Thoughts on motorcycle hitch carriers?

I used my hitch carrier on my wife's Tiguan for vacation and it was perfectly fine, haven't needed to use it on my truck yet.

For sure cross brace the ends of the carrier, I also bought a little anti-wobble thing for the receiver that helped a ton, solid af

 

That is a very yellow motorcycle.

Heckin' day-glow safety vest tennis ball yellow.

 

lmao, I was gonna get the black one but being that its so small, I wanted to give myself ample opportunity of being seen so I don't get smushed.

 

Yessir. That OG Monkey is as cool as it gets.

 

One of my reasons for having the hitch carrier is ferries (the photo I posted is on a ferry.) This truck with the motorcycle on the hitch carrier is *exactly* 20ft long, and is therefore the same price as any other vehicle.
A motorcycle here costs 50% of what the truck does on the ferry, so I might as well bring it along if it is free, and I may use it.
As for real truck bros. saying that I should use the truck bed and a ramp, I could really care less what other people think. I'd prefer to not have a motorcycle come off a ramp and fall on me. YMMV.

 

I was helping a friend pickup a motorcycle and it was mildly moist out. Trying to walk it up the ramps was almost a fail with three people. The old, hard tires were having none of the traction.

 

I really need to get one of these hitch carriers for my mini bike. Its a pain to put it up into the bed and doesnt fit in there with my ice fishing gear.

 

That’s when sumo springs would definitely come into play limiting and sag

What hitch carrier did you go with? And the grom held up fine? The carrier I’m looking at has the anti wobble but could you help me out on the cross bracing you mention, Im having trouble picturing it in my head

didnt think of that but I’m still looking for the dark grey- it looks to be a pretty damn close match to mgm

 

I use the Black Widow SMC-600R with the firestone airbags on the back of my truck and it works great w/ my TE300. That being said, I want the Ultimate MX Hauler because as others have mentioned, once you are on the dirt roads the Black Widow bounces around a lot. It is also heavy as can be to mount on the truck. It is secure though with my TE which doesn't weigh much. It was cheap on Amazon with free shipping.

This is my hitch hauler, I use a locking bolt to secure it to the hitch. I also secure the bike with a locking chain through the frame, although I won't leave it long with that even.

$307 Black Widow Motorcycle Hitch Carrier Heavy Duty Steel and Aluminum Extra Long 6FT Loading Ramp 600 lb. Capacity Anti-Rattle Included Fits 2" Receiver

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M3ODTC?ie=UTF8

I use one of these cheapies from amazon for the forks.

$14 Pit Posse PP106 Motorcycle Dirt Bike Fork Saver Support Guards Suspension Protector Seal Springs Brace - Large 10.5" L - Motocross Accessories

https://www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Motocross-Support-Suspension/dp/B000UHDUQE?keywords=kkmoon+fork+saver&qid=1643806351&sr=8-4&th=1

These are really high quality and I can't say enough good things about them and their ease of use as far as straps go.

$50 Pro Taper 1.5" Tie Downs (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XIP942?ie=UTF8

This the anti-wobble device I use, not sure how much it helps.

$14 Hitch Tightener for 1.25" and 2" Hitches LIBERRWAY 304 Stainless Steel Hitch Tightener Anti-Rattle Stabilizer Rust-Free Heavy Duty Lock Down Easy Installation Quiet

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KZ25Y26?ie=UTF8

This is the hitch lock.

$17 Elemake Trailer Hitch Lock - Trailer Hitch Pin 5/8" for Class III IV 2'' and 2-1/2'' Receivers, Heavy Duty Anti-Theft Trailer Receiver Hitch Pin with Brass Core Locking, Weatherproof Cap

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DNWHQB3?ie=UTF8

This is what I think I will upgrade to soon.
https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/ultimate-mx-hauler-motorcycle-carrier-p

 

Do you secure it to the frame of the truck?


Any fears of using the toilet after a ride?

 

Pro tip: after the bike is on the hitch mounted carrier, PUT THE BIKE IN GEAR! (Trust me.)

 

I've never seen those hand guards, they are super beefy.

 

Interesting. I'm guessing that you have a tray type? If so, very good advice.

Mine is a ladder type where the wheels drop through.

 

https://www.highwaydirtbikes.com/

 

just put a strap diagonally from each corner of the carrier to the opposite back corner of your truck, like an X. It''ll keep it from swaying side to side.

My Grom was completely fine back there, no issues whatsoever. I got that carrier from a friend of mine, I believe its an old Harbor Freight deal, pretty heavy though since its all steel.

 

if you're a worrier like me you can get a full steel one like mine and have complete confidence on all types of terrain definitely over kill for a little vespa. i would suggest buying the light weight ones like others have posted and get something to clamp down on the hitch receiver so it doesn't wobble. always check your straps after driving for a few km, and make sure to load the suspension on the bike a little so its real tight for those surprise bumps <3

p.s. i always enjoyed the secure feeling of motorcycles in the bed of the truck, if thats an option for you just get a ramp, a milk crate and be done !

 

I had one for a couple years before I cut it up for my overland trailer. Its runs the name "Black Widow" and is damn cheap, made well, and the main frame that holds the bike is aluminum. Weighs wayyy less than the all steel ones. And as awkward they are to take on an off and move around, you'll be happy you went alum.

 

I've used a few different options to haul my dual sport.

Specific to the OP, I think a lot of the tray carriers are not recommended for a scooter due to the length and weight distribution of a scooter compared to a regular motorcycle. I'd call the manufacturer and ask about this before buying. The Joe Hauler rack I originally used specifically warned against carrying scooters over 300lbs.


When I still had an open bed my preference was to carry the moto up there. Easy to run it up a ramp and strap it down with tailgate closed, and the truck carries it much better than on a hitch carrier. But I put a camper on the truck last year so that's no longer an option. I couldn't lower the tailgate with a moto on the Joe Hauler I originally had, so I looked at other options. Every option has tradeoffs. I'll probably keep both styles of carrier and use whichever one will works best for the trip I'm planning.


Last year I bought a Switch Hauler https://www.alljackedupinc.com/. With the 3" drop tongue option and kinking the tailgate cables slightly, I am able to fully lower the tailgate when the carrier is lowered. No other competitors model I looked at allowed this (post up if you know of one). Mountain bike lived inside the canopy. Good for weather protection and security, but lowering the carrier to retrieve the mountain bike and put it back each ride got old after a few months. This carrier also had bad ground clearance with the drop tongue, sitting about 6" below the receiver so it would smack on rough roads and coming out of driveways. No ramp needed to load the moto, so doing so takes less space.



Recently I decided to try a Versahaul with a MTB rack plugged into the rear receiver. Better ground clearance than the Switch hauler despite its longer length. More convenient access to the MTB. The downside is I cannot open the rear hatch or tailgate without unloading the moto completely. I normally climb into the camper via the top of the tailgate anyways and I can access gear through the side doors, so that isn't a big deal. So far so good, but I've only tested it on local rides so far.

 

How bad is the sway and sag? Looks like my Vespa weighs about 350lbs. I should be under the 640lb tongue weight rating. Is there down rating due to the cantilevered loading?

The jack-up frame mounts are interesting. Will have to see if that works out for a Vespa.

 

Here is the table for cantilever hitch loading.