Your opinion on an enclosed trailer.

[1600bluekaw]

I have been kicking the idea of a trailer as well for the same reason. We dont want to ride for 3 days just to to be to tired to enjoy the destination and then have to ride like mad to get back home. The trailer idea would take care of that. I do have several questions. I am not expierenced at hauling a bike in a trailer. I will take any info and input to help me do it correctly and safely. It would be very bad if I were to open the trailer door and my bike laying down because it was not tied down right. thanks

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by 1600bluekaw

I have been kicking the idea of a trailer as well for the same reason. We dont want to ride for 3 days just to to be to tired to enjoy the destination and then have to ride like mad to get back home. The trailer idea would take care of that. I do have several questions. I am not expierenced at hauling a bike in a trailer. I will take any info and input to help me do it correctly and safely. It would be very bad if I were to open the trailer door and my bike laying down because it was not tied down right. thanks

I assume you are looking to buy a trailer.
I purchased this trailer (see link to the dealership I bought from. You’ll see pics of it ).

I searched for over a year to find a trailer. This dealership provided the best price by far of any I saw – and I searched nation-wide. ($2,695 plus tax and license) Since you are in Indiana; a day-trip may be worth doing to pick one up from them. Look at the features list for this trailer. NOTE: It does not have electric-brakes as mentioned -- you won't need them anyway.

http://www.randpcarriages.com/trailers/67540.html

• A 5 x 8 V-nose; which gives you a full 10’ of length in the center for the Nomad’s length; but still remaining a relatively small trailer.
• Low-profile (this trailer sets lower than most making for easier loading; and fits under my third-stall garage door – which is standard height. Taller trailers will NOT fit under a standard door.)
• Torsion suspension (handles rough roads very well)
• D-clip tie-down system on the front wall (a great system allowing for various tie-down locations)
• Rear eyelet tie-downs mounted through floor
• The trailer is has vinyl-coated interior walls (a nice touch and more solid wall construction)
• Interior light and switch (great for evenings when you need to see in the trailer)
• Polished aluminum around the base (rock protection and better appearance)
• Drop-down rear door with torsion spring (a “must-have” – easy bike loading and door handling)
• Side door (a “must-have” in my opinion – making it easy to check on the bike and to get “things”)
• One-piece roof (better than a seamed roof to avoid leaking)
• 15” radial tires (important for long distance hauling and speed)
• LED tailight (to make you more visible)
• Accessible grease “zerts” for wheel greasing when needed (sealed bearings would be better though)
• Note the type of tongue this trailer has – you want a tongue designed similar to this type rather than some of the more inexpensive designs that some offer. Less expensive trailer tongues are not braced or reinforced enough and can get loose over years of stress and can “rack” the trailer frame eventually.

Now… every one of the above features are an absolute must in a basic trailer in my opinion. There are plenty of other features that one could get on more expensive trailers… but you will pay dearly for them. Quite frankly, unless you plan on hauling your bike around the country non-stop for a year-long vacation – you don’t need more than what this trailer provides.

Some considerations before buying:

• The Nomad swallows most of the interior of this trailer leaving only about 10—12” on either side. This can be a problem for a larger person in being able to easily get around the bike for tie-downs. I don’t have a problem getting around the bike; but have to admit a little more room would be nice. But I deal with it.
• No spare tire (you’ll need to buy one and figure out where to carry it; as you won’t have much extra room in this smaller trailer unless you mount the tire toward the front interior. (This will depend on where you mount your wheel chock – discussed later.)
• You will have to buy a front-wheel chock and mount it. (Not that big of a deal if you are somewhat handy. I used Harbor-Freight’s chock – the one that holds the wheel in place once it is rolled over and into it. It holds the bike upright by itself – which is how you want to haul any bike for safety reasons.)
• If you have a heavy-duty truck to pull this trailer – then you can mount the wheel chock all the way forward. Doing so will put a slight majority of the Nomad’s weight on the trailer-tongue and leaves about a extra 12” behind the bike and the rear-door.
• If you are using an SUV or other vehicle with a lighter tongue-rating (i.e., 300 lbs tongue-weight); you will want to move the wheel-chock as far back as you can and still be able to fit the bike. (I had mine all the way forward; but moved it as far back as I could to put more weight over and behind the trailer wheels. This helped to take weight off the tongue and hitch; but because of the weight of the Nomad it still remains just at the 300 lb tongue weight limit for my vehicle. NOTE: I prefer the chock back to the rear more because now I can put “light-weight” items in front of the bike where they won’t shift to hit the bike enroute. Just be sure to only put light-weight items there otherwise heavy items add weight to the tongue – thus defeating the purpose of moving the bike back.)
• Make sure you have a good trailer hitch on your vehicle and stiff suspension designed for hauling heavy weight… you’ll need it to handle the Nomad’s weight.
• You will not be able to easily paint a fancy design nor put any large stickers on this trailer due to its overlapped exterior paneling. Having smooth paneling costs considerably more. (Personally, I don’t like to advertise what the trailer is carrying; nor give the impression of it having anything of value in it when closed. “Flashiness” causes interest you may not want some day when traveling.)
• It is somewhat difficult for me to get the bike out of the Harbor-Freight wheel chock; so you might consider one of the more expensive wheel-chocks from other manufacturers. I cannot not confirm if other brands are easier to use than Harbor-Freight’s though.[list:ai3xm5xv][*]The trailer does not come with any air-vents -- thus on hot days... it gets hot inside of it. I get by without them though; but do try to park it out of direct sunlight especially when the bike is in it.[/list:u:[/*:m:ai3xm5xv]<UID>][list:ai3xm5xv][*]Last but not least... you will get all kinds of grief from fellow bikers and Nomaders for hauling your bike rather than riding it... so you'll have to toughen-up and take the beating for it! :)[/list:u:[/*:m:ai3xm5xv]<UID>]

