It would of cost a lot of $$! So first I thought a trailer, ok, but someone has to get it and hook it up to get it to you. Then I saw on the web what I think is the answer for me.
You can tow your bike. It is a receiver you hook up to your hitch and you hook up your front tire and strap it in and tow. Sounds perfect for me, keep it in the van at all times.
Also there is one the can haul your entire bike sideways on the hitch.
What experiences have you had with these above mention items or your thoughts on them?
Thanks

 

[vfost]

I have seen the one where you put your bike sideways on a platform that goes into the hitch. These seem very popular on motorhomes. I would assume this is because it doesnt increase an already very long vehicle.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Hi people with "old" bikes.... a receiver you hook up to your hitch and you hook up your front tire and strap it in and tow. Sounds perfect for me, keep it in the van at all times.
Also there is one the can haul your entire bike sideways on the hitch....

I bought a similar rig for my KS1A-250 in 1974 - though it was a bumper mount - with a cradle for the front wheel. I made the mistake of not testing it before I bought it and not testing it before I went to use it for my 2 week vacation. Couldn't get it to work without putting a terrific sideways strain on the front rim. We didn't have the fantastic ratcheting tie-down straps in those days though. I would imagine that a couple of those might have made it work.
Consider also whether to use the straps to compress the forks all the way down - or, do you also buy one of those rigs which pushes the forks all the way out and prevents them from compressing? If you do neither, then the front suspension will work on every bump and the straps will loosen and tighten allowing sideways pressure on the rim.
I also considered one of those sideways hitch-mounted rigs with the ramps this year. It was being used for a Fly150. It needed a HD receiver big enough for a 2" square shaft. So check those kind of specs to make sure your van has a big enough one.

Have you considered a deluxe "AAA" membership? They will tow you pretty far with one of those.

 

[SlickRick]

Hi guys.

I do have towing but only for like five miles. If you real far away the wait may be eternal and you still have to get it home. A trailer was my next choice but the van may not be near the trailer and it needs to be hooked up. I would prefer to have a sideways hitch and get the whole bike up off the road. But for price, quickness, and it would be inside the van all the time I'am thinking best all around piece of mind.

So how about the rest of you guys out there who have broken down a long way from home. What was your solution to break down?
Anybody else have a bike hitch that they have used.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Lou Ranger]

I do have towing but only for like five miles. If you real far away the wait may be eternal and you still have to get it home. A trailer was my next choice but the van may not be near the trailer and it needs to be hooked up. I would prefer to have a sideways hitch and get the whole bike up off the road. But for price, quickness, and it would be inside the van all the time I'am thinking best all around piece of mind.

So how about the rest of you guys out there who have broken down a long way from home. What was your solution to break down?
Anybody else have a bike hitch that they have used.

Short of getting rid of your van in favour of something like this: (http://jalopnik.com/5905722/meet-the-entrepreneur-who-hauls-motorcycles-with-a-prius),
here are a couple more considerations for the towing cradle:

• It would probably be a great idea to use only for towing it home when you break down and, like carrying an umbrella virtually guarantees that it will not rain, having this rig in the back of your van will probably guarantee you will never break down.
• If you do, like car crash stats, the odds are it will be close enough to home that you wouldn't need to worry about the chain turning the tranny over in neutral. If you can keep the bike vertical with straps there should be no problem over short distances.
• Having the front wheel up & tilting the bike back would keep oil high in the rear of the crankcase.
• If the odds go against you and you needed to use it for a long haul, you could always disconnect the chain.
• Make sure the pipe tips don't drag.
• You could use forward straps between the tow rig and the seat handles or crash bar to help reduce any load on the fork tubes being used as the point of acceleration for the load behind (opposite to the normal direction and angle). Maybe for long hauls only?

AAA - my brother-in-law lives in WI and his AAA has a $28/yr "PLUS" upgrade which gives him multiple free towing up to 100 miles. He says there is a $58 "Premium" upgrade which would give you 1 x 200 mile tow a year and 100 miles for others. He goes with the $28 option figuring if he ever needed to be towed more than 100 miles, it would be better to just pay the per mile rate for the overage than to pay $30 every year. So far he's way ahead.

