4petedaniel Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I am interested in carrying a motor cycle on the back of my motor home. Does anyone have any experience with purchasing the necessary equipment? Or having it installed or where I can get advice on how to go about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hi Pete, I think on a trailer with your reversing camera watching, that way you put very little extra weight on you back axle. I expect Clive will be along soon and tell you how he carries two motor bikes, he is an expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Clive used to put his bikes on the rear of his motorhome ... until he found out it wasn't a wise thing due to the ..... errrrr, excessive weight on the rear axle! 8-) He then swiftly changed to a covered trailer. :$ Now, however, he has a monster truck/gin palace thingy with a massive garage and they both go in there. :-> What you need to consider is: 1) Do you have sufficient payload and rear axle loading for the extra weight of the bike (fuelled up etc) and rack? 2) Have you factored into the equation the effect of the rear overhang adding to this weight? I can't remember the formula now but someone will know it, basically the greater the motorhome's rear overhang, the more weight will be 'added' to the basic weight of bike and rack. The first thing I'd do is to take your motorhome to a weightbridge and get it's overall weight and rear axle weight to see if it is at all feasible? You can get various types of bike racks but they all can add an awful lot of weight to the rear of a motorhome, not to mention the cost of them, before you even put a bike on them. We used to carry a moped on the rear of a couple of our motorhomes but found we never really used it much so stopped, for the latter one I designed and had made a purpose built rack that could be slotted onto 2 rails attached to the chassis (we already had a nudge bar on the back) which took less than 2 minutes to put on and make it secure and just 1 minute (if that) to remove (I've still got the rack just in case we need it for the future, it's a basic structure but works a treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hi again Pete, go along with Mels advice, and if you remember your schooldays,"MOMENTS ABOUT A POINT". The points being your back axle, front axle, and the centre of the weight you are going to hang on the back of your van. I think you will work out the extra weight added to the back axle will be in the region of double the weight of the motorbike plus the rack that will carry it. If you work on the advice given by Mel you should come up with an answer. Don't try to counter the extra weight on your back axle by adding suspension aids to the springs etc, you will still be straining everything else like your tyres, bearings, etc, plus you will also be lifting some weight OFF the front wheels thus loosing some traction when braking and cornering. That is just the outline off adding weight at the back of an overhang. No doubt some one will explain it all better than I can. Good luck with your bike, my Mrs fancies a motor trike, they don't fall over when you stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Hi Ranger I have spent months looking ath idea of an a frame for a car but it is looking a bit iffy now because of the axle weight. I am considering buying a small trike and will have a tow bar fitted to pull it. Probably from Towtal in Stoke on Trent. Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I have carried a motorbike for years. or should say towed. I started off with the idea of carrying a small 125cc bike at the rear which is about the heaviest you can carry. Dont forget you have to take into account the weight of the carrier and bike with regard to the load placed on the rear axle. I found it does affect the suspension and rear tyres the steering became lighter the rear sagged, I stopped carrying it after my first trip abroad. What i found was the bike was to small to tour round anywhere properly just big enough to go down to the loca shops. I thought its performance was dangerous as traffic dominated you on the road. A couple of french roads the carrier grounded due to the overhang. I basically would not recommend carrying a bike on the back. Why not tow a unbraked trailer much safer and doesnt load the suspension. It doesnt have to be the heaviest bike ,but with enough power to go with the flow. The bigger cc scooters such as the Suzuki bergman are ideal with automatic transmission. I tow a large 325kg 1100cc touring bike it is fitted with panniers for all the shopping,helmets and cloths fitted with gps, rider to passenger intercomms. even a handbrake. Takes 5 minutes to unload and load secured by four ratchet clamps and straps which have held it in place as far as Berlin and Switzerland without a problem the straps pull the bike down on its suspension making it very stable. We have probably covered 10,000 miles with it on the back. I agree that a camera is ideal to keep an eye on the trailer plus it assists reversing which is easier the more you have to do it. I would think carefully before you decide what you want the motorcycle for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 I've