Towing new Motorcycle in the Rain?
Just bought my new Triumph Bonneville America and need to pick it up in Ohio and drive it back to Michigan tomorrow (Wednesday). The problem is that its supposed to rain and thunderstorm the whole day in both places. I rented the Uhaul Motorcycle trailer for the trip. Should I buy a motorcycle cover? Completely new to the motorcycle world (1st bike!) , so any advice on towing is appreciated. Thanks!!!
Can you tow a motorcycle's trailer behind a car?
You will be able to tow the following types of trailers: 4x6 motorocycle trailer You'll need to have a trailer hitch installed. U-Haul has this trailer hitch for the 2006 & 2007 PT Cruiser: 24997 Sportframe 1 1/4 inch Rec Class: 1 Max weight: 2000 Price: $129.95 (comes with $10 coupon for professional installation)
Have you ever run out of gas on a motorcycle? Where were you, and what did you do?
A number of times. But one of them was very scary. It was around 9 PM, raining and I was riding my KTM 200 in like 90kmph on a high way. As I overtook a bus at 70 kmph suddenly my motorcycle choked and shut down as I was left slowing down just in front of the speeding bus. There isn't much I can do at that point so I just hoped to come out alive while pressing hard on the clutch lever. Bus drivers in India are very ignorant and rash, especially in the highways. However he slowed down to let me pass through ( he cussed me badly, though ). And there I was. Alive, but stranded in the midst of a lonely and dark lit highway where I couldn't ask anyone for help. My phone battery died earlier that day, so I already know I'm screwed. I started walking my motorcycle for another 3 km when a fellow biker noticed me and offered help. He towed my motorcycle for another 5 km to a gas station and went on his way. I refueled my motorcycle and then I realised it wasn't the gasoline but the stator coil which sucked up all of the coolant after which my motorcycle had to shut down because of high coolant temperature. At this point I was already tired both physically and mentally. Home was still 15 km away. And I had no choice but to walk. After walking another 4 km I surprisingly bumped into my old friend. I explained him about my situation and he towed my motorcycle all the way home. If it weren't for those two humble souls who helped me that day, I can not imagine what I would have done. From that day onwards, I use to have a ritual to check everything on my bike before starting off anywhere.
What are the disadvantages of towing a trailer with a motorbike?
I tow a small popup camper behind my 2002 Triumph Sprint ST 955. The camper weighs about 400 lbs with all the camping gear and a few days food aboard.The largest disadvantage is, of course, all of the extra weight. The bike weighs about 550 lbs with full saddlebags, closer to 900 with my wife and I in the saddle. There’s plenty of power, although I did need to change the gearing slightly to assist getting started on anything except flat pavement. An uphill stop sign or traffic light required too much clutch slippage.Braking is marginal. With around 40 lbs of tongue weight, there is simply not enough weight on the front tire to provide good braking. The rear brake is simply inadequate: I can’t push hard enough on the pedal to get good deceleration. And on wet pavement? Forget it. I’ve gone down once in a rainstorm by braking lightly while crossing over a painted traffic strip.At low speeds, the steering is sensitive to pavement irregularities, and gravel parking lots are spooky enough that I usually ask my wife to walk until we hit pavement.On the other hand, it’s stable and even pleasant to ride at speed. It’s happy keeping up with traffic at 70 MPH, as long as you stay alert and are mindful of the increased stopping distance. Fuel economy drops from about 50 mpg without the trailer to about 39–40 towing. And having a camper is a durn sight better than sleeping in a tent on the ground.
Does overdrive affect gas mileage?
sure it does, using overdrive cuts the speed of the engine down when on the highway and gives you better gas mileage.
When towing a car, does it add to the mileage ?
It depends. If your car is Front-Wheel-Drive, (most modern cars) the odometer is based on movement of the front wheels. If you are towed with your front wheels off the ground, all is well. If you have a Rear-Wheel-Drive,(older cars, most real sportscars, most non-Japanese luxury cars) it is wise to disconnect the drive shaft.This will not only fix your odometer woes, but prevent damage to the components of the automatic transmission. You are actually SUPPOSED to do this. Towing an automatic RWD without disconnecting the drive shaft is very bad for it. A competent mechanic can do this very quickly. Alternately, a rear-wheel drive car can be towed by hooking it backwards, but this is uncommon.