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Frequently Asked Questions Buying and Using the Moto Carrier |
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This looks like a great idea. What do I need to get started to tow my bike? The Harley is a big bike, and Moto Carrier will handle it perfectly. You need a solid tow vehicle and a Class II or III greater receiver. We recommend a truck or SUV to tow, although a big bike can be towed with a full size sedan if it has a well made receiver (Reese, Drawtite, or UHaul). Next you need three tie down straps. We offer them on my eBay store, or you can save a few dollars by buying them locally. Some HD dealers carry straps. If you have a windshield or fairing you may need a handlebar strap as well. We have those at my Ebay store. We recommend the optional loading ramp as well (also in our store). It helps a lot when loading a heavy bike. You don't need lights (in most states) because the bike is narrow enough for your tow car lights to be visible.
Moto Carrier has over 300+ happy customers world wide. Moto Carrier is nearly 'Bullet Proof' and is much easier to use than any trailer. The carrier is precision cut, jigged and MIG welded using hot rolled high tensile steel. On some of our photos, the carrier looks low, but it can be adjusted to any ride height. Usually 8-10 inches is best. The ride height of your bike can be adjusted by setting the tongue to the desired height on the Moto Carrier riser. A standard Class II (1 1/4") or Class III (2") receiver can be used. Just let us know which one you have when you order. If your receiver is lower than 10" or higher than 19" let us know. For $30 extra, we can custom build a special tongue or riser to fit your ride height needs.
Moto Carrier is built in the U.S., and all the welds are lap, butt, and fillet welds using a 175 amp MIG machine. There are no spot welds. The tongue is the highest stress point, and it is double braced with fillet plates. We have not done a finite element analysis on the carrier, but we did do static load tests in excess of 3,000 lbs. We did not test to failure, because we could not locate enough weight to apply to load the carrier to failure. Three hundred plus carriers have been deployed to customers over the last 2 years, and an estimated 100,000+ highway miles have yielded no field failures. Moto Carrier is a pretty elegant design for something as mundane as a tow bar. Most people are impressed with the craftsmanship and simple design when they see it. Our eBay ad has better photos and more photos than any of the competing carriers that we have seen. We have tried to provide enough photos for the user to see how it works.
Do you make a light kit, so I can tow my bike at night? In most states lights are NOT required! Most states have a similar Vehicle Code to what you see below for California. One of my customers in California was told by a Highway Patrolman that he needed lights. The patrolman was mistaken. If you are concerned, look up your local regs, print a hardcopy, and carry it with you. Be polite if pulled over. Tell the officer you have copy of the regs to show them, before you reach for your notes. -------------- California Vehicle Code Section 24605: Whenever any motor vehicle is towing another motor vehicle, stoplamps and turn signal lamps are not required on the towed motor vehicle, but only if a stoplamp and a turn signal lamp on each side of the rear of the towing vehicle is plainly visible to the rear of the towed vehicle. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24605.htm
What tips do you have for a newbie, who has not towed a bike before? Your Tie Down Straps should be hooked to solid and wide tie down points on your tow vehicle. Usually you can hook under your bumper, a bumper brace, or somewhere on the frame of your car or receiver. Put the tow vehicle in street in the direction you want to go, and then drive the bike onto the carrier. Before you drive the bike on, have your tie down straps connected to the tow vehicle and laying on the ground near the carrier. When you dismount, the straps will be easy to reach to connect to your bars. When you drive the front wheel onto the carrier simply use a little throttle to push the wheel in and then hit your kill switch. This will keep the bike fairly stable as you dismount. Be sure to always hang on to one of the handlebars. Use the tie down ratchets to compress the forks about 2". Put the bike in Neutral (double check it). Wherever possible, make wider turns instead of tight turns. Avoid Cul de Sacs and circular driveways. Get a helper the first couple of times till you are confident with everything.
The Moto Carrier tow bar is 'non-hinged'. That means the bike chassis castors behind the tow vehicle. The hinge point is the bike steering head. The bike will naturally lean as you turn, but no more than with your riding it. Having said that, you should still be careful not to make tight turns or back up when towing your bike. The same rules would apply if you towed the bike on a small trailer. You could buy a hinged carrier or a standard trailer, and use that. A few problems with that however: 1) They are too heavy to lug around. A five foot tall person can easily pick up Moto Carrier and store it away. 2) They have a lot of parts. Moto Carrier is a simple design with few parts. It is so strong, you could probably use it for a jack stand for a Motor Home and it would not flinch. 3) They are 3 to 5 times more expensive. The money you save with Moto Carrier will allow you to buy some nice leathers, or luggage for your bike. That makes better sense.
My bike is a Japanese bike. Why do I have to remove my chain to tow? Moto Carrier will handle any bike nicely. On a Japanese bike, the engine needs to run to get oil to the transmission output shaft and shift forks. Many riders have towed with the chain or shaft on with no problems (be sure it is in Neutral). The reason we think this works OK, is because when the front wheel is in the carrier, the oil moves to the back of the trans and covers the shafts. This is a non-issue for Harleys and Beemers. However, when towing a Japanese bike on the rear wheel, engine off, there is a chance the shaft and shift forks could run dry. So you might want to pull the chain. You can peel it away from the rear sprocket, and zip tie it to the swing arm or chain guard. That way, you don't have to pull the chain completely off. Some of our customers have been towing chain/shaft on by simply adding more oil to the crankcase. Once arrived, then they drain off the excess oil. On Japanese bikes with driveshafts, shaft removal is a big deal and not worth the time and expense. Some Japanese shaft bikes have separate oil reservoirs, and should be towable. You should ask your independent mechanic for an opinion on this. Here are some notes are on how to add a master link to an endless chain: Take a dremel tool or angle grinder with cutoff wheel, and grind the heads off two adjacent link pins on one link. Then pry off the link plate, and remove the link. To re-install the chain, use a master link. Be sure the clip is seated, and add silicon cement to the clip to secure it. Your dealer can also do this for you, or you can buy or borrow a chain tool, to make it easier. You actually don't have to completely remove the chain. Rotate the wheel so the master link is at the rear of the rear sprocket. Remove the master link. Then pull both chain ends forward, away from the sprocket. You may be able to ZIP tie the chain ends to the swing arm or chain guard. You need to secure them away from the sprocket. The wheel and sprocket need to rotate freely and clear of the chain. Then you are ready to tow.