seen a picture of my model motor home with a Scooter on the back and it looks great but I am now concerned about some of the comments that you have made also I do hate reversing with a towed load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 As i said before it boils down to what you want the motorcycle for. I use the motorhome for a base as its a 25 ft model and really to big to drive into towns. The bike allows me to tour using the HM as a base. The plus side to m/c is the parking in Europe is a so easy i usually park smack in the middle of town try riding around town in a car finding a space . As for reversing its pretty rare in the mileage we cover. if i get into a tight squeeze i have taken the trailer off and manouvred it with the aid of the jockey wheel. its so balanced it can easily be moved and dont forget mine is probably one of the heaviest bikes out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Pete, Fill your van up with all the clutter as if you were heading off on holiday for a month, take the Mrs as well and find a weighbridge. Get them to weigh each axle independantly with you both inside. Then with your digital; camera take two photographs, Photo 1 A direct side view of your motorhome Photo 2 A close up of the rating plate in the drivers footwell. Then measure the wheelbase, thats centre of the front wheel to centre of the back wheel. Then say which scooter you have your eye on and how much it weighs. Post all this information then we can advise with some accuracy if carrying the scooter on the back is viable or if you need to tow a trailer. Good luck Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 After weighing to see if there is any spare rear axle capacity the maths are easy. If your overhang is 50 % of the wheelbase (the distance between front and rear axles) then multiply the weight of bike plus rack by 150% to find extra load on rear axle. If overhang is 60 % it is 160% and so on pro rata. Most m/bikes, scooters are too heavy to hang on most 'vans. Off to eastern France on Tuesday, three weeks and perhaps few days in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Lucky so and so's George! Have a goodun C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 George Collings - 2009-05-31 10:11 PM After weighing to see if there is any spare rear axle capacity the maths are easy. If your overhang is 50 % of the wheelbase (the distance between front and rear axles) then multiply the weight of bike plus rack by 150% to find extra load on rear axle. If overhang is 60 % it is 160% and so on pro rata. Most m/bikes, scooters are too heavy to hang on most 'vans. Off to eastern France on Tuesday, three weeks and perhaps few days in Germany. I am not sure that I under stand. Does that mean that I can put a Scooter of 168k on the Back with a wheel base of 350cm and a over hang of 155cm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 If my maths are correct you have: (100 divided by 350) multiplied by 155 = 44% overhang So if the weight of your scooter is 168kg you need to multiply this by 44% which gives 242kg - this is the weight your actual rear axle will be carrying just with the bike on the back of your motorhome (which takes into account the additional weight added by the lever action of it being hung on the back). This doesn't include the rack for the bike itself unless that's also in the 168kg weight you've given. It also doesn't include whatever else you load up at the rear of your van. Once you've visited a weighbridge and got your overall weight and your rear axle weight, you will then be able to work out from your maximum loading limits (on the vehicle plate) what you can safely and legally carry. I hope that's made sense ... I think it did. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughmer Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 As well as the extra load on rear axle there will be a decreased load on the front. The following formula was posted a few months ago. Excuse me for stealing the thunder of the person who calculated it originally In the equation below: M = Mass of rack and bike together Fn = New front axle weight (what it will be after adding the bike) Fc = Current front axle weight Rn = New rear axle weight (what it will be after adding the bike) Fc = Current rear axle weight Oh = Over hang (distance from rear axle to centre of bike) Wb = Wheel base Measurements in Kg and metres Fn = Fc - [M x Oh / Wb] Rn = Rc + [(Oh+Wb) / Wb x M] Eg (taking roundish figures for a partially loaded 4.600kg van) with a bike and rack weighing 160kg mounted 2metres behind the axle & Wheelbase of 4m New front axle load = 1,400kg - [160kg x 2 / 4] = 1,320kg New rear axle load = 2,300kg + [(2 + 4)/4 x 160] = 2,540kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 It all seems so complicated. No My Scooter will only weigh 106K plus the carrier I was only using the maths supplied and came up with 168k. Sorry I am reluctant to go the the weighbridge as they will only weigh it at 5pm which is a very bad time to be on the road here. but it would seem as though I do not have any choice. But once again thanks for all the assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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