A crazy trailer, a crazy salvage bike

[SwampNut]

 

https://www.rideapart.com/news/730480/motorcycle-trailer-diy-custom-build/

 

https://www.rideapart.com/news/673657/million-views-wrecked-honda-tranformation/

 

 

[jon haney]

And a crazy guy building them.  Did you see the front-wheel drive/rear-steer bicycle he built?  Pretty much unrideable.

His stuff is good for YT likes, but not really practical, except the trailer, maybe.  I say "maybe", because how much trouble is a small ramp, really?  I'd rather have less weight and fewer moving parts.

[SwampNut]

Well, I did include "crazy" a couple of times for a reason, lol.

 

On another crazy level, I've considered a single-wheel trailer for the bike.  Make it only hinge horizontally.

[superhawk996]

5 hours ago, SwampNut said:

On another crazy level, I've considered a single-wheel trailer for the bike.

I have too.  And when the thought has popped in my head I've thought "I should google that" and never do.

[SwampNut]

9 minutes ago, superhawk996 said:

I have too.  And when the thought has popped in my head I've thought "I should google that" and never do.

 

It's fairly impossible since it comes up with the common single wheel trailers to tow behind a bike.

 

Theory:  Two tires very close would actually be less stable than one single tire.  Either solves the storage and slim size desire.

 

 

 

[Zero Knievel]

I don’t see springs on that build.

 

Part of why my folding trailer isn’t a keeper is that the frame is hard mounted to the axle.  Every vibration gets passed to the bike.  This makes strapping down a challenge because the bike’s suspension gets all the work…damaging the tie down straps needlessly.  The later generation of the same trailer has a leaf spring axle.  Every trailer I’ve used with a sprung axle never posed an issue with strapping down, nor did I have a strap fail like I experienced with the folding trailer.

[jon haney]

23 hours ago, SwampNut said:

On another crazy level, I've considered a single-wheel trailer for the bike.  Make it only hinge horizontally.

A friend of mine has had one of those for at least 15 years.  He bought it for his 2008 Hayabusa, and then modified the mount on the bike to fit his Road-Glide, which is almost the same color as the Busa was.  Other than feeling a little more weight, he says you hardly notice it's back there.  I could ask him the brand to see if they still make them.?

[jon haney]

On 10/7/2024 at 1:05 PM, SwampNut said:

On another crazy level, I've considered a single-wheel trailer for the bike.  Make it only hinge horizontally.

It's called a Uni-go.

https://www.unigotrailers.com/

 

 

 

[SwampNut]

Yeah I worded that confusingly.  A single-wheel trailer to put the bike ON, and tow behind a four-wheeled vehicle.

 

 

[ptxyz]

seen that type of trailer many years ago;

 

https://baxleycompanies.com/pages/trailers

[tomek]

On 10/7/2024 at 12:54 PM, jon haney said:

And a crazy guy building them.  Did you see the front-wheel drive/rear-steer bicycle he built?  Pretty much unrideable.

His stuff is good for YT likes, but not really practical, except the trailer, maybe.  I say "maybe", because how much trouble is a small ramp, really?  I'd rather have less weight and fewer moving parts.

Dude you are so out of date. Kinda obsolete, really. 😁

 Younger generations are totally into form over function. 

[superhawk996]

16 hours ago, SwampNut said:

Yeah I worded that confusingly.  A single-wheel trailer to put the bike ON, and tow behind a four-wheeled vehicle.

 

 

I was thinking something to tow behind the motorcycle also.

 

A U-joint or CV joint with a 2" tube to go into the truck hitch should work to keep it upright while allowing articulation.  Seems like it should be a fairly easy build.  It would be great if I had a couple complete driveshafts sitting in my scrap metal pile...oh yea, there they are.

[superhawk996]

On 10/8/2024 at 1:37 AM, Zero Knievel said:

I don’t see springs on that build.

 

Part of why my folding trailer isn’t a keeper is that the frame is hard mounted to the axle.  Every vibration gets passed to the bike.  This makes strapping down a challenge because the bike’s suspension gets all the work…damaging the tie down straps needlessly.  The later generation of the same trailer has a leaf spring axle.  Every trailer I’ve used with a sprung axle never posed an issue with strapping down, nor did I have a strap fail like I experienced with the folding trailer.

Holy shit!  I am so glad I didn't know that before hauling bikes on my unsprung bike trailer.  Now I have to make sure to forget this before I use it again, especially with the 800+ pound bikes as I'm sure those would eat straps in no time if I knew that suspension is the only way to keep from breaking them.  I guess the previous owner also didn't know, he would have been super fucked since he often towed it off-road.  

[CALCXX]

I think you guys should lose your Man Card.

[SwampNut]

2 hours ago, CALCXX said:

I think you guys should lose your Man Card.

 

I'm not sure if I was ever an age and level of stupidity to ride the XR to CA down I-10.

[jon haney]

18 hours ago, tomek said:

Dude you are so out of date. Kinda obsolete, really. 😁

 Younger generations are totally into form over function. 

Well, I'm certainly past my "best if used by" date, but not obsolete.  No one in my immediate or extended family can fix shit.  They need me.

"Form over function" equals "art-form", or basically useless.

 

[blackhawkxx]

1 hour ago, jon haney said:

No one in my immediate or extended family can fix shit.  They need me.

That can be a bad thing.  

[jon haney]

On 10/9/2024 at 3:03 PM, blackhawkxx said:

That can be a bad thing.  

Sometimes, but what doesn't kill me, makes me wiser/smarter.  Too old to get stronger.

Edited October 10, 2024 by jon haney