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Hitch Mounted Motorcycle Carrier to Carry NC700X Cross Country

drseth

drseth

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Hi,

I am going to be traveling from Virginia to Portland, Oregon in June, in order to attend my daughter's graduation from Chiropractic School, with my family joining me for the return trip back to Virginia. I have a 2009 GMC Yukon that is very comfortable on long trips, and am thinking about taking a day or two on the way out there to go MC riding, but do not want to have to trailer the bike.

Have any of you used one of these hitch mounted MC carriers? There is one that I found interesting, but the reviews were not good on it. Said it needed additional welding and that it was ok for scooters, but not as heavy as a NC700X. Another idea is to have a welding shop built me one custom made.

I was on a trip to Florida earlier this month for bike week, and really missed not having a MC to ride on nice days, but due to having additional passengers, was not able to ride the MC down to VA. Having a carrier would give me flexibility of an extra vehicle, and me or my kids could choose to ride it on a side trip.

I plan to take a northerly route to Oregon, then take a week to drive to Las Vegas, pick up my other daughter and her husband, then see the Grand Canyon, Moab, Mesa Verde, the Four Corners area. Any suggestions as far as what to see driving out, and good MC rides? I am thinking about Yellowstone, Black Hills, and maybe Sturgis.

Seth Anderson
Moon, VA

2012 Honda NC700X
1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European
1990 Honda PC800 Pacific Coast
2009 Honda Ruckus NPS50
2003 Honda Ruckus NPS50
2005 Yamaha Zuma YW50
 
This bike is too heavy for that style of carrier. As Deckyon mention, U-haul rents motorcycle trailers and they are very inexpensive. Last time I rented one it was only $15 a day. And it's a very nice trailer.

It sounds like you've never trailed before, so be sure you do some research on how to properly trailer a bike. I've seen some people just think they can put the bike on it's stand and put a single strap on it. :rolleyes:
 
There are hitch mount carriers that are rated for the weight of the NC. Now I think it would a bugger to get a bike as heavy as the NC on and off one and wouldn't attempt it solo. If you are only going to tow the bike once in a while I'd go with what has been suggested with renting. If you are going to tow a lot and feel it is worth it I'd go with a trailer. Trailers can easily be one person loaded plus you can still get into the back of the Yukon.
 
I have one of those Harbor Freight hitch-mounted carriers and used to carry my KLR 250 on it. It is rated for 500 pounds. But I don't think I'd trust it with my NC. Weight limit is too close. And what Bamamate said about loading and unloading is what I'd be worried most about. It was hard enough to get my KLR on and off of it, and that bike was probably a hundred pounds lighter than the NC.

Once I traveled a couple of thousand miles with it on that carrier and when I got home I was unloading it (alone), tripped on the edge of the carrier and fell flat on my back in the street with the bike following right on top of me. But through an incredible stroke of luck the wheels, handlebars and I don't even know what else all hit asphalt around me and I came out of it completely unscathed. The bike had a couple of scratches which were largely unnoticeable because of all the other scratches it had previously. I think that was the last time I used that thing for carrying a motorcycle.
 
I already have a 6-1/2x12 foot utility trailer, but would prefer not to haul it coast to coast. I have used my hitch cargo carrier to haul my Honda Ruckus, which wasn't a big deal at all. I tried loading the NC700X on the same cargo carrier, using some 2x12 foot ramps to load it, but it wasn't wide enough to to allow the bike off the ramp. I think I may have the local welding shop fabricate one for me. I have loaded the scooter and the NC700X by myself, knowing how easy it can get away from you.

Have any of you been satisfied using one of these types of carriers? If so, which brand/model works best?
 
What kind of weight that your hitch can haul is the big question. Have to be a frame mounted system.

[video=youtube;XToxmHrrjeI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XToxmHrrjeI[/video]
 
I see a glaring danger in that video, based only on what I saw.
If the car needs to make a VERY sudden stop, the bike's inertia will continue to push it forward and since it can't roll forward, the only thing that will give are the shocks.
They will compress possibly until they bottom out at which point there is a very good possibility that one or both of the straps will come loose or off and you can lose the bike.
The way to prevent that from happening is to NOT attach the straps to the suspended part of the bike (handlebars) but rather to the tops of the unsuspended lower portion of the shocks. That way there is nothing to compress but the tire, and that shouldn't be a problem at all.
It really helps if there is a fork brace right above the tire that will keep the straps up where they belong. On this particular bike there is no fork brace but I saw that there are cast in studs sticking out towards the tire to which the fender attaches. A soft strap wrapped just above that stud should be very secure.
To really make it tight, let a few pounds of air out of the tire, make the straps as tight as you can and then refill the tire to proper pressure.
Now you are secure as possible.
 
