[mlsa]

Even though my wife rode all day with me last Friday she is definetly not a distance rider. She would never consider riding in the rain if it started raining.

When my vacation comes due I want to take the bike and head back up to the Talamena Parkway in Arksansas and Oklahoma. I was up there about 3 years ago by myself on the bike and it was great. She would never last that far on the bike but she wants to go with me.

She says lets rent a trailer and pull the bike. I don't like renting trailers but it's better than not riding at all.

I have found a used trailer. It's actually a small galv boat trailer that a man fixed up to pull his Gold Wing with. It's in great shape and has the heavy duty center rail and even a heavy duty loading ramp. There is no rust on the galv trailer but I would sand the center rail down and probably paint it. I would also change out the wheel bearings just in case and get new tires. He wants $100 for this trailer.

What do you guys think about this to pull my 1100 Spirit?

I also have a small 2 man fiberglass boat that I could haul with the trailer instead of loading my truck down with 2 bikes, 2 kayaks and a small boat, plus all the camping gear when we go camping.

 

[Spirit_1100]

Hey, if the guy used it to trailer his wing...it is probably stout enough to use with your Spirit. Like you said, check the wheel bearing and tires for rot. Also check that the lights work properly. You don't have to worry about trailer brakes on a trailer that small. I would also check the tie-down points for the bike. Make sure they are properly located and are strong enough to hold the bike.

As for loading other stuff on the trailer with the bike...I would be careful doing that. Make sure you secure everything very good so nothing works free and hits the bike.

Joe

 

[bullzeyet]

Sounds like a good deal/trailer. Like Spirit says check out those tires/bearings/lights/tie down spots. Does it have a front wheel chock?Maybe take a look at the spring attachment areas for cracks in the welds. Grease the "ball housing" and adjust to YOUR ball if needed (might have a lot of slop).

Load the bike when the trailer is attached to the pulling vehicle.

It's better to have this arrangement than NOT going on the trip at all. :roll: I'm gonna have to do this myself in the near future.

Bullzeyet

 

[supv26]

Sounds like a real good price! All the above are good points but also check out registration issues. Does it have a title, is it required, etc.

 

[Spirited]

Sounds like a bargin on trailer. One thing to look at is tire size. 10 - 12 in. tires tend to over heat at highway speeds with a heavey load. Tie down points on Spirit are bars, close to "T" and rear swing arm. Don`t compress front forks too much, back does not matter as much. My son and I pulled a 6x12 with Wing and 1100 Spirit to Colorado last July. The hardest part was the the tie downs so we did not damage bikes :roll: . BTW, our trailer had 14" tires and pulled great. Killed gas mileage, 13-14 on my Ranger. Good luck.

 

[Spirit_1100]

Sounds like a bargin on trailer. One thing to look at is tire size. 10 - 12 in. tires tend to over heat at highway speeds with a heavey load. Tie down points on Spirit are bars, close to "T" and rear swing arm. Don`t compress front forks too much, back does not matter as much. My son and I pulled a 6x12 with Wing and 1100 Spirit to Colorado last July. The hardest part was the the tie downs so we did not damage bikes :roll: . BTW, our trailer had 14" tires and pulled great. Killed gas mileage, 13-14 on my Ranger. Good luck.

Actually, you don't want to use the bars to tie the bike down. They are mounted into the triple trees on rubber bushings. You could damage the bushing while traveling.

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_0359/handlebar/handlebar.cfm?man=ho&groupid=12800&parent=12650

As you can see in this picture, there is no part number callout for the rubber bushing that the risers mount to. You would have to replace the upper triple tree in order to repair the damage.

(Qualifying note: This is true for the newer Spirit 1100s. I do not know if the older ones had solid mounts at the risers/triple trees. MLSA's bike is either an '00 or '01...so this would apply.)

I used the opening between lower triple tree and fork tube as my front tie-down spot.

Joe

 

[Spirited]

Spirit100, I did say not to crank down front forks too much. We pulled bikes 2,400 miles this way with no damage. Now that being said, you can damage fork seals by pulling down too far. We put only slight pressure on front, all pressure was on rear to hold bikes down.

 

[mlsa]

Sounds like a bargin on trailer. One thing to look at is tire size. 10 - 12 in. tires tend to over heat at highway speeds with a heavey load. Tie down points on Spirit are bars, close to "T" and rear swing arm. Don`t compress front forks too much, back does not matter as much. My son and I pulled a 6x12 with Wing and 1100 Spirit to Colorado last July. The hardest part was the the tie downs so we did not damage bikes :roll: . BTW, our trailer had 14" tires and pulled great. Killed gas mileage, 13-14 on my Ranger. Good luck.

Ok this trailer has 8" rims and tires. They are 5 hole but I think I can swap them out with 12" 5-hole rims. Any suggestions? I know my spirit weighs a couple of hundred pounds less than the Wing.

 

[bullzeyet]

Make sure you have fender clearance for the 12's and check the tire pressures. They may be higher than the 8". I'd also try to have a spare tire.

The Spirit weighs roughly 625lbs...naked. Give or take a few pounds.

Don't over think this stuff...you'll hurt yourself!!! :roll:

Bullzeyet