Now, that is the basics.

Overall, I bought the perfect hauling-trailer for my needs. Hopefully this will help you and any others considering buying one.

As mentioned before… I haul my bike a lot to locations where I want to ride rather than wasting time riding it there and back -- not to mention the "weather-factor". In this way… I get to my destination faster so I can spend more time riding the areas I want to.

I also plan on hauling it out of the winter snow to warmer locations on occasion.

Another plus is that you can haul more personal items, supplies, and tools when hauling the Nomad – something that has been a real plus many times.

Be sure to let us know if you decide to purchase a trailer and what you bought so we can compare thoughts someday.

Safe riding to you, Greg

[Cajunrider]

Greg, I went to a local dealer yesterday to pick up a couple of chrome safety chains and hooks for my little motorcycle trailer. He handles Pace American enclosed trailers. I looked at the Journey model that he has in stock. It is a 6' x 10' with plywood interior and studs on 16" centers. The ramp capacity is 2,000 lbs. The trailer is white with chrome finish diamond plate wrapped around the bottom front half. 15" wheels, 12v dome light and sky vent also. He wanted $3,200. I got him down to $3,000 and found one online in Indiana for $2,800. If I can get him to match that price I'll more than likely buy it before the regional rally next year. I'll need one if I start cooking at the rallys. Haven't figured out how to haul pots, pans, & meat on the Nomad yet.

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by Cajunrider

Greg, I went to a local dealer yesterday to pick up a couple of chrome safety chains and hooks for my little motorcycle trailer. He handles Pace American enclosed trailers. I looked at the Journey model that he has in stock. It is a 6' x 10' with plywood interior and studs on 16" centers. The ramp capacity is 2,000 lbs. The trailer is white with chrome finish diamond plate wrapped around the bottom front half. 15" wheels, 12v dome light and sky vent also. He wanted $3,200. I got him down to $3,000 and found one online in Indiana for $2,800. If I can get him to match that price I'll more than likely buy it before the regional rally next year. I'll need one if I start cooking at the rallys. Haven't figured out how to haul pots, pans, & meat on the Nomad yet.

Sounds like a good price at $2,800 -- although make sure the tongue is a reinforced version.

Pace makes some of their tongues with just the straight-tongue coming out from the front of the trailer (one beam). You'll want it to have the three beams coming to the tip of the tongue (forming a "V"); otherwise the stress on the tongue will eventually be a problem; plus you may experience a sway & stability problem otherwise in the meantime.

You may still want to look at the Interstate Brand to compare.

Either way... you'll love the trailer once you get it. I couldn't be happier now that I have one.

[Cajunrider]

Sounds like a good price at $2,800 -- although make sure the tongue is a reinforced version.

Pace makes some of their tongues with just the straight-tongue coming out from the front of the trailer (one beam). You'll want it to have the three beams coming to the tip of the tongue (forming a "V"); otherwise the stress on the tongue will eventually be a problem; plus you may experience a sway & stability problem otherwise in the meantime.

You may still want to look at the Interstate Brand to compare.

Either way... you'll love the trailer once you get it. I couldn't be happier now that I have one.

It does have the "V" shaped tongue. I have plenty of time to look at them before making a decision. Our rally is in June of next year. Thanks for the input Greg.