Towing your bike.

[Roland]

Hey gang.

The wife and I are getting ready for a cross-country trip.
We're taking about 2 months to see the country, and we've estimated about a 7,000 mile trip.
We plan on hitting most of the National Parks between California and South Dakota.
We'll be towing my 500 lb VStar with our Ford Focus Hatchback.
I've got a Draw-Tite Class I hitch on the way, and I'll be using the 140 lb Trailer In A Bag.
Should be interesting.

What I'm looking for is some encouraging stories.
Has anyone had any experience with towing a bike behind a small car?
Any tips or suggestions regarding mountain driving, or long-distance towing in general?

We will be taking the bike off the trailer quite often, but I'm fairly concerned with the bike's shocks being compressed for such long stretches of time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much.

- George

[anarchy]

why don't you tow the car with the bike??

[Roland]

Bump.

[BilltheDiver]

Should be an interesting trip. I haven;t gone cross country, but I have used my trailer in a bag behind my Pt Cruizer to go from St Pete, Fl to Gatilinburg, then to Louisville, Ky and home again with my VTX 1800Neo on board. No problems at all. I suggest that you don't fully compress the forks though. I have heard of people blowing fork seals that way.

One of the nice things about the trailer in a bag is that you can take it apart and stow it in the truck or motel room while you're out on the bike. I've been very pleased with mine.

[DustyJacket]

Won't that be pushing the limits of a Class I and of the car?

I'm not sure the trailer-in-a-bag wheel bearings are made for long distance.

If you had a beefier car and hitch I'd advise a covered trailer which would transform into a wonderful metal "tent" for camping in.

Or, just ride the bike and forget the car.