1980 gs850 hitch

[jonn1963]

Newbie here. I'm wanting to put a hitch on a gs850 and found this site

http://www.hitchusa.com/Suzuki.html

They dont show one for a 1980 850gt but they have one for a 1980 1000.
I've read that the 850 is a 1000 frame. Does anyone know if the 1000 hitch will mount on the 850.
Thanks for any info you can share.

[bwringer]

Yup, should work fine. The frames are the same on 1980-81 GS850G and GS1000G. People swap parts all the time.

Part #17 should be that which you seek. (You have a G, not a GL, correct?)

Towing a bass boat?

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. john1963,

Thanks for joining us! Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, and links to vendors and other information. Then feel free to stop by my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community.

I wonder if I could find a trailer to haul my musical equipment to a gig?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[jonn1963]

I'm pretty sure its a G. Its a military themed bike that seems to have different parts on but when I compare things to the manual I downloaded it seems like a G.
No bass boat, just some camping gear so I can tour with it instead of my 83 yamaha venture. I call my venture the cadillac, but I just trust the suzuki more on long trips. I've packed it out and rode 2 up on a few trips including the Dragon in Tenn. and am amazed at how well the bike does.
It's the first suzuki I've owned and my next bike will be a gs1000.
I'll post a pic of it once I figure that feature out.
Next I have to figure out how to run all the lights.

[Steve]

John, what trailer are you going to be pulling?

You will need to keep it as light as possible to allow for any cargo. I have pulled trailers with various bikes for over 30 years and we currently have two 850s in-house here, so I can say with a bit of certainty that you are going to want to keep it as light as possible. A small trailer can weigh up to 150 pounds, and if you are going camping, figure on at least 100, maybe up to another 150 pounds inside it. While the 850 is certainly a decent bike, it's not overly powerful, so don't figure on going quickly up any hills and be prepared to downshift to keep the revs up over 4000.

A rule of thumb concerning hills and trailers: don't go down any faster than you went up. It feels real slow, but it keeps some brakes in reserve.

.

[jonn1963]

Haven't decided on a type of trailer yet. Wanted to make sure the 850 could handle a trailer first, then get the hitch mounted and see what I've got has far has ball height. I had been planning on pulling one with the Venture and read on VentureRider.com that its best to have the trailer height the same or just lower then the rear axel of the bike and the trailer axel the same distance has the front tire to the rear.
I'd like to find the lightest trailer I can. The Venture guys seem to like the small steel trailers that Harbor Freight carry. I think its a 4x4 and you have to flip the axel to lower it, but it weighs about 150lbs and I'd like to get something smaller and lighter then that. Just big enough for a cooler and storage box.
If I can sell the yamaha I would buy a 1000 for the extra weight and power but I don't room for 3 bikes, and i'm not parting with the 850.
Alot of people tell me I should just put a hitch on the Yamaha but since buying it in May, I've learned that if you breakdown 800 miles from home you could be stuck there for awhile. Parts are hard to get and most dealers wont touch them. Dont get me wrong it's a great bike, had it for 8 months and 18,000 miles later its never let me down, but you almost need a trailer just to carry all the tools you would need to trouble-shoot and repair the problem.


P.S. Cliff, thanks for the link, I can tell its going to come in handy.

[Steve]

Ideally, yes, you want the ball to be at axle level, but more important is whether the trailer is level. You actually want the trailer to be level before you get on the bike. When you get on the bike, the trailer will tip forward ever so slightly, which is good. That way, anything that moves around in the trailer will migrate forward, adding to tongue weight (and stability). If it moves to the rear and reduces tongue weight, the trailer can get rather squirrelly.

Yes, the HF trailers are popular. Not sure if it involves turning the axle over, but you can mount the axle inside the springs, instead of under them, reducing the height about 3-4". This is more important if you go for the 12" wheel option. The 12" wheels run better, but I have had 8" wheels on most of my trailers with no problems. Some have also narrowed the trailer to fit the width of the cartop carrier they have mounted on top. The hardest part of that is sectioning the axle and keeping it straight so it tracks properly.

One other thing to consider when looking for a trailer: Lights. Ideally, you want separate yellow (or red) turn signals on the back of the trailer so you don't have to use an adapter to get your turn signals and brake to work with a single bulb on each side of the trailer. It's also good to use a trailer isolator to protect the bike's wiring and assure full voltage at the trailer lights. Not exactly cheap, but it's not so bad if you don't mind making your own.

Feel free to PM or e-mail me if you need more details.

.

[Larry D]

I'll post a pic of it once I figure that feature out.

If you haven't found it yet on Cliff's site, here's how to post pics via photobucket.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/how_to_post_pictures.pdf