Last edited:
Do you really want 500 pounds levered off the back end like that? a regular weight carrying hitch usually maxes out at 600 pounds iirc, and this would actually look like more than that to the hitch (cantilevered load).
 
Dennis M said:
There was a discussion on this topic on wildguzzi a while back so I did a search and found this
Trailer Hitch Mounted Bike Carriers
and this
RV carrier for V7 - Versahaul
Lots of different opinions on the subject.
Dennis
Click to expand...


Some very good info in the above provided link. Post # 27 in the link has the correct analysis and explanation on the actual load on the hitch, frame, suspension and axles.

When I purchased a Class C RV years back I looked into hitch and frame mounted carriers. Quickly learned the frame on any thing but a class A truck chassis was not rated for the extra load. The load far back from the axle and the moment arm create was asking for trouble. ( what tiger duke was referring to) Some of the premium bike lifts were only meant for full truck frames and say that in the printed material.

I ended up with a trailer and carring all the toys out of the weather and safe storage when parked.
 
Last edited:
He has a 2009 GMC Yukon which is built on the same chassis as the 1500 series trucks. Being fully enclosed the Yukon has about a 1k less max towing rating of around 8500lbs from what I saw on GM's website. With a 10% tongue weight that gives ~850lbs on the tongue rating. He would need to check the owner's manual for the exact specs for his model.

etrailer.com has a 600lb carrier with decent reviews for $197.
 
showkey said:
Some very good info in the above provided link. Post # 27 in the link has the correct analysis and explanation on the actual load on the hitch, frame, suspension and axles.

When I purchased a Class C RV years back I looked into hitch and frame mounted carriers. Quickly learned the frame on any thing but a class A truck chassis was not rated for the extra load. The load far back from the axle and the moment arm create was asking for trouble. ( what tiger duke was referring to) Some of the premium bike lifts were only meant for full truck frames and say that in the printed material.

I ended up with a trailer and carring all the toys out of the weather and safe storage when parked.
Click to expand...

May be straying from the main question a bit, but my class C motorhome has a class III frame mounted hitch, but because the frame and it's extensions are already heavily loaded carrying a house, the tongue weigh rating on the receiver is only 350 pounds.

As for the hitch mounted motorcycle carriers, I hauled my 200 pound dirt bike a couple times on the Harbor Freight unit but was not comfortable with it. I've since used only trailers or hauled the bike inside a van.

I've seen lifts on the back of class A motorhomes hauling Goldwings but that's in a whole different league.
 
That post 27 is on the right track, but not quite right.

The actual weight would be 600 pounds. But the distance of the centerline of the weight to the hitch will also produce a moment (turning force). It is going to be trying extra hard to pull that hitch off from the bottom. Like a bag-a$$ cheater bar pulling on it. It will put more force on the rear axle. It also amplifies the loss of weight on the front axle (well, you know what I mean). It's been a long time since I took Statics, but I guess I could put it all on paper & figure it out. The point is, it's going to be much worse on the vehicle than 600 pounds of tongue weight.

I wouldn't do it. Stick to coolers & the like.
 
I have a MotoJack Rack for my dirt bike I used to haul a dirt bike on the back of my SUV.
That worked, but if I had it to do over I would have gotten a trailer.
I kept expecting the bike to go skidding down the road if the welds broke.

A street bike that weighs something like 3 times as much?
No way I'd attempt that! Not even with my F-350's hitch.
One of the models that just holds the front wheel... that I'd consider.
 
I still have a receiver hitch motorcycle carrier that I bought to carry my new 1999 KTM 640exc, my 1999 KLR 650, my 1999 BMWr1100GS and my 2010 Triumph Scrambler and it worked perfect for each and every one.

Never, ever use one where the bikes rear tire is on the ground, if so the chain must be removed or the 'BELT' must be removed. A bike with a shaft final drive would be ruined in short order!

The post above has a picture of the type of hitch I use. Open the link.

Sam:)
 
The successful application of an unsafe practice does not prove it is safe. Plenty of people still alive who've never worn a helmet.
 
My 2009 Tahoe has a Class IV hitch rated for 600 pounds, so what I am going to do is use the Harbor Freight 1200LBS Aluminum folding ramps, bolt on a front wheel Chock to one of the ramps, and bolt it to a 750 pound cargo carrier I also picked up from Harbor Freight. I will then use the other ramp for on loading and off loading.

Aluminum Loading Ramp - 1200 Lb. Capacity
Motorcycle Wheel Chock
There was a carrier I saw photos of on the internet that had a Square Trailer Jack that had a 2x2 arm that attaches to the receiver. A square attachment point bolts to the bottom of Jack and then it raises the bike by retracting the jack. I wish I knew how to weld, but don't have the time to learn.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...InNAhUCTj4KHXwVCg8QMwhXKAMwAw&iact=mrc&uact=8
 
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