 

[drewpy]

my insurance covers me for breakdown within Europe. Its comes with the insurance free!

to technically I can break down in the Ukraine and they take me back home to the UK.

 

[SlickRick]

Hi fellow old bike owners.

Thanks for all the good info on this.

I have seen a bike trailer, too much $$. I am not sure yet on the side mount. Have not had enough feed back on these. I am surprised that not more people have responded to this question. Simply because it must be daily thing that lots of bikes break down.
As far as insurance goes, in the long run it would cost more than to get a towing receiver. Also I have had to wait a lot of hours for them to get there.

I believe the towing one has straps for the front forks to be tied down.

Anybody else want to chime in their opinions. Thanks

 

[HoughMade]

Why would you assume that there are a lot of breakdowns? Test the bike close to home and once it's sorted, chances are it will not strand you. My bike has never stranded me.

...that being said, when I needed to take it for a VIN inspection, it fit in the back of our minivan with the seats out. Also, I own a new Silverado...but the bike has never been in it.

If you are talking about something like this, seems like it should work for emergencies, but I wouldn't want to take a long trip with it like that:

http://www.prohoists.com/shopping.idc?productid=35

 

[Lou Ranger]

...that being said, when I needed to take it for a VIN inspection, it fit in the back of our minivan with the seats out...

Ahh, memories. In 1971, I would take the passenger-side front seat out of my '64 Morris 1100 and drive the 69 Honda S65 in through the driver-side rear door and make a partial left.
Took it lots of places with me - but could only take a date if she was willing to sit in the back on the passenger side.

If the rig I foolishly bought in 1974 had been half as good as the one in HoughMade's pic, I wouldn't have hesitated to use it for the 120 mile trip I had planned.
I can't recall though, whether the instructions called for disconnecting the chain or just running it in neutral with prayer.

 

[SlickRick]

Hi, yes that is what I am talking about. I had that unfortunate breakdown in heavy traffic and that experience compels me to have piece of mind while biking. It's like buying insurance, hope you don't have to use, BUT! For $130.00 it's cheap. Plus I would remove the chain for any long distance travel.

Thanks for the site. Right now I,am getting the bike road ready. Manometer test coming up!
Thanks, SR

 

[bentwrench]

CAA in Canada - $107 for the Plus membership gives you up to 200 kilometres of towing (which is like, a million miles in Imperial).

Alternatively, U-Haul has a bike trailer that costs $15 a day when you know you need to tow. As long as you have a trailer hitch, it's a good option.

 

[SlickRick]

Hi,

That's another idea to think about getting a Uhaul. My thought on getting it inside a van would involve a long ramp and an inside wench (electric w/ remote) mounted to floor of van (kind of like one on a boat trailer).

Thanks for more input. Boy you guys have some trusty bikes out there.

 

[drewpy]

CAA in Canada - $107 for the Plus membership gives you up to 200 kilometres of towing (which is like, a million miles in Imperial).

.

124 miles? might as well get the bus home

 

[SlickRick]

Thanks,

The inside van one idea was part being funny... Besides I have a windsheid on mine and has other prohibitive gear on it, so not practical.
I will try ebay and such, see if somebody has one they wished they never bought because they never had to use it. If you guys happen to find one used on line please send it to me.

Thanks and happy biking.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Boy you guys have some trusty bikes out there.

More like trusty wives (or mothers) who would hop in a van equipped with ramps and winches and come to our rescue if we strayed outside the 124 mile limit.
Or, in my case, I have yet to venture farther from home than 124 miles.
When I ran out of ALL gas on Canada D'eh (a quarter mile short of the gas station), my son had to bring me enough to complete the trek. Not a breakdown, just an embarrassment.

 

[SlickRick]

Yea, There was a time when I went more than a hundred miles and never thought of breakdown. It is when the situation happen that the only solution was to get the home. That is why I need piece of mind when I am far enough and cannot fix problem on the road, which I have done in the past. I found one that I really liked, had a mini ramp to get tire into hitch. Still looking for one.

Thanks for the info. Happy long rides to all.