How To Build A Motorcycle Trailer

When Alan Ayers couldn't fit all of his camping gear on his wheel, he decided to build his own single wheel motorcycle trailer that would allow him to sleep comfortably at dark.

Subsequently riding and racing motorcycles for over 45 years, my trunk doesn't similar to slumber on the ground anymore, but as an adventure rider, camping off the bike is a must. A few years agone I bought a wonderful REI cot that I carried in my sidecar that I built, but information technology is also big to carry on a bicycle. I had seen a unmarried bicycle motorbike trailer earlier, but they tended to be besides small and really expensive, so I decided to build one myself.

I'm a hoarder of motorcycle parts, then off to the garage I went and started to gather up parts for the build. The commencement affair I found was a XT350 rear wheel that had been laying effectually for several years but was in great status. I decided to use square tubing because I don't have a tube bender and I like the industrial expect. I put all my gear on the ground and measured around it and that was how I decided on the dimensions.

I was going to build my own swing arm just a expect on eBay yielded an XT350 swing arm for £xx with free shipping so in that location was no need to build one. I'yard very lucky that I live only a few miles from a steel supplier that has great prices and is open on weekends and loves to hear most my projects. One rainy weekend later, the frame was washed and I was but waiting for the swing arm to get in. In one case it arrived it was back to garage to finish it up, all the while I was encephalon storming on how to attach the trailer to the bike.

I had seen several setups that used a hitch mounted to the wheel frame but that meant that the bike suspension would carry the load and I had just spent a lot time and some money on setting up the suspension for my kind of riding. So my solution was to mount another swing arm of sorts to the cease of the bike'due south swing arm that would permit upward motility and side to side movement, but not allow the trailer to fall over and let it lean with the wheel.

With the swing arm mounted on the motorcycle trailer, it was time for a stupor, I had an XT350 shock and a NC700X daze and I thought one of the two would work, merely I presently institute out that both were way as well stiff for the low-cal trailer and adequately light load. So off to eBay one time again for a pair of KZ400 shocks for £six shipped. I thought that I would start past mounting ane and if need exist I could mountain both.

Everything came together nicely and it was on to building the hitch/swing arm for the wheel. I built two tabs that mounted to the cease of the bike'southward swing arm that were held in identify by the beam adjustment bolt and welded to the swing arm. Next was the swing arm hitch that needed to clear the rear wheel but not stick out to far so I could keep the rig every bit brusque equally possible. When it was all washed it was time to hook it all together and come across if my plan worked.

The first thing I constitute out was that with just ane shock information technology bottomed out too easy so a second 1 was mounted and it was perfect. All that was left to do was mountain upwardly a tail light and plow signals, I had a set of XT350 signals that I used and, you guessed, it an XT350 tail light. I eventually decided to buy a gear up of smaller LED signals, just they just cost £6 so it didn't pause the banking company. Wiring information technology to the bike was pretty easy using a four-wire trailer plug and I was off for a test ride.

The test went perfectly and all I needed to exercise was to add together a flag so cars could see the trailer since it was then low. So, I loaded it upward and headed off to the Touratech rally to meet how it worked, I had several people approach me with offers to build a motorbike trailer for them. It pulled direct and didn't wander and the only time I discover information technology is under 10mph while turning simply even then, information technology's cracking. So now this old man tin can exit in the wilds, ride hard and be comfortable at dark. Sounds like the perfect take a chance to me…

Source: https://www.adventurebikerider.com/article/build-motorcycle-trailer/

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