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towing a trailer

I remember you posting almost daily about that trip. What an adventure that was. I was rooting for you but ... wow! I still think of you when I see motorcycle clothes and helmets for sale at the Salvation army. Hope all is well.


Thanks Phred,I appreciate that ! I didn't have any support for either finding a welder or helping me with hooking-up the trailer from the seller,who seemed 'too busy' to hang-in there with me and be supportive;the man said "he was worried about liability".The man was decent(although weird and two-faced most of the time) that he allowed me to work and sleep(in a back bedroom:he's a type of 'church goer')on his property to get the GS450 running after sitting for over 10 years:he had some old tools plus he went with me to pick-up the trailer which had a vintage Skidoo MXZ snowmobile on it,I purchased the whole lot for $100 ! The man was busy running deliveries with his van as odd jobs the whole time I was there:I could have finished it up in a week with his support but ended-up spending 3+ weeks there at his property.. :rolleyes: That was a stressful time interacting with him,I wanted to leave but hung in there until(almost 4 weeks of verbal abuse from the guy! he kept saying passive-aggressive things to me,to cause me to argue with him :mad:)the project was finished.The journey on the bike with trailer back West was a 'cake walk' compared to living under the same roof with that man.. I had known him by long phone conversations over 2 years,purchasing parts,etc. and he came-across as being friendly??
I am SO Glad that this forum was available and member 'rusty bronco' plus another kind member Matt on this forum in Detroit came to my aid with a spare reg/rect And helmet for the journey(my regulator/rect gave-up on me on the way through Wyoming and that reg/rect was VERY useful to get me on my way,and the helmet Matt gave to me was an XL but had a shield:I still have it in storage)otherwise I might have had to deal with that situation over in St. Clair Shores just a little longer !
Yes,the trip back to my residence in Davis,CA. was an excellent Freedom Journey ;)
 
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I have never had a commercial "swivel hitch" on any of my trailers. To answer your question, I could put the bike on the side stand (so it's leaning a bit to the left), then lift the left-side trailer wheel far enough for the trailer body to touch the ground on the right. WAY more than enough. By the time the hitch would start to restrict any leaning, your bike would already be low-siding.

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Steve,did you mount the hitch-ball high purposely with washers/spacers so that it wouldn't bind-up with the trailer hitch while leaning ?
 
made this trailer out of a 650 frame. The neck is the tripe tree to allow for full rotation.

67310268_10219612433964171_1160957083474984960_o.jpg


V
 
No one is off the 650 and the other a 550 I believe. The axel is cantilevered and not quite independent suspension. I did have to move the axel back 6” after I got home.

V
 
What are the ramifications or regulations of towing a trailer? License plate, lights?
 
Steve,did you mount the hitch-ball high purposely with washers/spacers so that it wouldn't bind-up with the trailer hitch while leaning ?
No, just mounted "normally", much like the picture that Gustov shows.


What are the ramifications or regulations of towing a trailer? License plate, lights?
Just the same as if you have a trailer behind your car. :-k

Some states do not require trailer license plates. Others that DO have plates might have annual renewal, others 2- or 5-year renewals, some are even permanent. Same for bikes and cars. Might be different for commercial vehicles, though.

Lights are required. Period. If they aren't actually required by law, common sense says that you should have them. Drivers might (ok, DO) have problems seeing a single tail light on a bike, but might notice the dual lights on a trailer. The problem there is that, because they are closer together, they can appear to be a full-size car that is farther away. Darkness takes away a LOT of depth perception.

Although there is no legal requirement, after watching the way some people drive with trailers, there should be SOME sort of training and/or certification. Most of it is "on the job training", unfortunately, many simply don't learn.
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Stoplight required on the trailer, not shown in the pic. Check with your DMV for your state. Safety chain needed as well. I have since put fenders and turn signals on it as well.

V
 
Stoplight required on the trailer, not shown in the pic. Check with your DMV for your state. Safety chain needed as well. I have since put fenders and turn signals on it as well.

V

That's a good looking build. Does it require a different type of spindle to mount up the MC rims as opposed to hubs?
 
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