Look what followed me home!

[cowboyup3371]

I Just looked it up and that's not a bad price ($130). I think I'll have to work the budget out for something like this.

http://www.prohoists.com/Shopping.idc?ProductID=35

Especially after my little embarrasment yesterday

[saffa]

So you are saying to disconnect the drive chain on the bike? What would happen if not? (Sorry for being stupid but I don't see the problem right now).

Think about it ....when the motors running the pump is pushing oil to all the bearings in the motor including the tranny bearings. Without it running you have no lube to the tranny bearings at all only the residual oil from the last run which in this case was a while back. Can only end in tears if it goes on long enough

[Battleship62]

Towing with the Chain Hooked Up

It can be too bad having the chain still on if it followed him home.

[rapidray]

Think about it ....when the motors running the pump is pushing oil to all the bearings in the motor including the tranny bearings. Without it running you have no lube to the tranny bearings at all only the residual oil from the last run which in this case was a while back. Can only end in tears if it goes on long enough

Do you ever stop & look at one of these pictures before you make comments like this? Think about it while you look at the picture of the bike again up on the dolly. Do you see how the bike is tilted to the BACK? That SUBMERGES the trans & all it's bearings in the engine oil! As long as it stays in neutral, NO PROBLEMS!!! Ray.

[Planecrazy]

I had contemplated the idea of buying or building a tow dolly, but concluded that it was a bad idea for me ... because I would want to use it for long distance towing more often than any other type.

So, you're all wondering, why the big deal with that? Three reasons... First, replacing worn trailer tires on a little trailer is easier and generally cheaper than replacing a worn bike tire (and I'd rather wear the bike tire while riding it). Second, if the bike tire blows out while you're trailering it, not only do you NOT typically have a spare or an easy way to change it, but you might not even notice until significant damage had been done to the bike. Third, I owned (until recently) shafties, and as stated it's not recommended to tow shafties in particular any great distance (though Ray makes a very interesting point above).

So... while I think the dolly is a great idea for "emergency retrieval" or short distance towing, a conventional small trailer ultimately makes more sense to me, especially now that one or more companies sells a "trailer in a bag" that breaks down and fits in even a small car trunk. Not the cheapest trailering solution, but certainly convenient if you don't have space to store a conventional trailer!

Regards,

PS. Nice acquisition!!!

[oohsam]

What is stopping the bike swinging around the front tripple tee and jack knifing?
If you hit a pot hole and the rear end got airborne and jacknifed..is that possible?
Do you strap the forks to the frame so they cant pivot?

[wacky941]

What is stopping the bike swinging around the front tripple tee and jack knifing?
If you hit a pot hole and the rear end got airborne and jacknifed..is that possible?
Do you strap the forks to the frame so they cant pivot?

The front tire sits inside a cradle that is locked into the vehicle by way of the receiver hitch which in itself doesn't allow the front end to swivel, the handlebars are locked out and stabilized by strapping to a "T" bar at the top of the cradle but I also use a second set of straps that goes from the handlebars to the bumper of the truck. Essentially the whole front of the bike becomes part of the truck.
As for jackknifing, it is really no different than hauling a trailer, you can jackknife anything if you go too fast around a corner.

[oohsam]

Thats unreal. I love it.

I hate loading my bike onto my truck on my own..Its damn hard. I dunno how many times I've almost dropped it...This would be ideal.
One last question. How do you get the front tire up? Pop a mono and stop just in time? :P

[saffa]

Do you ever stop & look at one of these pictures before you make comments like this? Think about it while you look at the picture of the bike again up on the dolly. Do you see how the bike is tilted to the BACK? That SUBMERGES the trans & all it's bearings in the engine oil! As long as it stays in neutral, NO PROBLEMS!!! Ray.

Calm down there chief........The man asked a question and i merely answered it for him......wasnt trying to be funny, just helpful and yes i did look at the bike and angle it was sat at and thought about exactly what you have just mentioned and that would all depend on the oil level in the sump, if any.

As you say .....im sure it'll be absolutely fine.



So ....arguments aside .........what are your plans for it

[wacky941]

Thats unreal. I love it.

I hate loading my bike onto my truck on my own..Its damn hard. I dunno how many times I've almost dropped it...This would be ideal.
One last question. How do you get the front tire up? Pop a mono and stop just in time? :P

You'd love this one, the cradle lowers down to the ground, there's a little ramp that inserts into the center cradle support and you just roll the bike up into the cradle, the cradle will support the bike so you don't have to worry about it falling over then synch down the upper and middle wheel straps and start cranking. The front wheel cradle will raise up, there is a conical pin that raises up into a socket which locks it in at the top. Once the top pin is in place synch the bottom wheel strap, remove the ramp then install the handlebar tiedowns and it's ready to go. One person can easily on load and off load the bike with this thing.

Oh and don't forget to remove the chain! (that's the only drawback)

[wacky941]

.........what are your plans for it

If you mean me, right now the plan is to restore it back to original and just enjoy the heck out of it. I figure the red one isn't suited for long distance riding because of the way I have it built so this one my wife and I can do a little traveling on.