What type of receiver hitch do I need to tow with my Moto Carrier? To tow you will need a Class II (1 ¼”) or Class III (2”) receiver or greater. The Class I is not recommended to support the leverage exerted by the bike and the Moto Carrier.
Can I tow my Sportster with my Camry? The Camry will pull the Sportster just fine. However, you must have a Class II or Class III receiver. A Class I is not strong enough. Check to see if the Camry already has 2 tie down loops on its chassis under the rear bumper. The tie down loops should be frame (unibody) mounted under the bumper, and as widely spaced as possible. We have a Highlander that has two that came from the factory. Some cars come with tie down loops and some do not. Do not use the safety chain loops that are on your receiver hitch. They are strong, but are not mounted wide enough to keep the bike stable. For a receiver hitch, we recommend a Reese, Drawtite, or UHaul (or a factory unit if they offer it). Some cars come with tie down loops on, but the receiver hitch install crew removes them to put the receiver hitch on. If this is the case, have them use longer bolts, and re-install the tie down hooks with the receiver. Or, hooks can be welded on. The UHaul guys don't weld, but most Reese / Drawtite shops can weld on some loops. Some guys won’t weld on loops because they are afraid of liability or warranty problems. So find a shop that wants your business, and have them weld or bolt loops on. You will also need a hitch pin and tie down straps. The auto parts stores have them, or you can order from our Ebay store.
How do I set the ride height for my new Moto Carrier? The tongue base plate has 4 bolts, and there are 14 adjustment holes on the riser. Simply pick the hole set that gives you 8-10 inches of height, put the bolts in and torque the nuts.
What about road hazards, like debris in the roadway? One of our customers hit a speed bump going fast (he is known in our community as being wild behind the wheel). His Moto Carrier hit the speed bump hard and received a big scrape on the bottom. His HD Softail rear wheel just bounced over it, with no damage or problems at all for the bike. If you hit a 4x4 or a step ladder in the road, there could be damage, but the same would occur if you had the bike on a trailer. Because the bike follows the centerline of the tow vehicle and not the tire tread line, it is unlikely that your tow car will throw any gravel onto your bike. There are always additional risks when towing something, but Moto Carrier has proven itself to be quite safe for motorcycles.
Can I tow my motorcycle behind my motorhome? Moto Carrier can be used with a motorhome. It would be best to have a coach with a rearview camera, so you can see your handlebars and tie down straps while traveling. Backing up is not recommended with a bike and motor home, but can be done if you are patient and have a rear view camera, or a knowledgeable spotter to help you.
How do I tie down my bike if I have a windshield or fairing? We recommend the Canyon Dancer handlebar strap. It is very useful if you need your tie down straps to clear a fairing or windshield. It is made from super heavy nylon web. The strap has wraps for your handlebar grips, and provides loops for your tie down hooks. This keeps the hooks off your handlebars, and the straps off your windshield. Some HD dealers also have straps or loops for this purpose. We offer the Canyon Dancer strap in our Ebay store if you need one.
The loading ramp is an extra cost option, do I really need one? You only need a ramp if you have a big bike or are small in stature. So, it's a personal choice. I use two wood blocks under my carrier, but many riders like the extra stability and confidence of the ramp. If your bike is above 550 lbs, a ramp is a good idea.
The bars on most bikes are designed to take several hundred lbs of load. The tie downs only need 60 to 100 lbs of tension to keep the bike stable and safe in the Moto Carrier. You can also tie down to the triple clamps on some bikes. When tying to your handlebars make sure the bar clamp is torqued to factory spec, and hook onto a spot where the tie down hook will not slip.
What if the carrier does not work out for me, can I return it? Restocking a returned unit impacts our production runs, so we can only refund $100 (total) of the original purchase price for a Moto Carrier, if it is returned in new condition, within 7 days of receipt. We have only had 4 out of 300+ returned, and that was due to tow vehicle and hitch problems, not the carrier.
Is Moto Carrier a legal way to tow my bike? This device is a Solid Tongue Non-Hinged Tow Bar. If properly used, it is Federal CFR Title 49, Sec 393.70 compliant, and is California Vehicle Code Sec 29003 & 24008 compliant. In most states lights for night travel are not required. This is because with a narrow trailer, the tow vehicle lights are still visible. If you learn of any exceptions to the above stuff, let me know, so we can post it here.
Does this add mileage to the bike, since the back tire is on the ground? The odometer should not add any miles when towing with the ignition off. Wear is minimal since there is no rider weight, or engine or braking torque on the rear wheel.
Trailer speed limit varies from state to state. Towing the bike would be the same as towing a trailer.
Many Moto Carrier customers have towed coast to coast. We know of several who have towed over 3,000 miles. The longest trip of which we know was 4,000 miles in 5 days. This was a trip from Pennsylvania to Florida, through Texas to Seattle, Washington. |
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