[89613]

My wife and I are thinking of buying a motorhome . We also do a lot of motorcycling and would like to take the bike with us.
We could always put it on a trailer but we thought that a number of motorhomes appear to have rear access and were wondering is there any particular models which would be able to fit a bike inside for transporting purposes, (assuming of course we could get a ramp to get the thing in there)

We are talking about a "proper" bike not a scooter.

Thanks

Gary

 

[badger]

Hi Firestorm and welcome to the site.
You will find a lot of help with your quest on here. As far as my advice is start by going to the larger dealers and the shows up and down the country, there are quite a few with rear access or "garages" as the are sometimes called and most already have the ramp installed. There is also the possibility of an extrerior "rack, but I'm sure that you will be advised more thouroughly by the bikers amongst us.

 

[Bazbro]

Hi Firestorm (and I've got a good idea which 'bike you've got...!)

Weight is the B-I-G problem with m/homes; the more you want to carry, the bigger the m/home has to be, the more expensive, the less manoeuverable, etc, etc. A vicious circle.

My solution is to trail the 'bike using a front-wheel-lift
here: http://www.motorcycletrailer.com/mag1/caddy1.html
but there's also a British company making a similar (more expensive!) device
here http://www.easylifter.co.uk/motorcycle_trailers/motorcycle_trailers_hydrualic_003.htm
By trailing the bike, only half the weight is carried by the m/home. Less weight, smaller m/home, and so on! Also, there's no trailer to worry about when leaving the m/home parked.

If you're interested in how I've done it, pm me and I'll get some photos taken (it's going to rain tomorrow!)

 

[89613]

Cheers Barry

The US "Trailer" does say not for Motorhomes but then again some of the estate cars that side of the pond are the size of a conversion job....

The UK made one looks interesting, I was wondering about stability at speed.

The other option is the bike rack which is capable of carrying 200kg and the storm is 194...

but then we are back to the weight issue.

I have no intention of taking the other bike , a 900 Triumph trophy that is a real heavy so and so.
Otherwise it is a good excuse to get an SV 650 or similar which I could then take on trackdays !!

Do Motorhomes have a maximum weight capacity as a standard part of their spec?

 

[Bazbro]

Gary, there's a difficulty cornering with these 'trailing racks' on HUGE American motorhomes because of the enormous rear overhang - that isn't the case with most normal UK motorhomes, which, as you say, are the size of 'normal' US estates!!! There's no problem using these on an ordinary UK motorhome. Mine's an AutoSleeper Rienza.

Stability at speed isn't an issue - the 'bike becomes a single-wheel trailer with no rearward weight to make it unstable. There are legal speed-restrictions when towing anyway.

There will be minimal tyre-wear but the rear wheel is only rolling - not braking or accelerating.

All motorhomes have an on-road weight limit, ie weight of vehicle + weight of conversion + weight of accessories (water, gas, etc) + weight of passengers and their personal luggage. It's this last category which is VERY slim on some conversions, very few kilograms in some cases. I'm managing my outfit by reducing the amount of water I carry. Search this site for more advice on "Weights" - there have been a great many, very enlightening, posts on overall weight limits. The penalties for exceeding maximum vehicle weight (if you're unlucky enough to get stopped by the "weight police"!) are swingeing.

One final consideration if contemplating 'trailing' is the final drive of your 'bike. Some machines use engine oil-pressure to lubricate the gearbox, in which case the chain should be removed (because the engine won't be running and the gearbox bearings could be running 'dry'). Fortunately for me (and you'll forgive a moment of smugness...) my 'bike's a BMW with shaft drive and separate gearbox lubrication.

Good luck with whatever you decide - it's good to see a few more 'big-bikers' motorhoming!

 

[Bazbro]

I've just had another look at the US site I gave, and this is an old version of the Motorcycle Caddy! My apologies.

The current version has added a pivot ahead of the wheel carrier and jack, and the 'bike is ratchet-strapped to fixings on the jack. The steering head is therefore no longer the pivot when steering the outfit, and this makes the 'bike suitable to be towed by anything except the grossest of American motorhomes.

For a more up-to-date advert, see here:
http://www.factoryramps.com/products/motorcycle/carrier/rhmc1.html
and note:
"THE NEW MOTORCYCLE TOWING CADDY NOW SWIVELS SO IT WORKS BETTER WITH BIGGER BIKES, CHOPPERS AND TRIKES AND TOWS BETTER BEHIND RV'S AND CAMPERS!!!
THE NEW CADDY ALSO INCLUDES A CLAMP ON SPREADER BAR WITH TIE DOWN LUGS, MAKES FOR EASY AND FAST TIE DOWN!!! "

By the way, I paid UNDER $400 for mine in the USA.....

 

[Bazbro]

Gary, you may also be interested in this:
http://www.versahaul.com/vhsport.html

but the entire weight of the 'bike is taken by the vehicle.

Good luck!

 

[89613]

Thanks

You have been busy.....
Going to have a look around at motorhomes , prices etc for a while. knowing that I han hitch the bike up on the back (despite the MH taking all the weight the final idea is appealing the most) does give a greater choice.

Gary