Barryd999 Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 flyboyprowler - 2022-02-04 9:10 PM ColinM50 - 2022-02-04 6:34 PM Like others have said, not to p*ss on your chips, but here's the best trailer I've ever seen. In a French supermarket carpark I think in '17. Scooter and two bikes. Not tried posting pics for ages so I might get this wrong but here goes Hmm, that didn't work but the website of the company making it is http://www.yoremorques.fr/public Worth a look though not cheap Love it, but at twice the price of the scooter it's an euro too far! Dont get a trailer unless you have absolutely no other option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 Barryd999 - 2022-02-04 9:25 PM flyboyprowler - 2022-02-04 9:10 PM ColinM50 - 2022-02-04 6:34 PM Like others have said, not to p*ss on your chips, but here's the best trailer I've ever seen. In a French supermarket carpark I think in '17. Scooter and two bikes. Not tried posting pics for ages so I might get this wrong but here goes Hmm, that didn't work but the website of the company making it is http://www.yoremorques.fr/public Worth a look though not cheap Love it, but at twice the price of the scooter it's an euro too far! Dont get a trailer unless you have absolutely no other option. Why are you so against trailers Barry? I would have thought that a small trailer with the scoot cross-ways would be better than a rack weight wise. Should a chassis mounted rack be fitted to our Niesmann then I think that or rear ground clearance could be limited. I contacted Niesmann for their thoughts and they recommend keeping the scoot in the garage rather than a rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 flyboyprowler - 2022-02-05 10:20 PM Barryd999 - 2022-02-04 9:25 PM flyboyprowler - 2022-02-04 9:10 PM ColinM50 - 2022-02-04 6:34 PM Like others have said, not to p*ss on your chips, but here's the best trailer I've ever seen. In a French supermarket carpark I think in '17. Scooter and two bikes. Not tried posting pics for ages so I might get this wrong but here goes Hmm, that didn't work but the website of the company making it is http://www.yoremorques.fr/public Worth a look though not cheap Love it, but at twice the price of the scooter it's an euro too far! Dont get a trailer unless you have absolutely no other option. Why are you so against trailers Barry? I would have thought that a small trailer with the scoot cross-ways would be better than a rack weight wise. Should a chassis mounted rack be fitted to our Niesmann then I think that or rear ground clearance could be limited. I contacted Niesmann for their thoughts and they recommend keeping the scoot in the garage rather than a rack. A trailer is much more hassle than a rack, almost impossible to reverse and all the ones I have seen look a bit of a faff to get the bike on and off although Armitage do a side loading trailer similar to their rack which looks pretty neat. Then you have the concern of something going wrong with it. Some of them are over complicated with lots of moving parts. I seem to remember one company, might have been Ezetow went bust leaving people stuck for parts. A bike on a rack you can just forget about, its part of the van and it doesn't take up space in your garage. Getting bikes in and out of garages is not straight forward either. I have seen people faff on with that procedure and its often a two person job but it has to be a better option than at trailer if you cannot fit a rack. Of course there is one major advantage with a trailer, you can take whatever size bike you like and are not limited to a lightweight 125. I love our little Honda Vision though. The van does all the legwork anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul F Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Many of the Pros and Cons of bespoke carriers, trailers and just using the garage seem to have been covered. One point that hasn't been mentioned is that as soon as you hook a trailer on your van, then you will be subject to lower speed limits. Your 7T van is of course restricted to lower limits than 3.5T vehicles anyway, but with a trailer you will be restricted to 60mph on a UK motorway rather than 70mph, and all sorts of different limits in Europe - 80kmh on the Autobahn in Germany rather than 100kmh for example. This may not be a concern, but worthy of mention. With regard to some of the concerns about extra length and ground clearance with carriers, my own set up is pretty similar to the one being proposed - a 9m(or thereabouts) van, a circa 500Kg garage payload, and a 130Kg scooter. I can honestly say I have not had any length or weight concerns at all. My rack extends the overall vehicle by 650mm which is negligible in the grand scale of things. The carrier attaches to the Al-Ko extension but follows that lower chassis line for only about 250mm, and then dog-legs up to make the carrier at a higher level behind the van. I accept that extra care and consideration is needed on a VERY steep, sharp incline - but in practice how many of these will you experience on your travels in that size of vehicle. I have watched people trying to squeeze scooters into their garage along with all their other stuff, and it just seems to take them forever. My scooter is on, strapped down and covered in about 15 minutes. If you are worried about security, then use a decent padlock and chain to attach the scooter to the carrier. I have taken the view that I leave the scooter all over the place - busy town centres, supermarkets and the like, so is it really any different when I pitch up. If I am on a secure site I just park the scooter by my window so I can hear if anyone is fiddling around with it, and if we are somewhere remote I might put the padlock and chain on it. On a 3 or 4 day stopover, would you really be putting the scooter back in the garage every night?? Brian hits the nail on the head when he talks about why a short trailer and long towing vehicle just dont work. My own thought process analysed everything above before deciding on the carrier - and for me, it was absolutely the correct decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 My remaining caution regarding a rack is the substantial rear overhang on Ainsley's van, which will exacerbate any tendency to ground. It is also a single rear axle van and so, coupled with its long overhang, may be more susceptible to "rear end wiggle" when additionally loaded with rack and scooter. It is a risk and, unfortunately, finding out how well founded a risk, seems liable to have quite a high price tag! Having said that, I think it's probably a case of "suck it and see", unless there is some really clever way to get the scoot into the garage that resolves all the garage related problems identified above! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Paul F - 2022-02-09 6:07 PM I have watched people trying to squeeze scooters into their garage along with all their other stuff, and it just seems to take them forever. My scooter is on, strapped down and covered in about 15 minutes. I'm sorry but I do disagree on this point. I can get my Motorbike into the garage, strapped down with all the other gear we carry - in 10 minutes! I have gas and electric stoves, tables, chairs, two fold up electric bikes and silver screen, wastewater container all in the garage! I guess it really depends how organised you are. I can get the bike in and out without having to move most of that. Just the silver screen and waste water container. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 It has been really interesting reading the thoughts and ideas of all you experienced contributors. I am certainly coming to the opinion that a rack for the scoot is not the best idea. Also the additional expense of fitting a tow bar here in Spain also really rules out the use of a trailer on the limited times it would be needed. I am going to try the scoot in the boot so to speak, and try, as Jeremy suggests to pack around once the bike is installed. Indeed his list is very similar to our own! Should more storage space be needed then a rack with an alloy box could be fitted, being lighter when loaded and with built in security included, for maybe the push bikes and chairs if required. I do thank you all for your contributions, they have got the grey cells working and that is no bad thing! We are returning to the UK in the van next week so the fitting trials will continue when we return to Spain at the end of March. Ainsley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 laimeduck - 2022-02-09 7:40 PM Paul F - 2022-02-09 6:07 PM I have watched people trying to squeeze scooters into their garage along with all their other stuff, and it just seems to take them forever. My scooter is on, strapped down and covered in about 15 minutes. I'm sorry but I do disagree on this point. I can get my Motorbike into the garage, strapped down with all the other gear we carry - in 10 minutes! I have gas and electric stoves, tables, chairs, two fold up electric bikes and silver screen, wastewater container all in the garage! I guess it really depends how organised you are. I can get the bike in and out without having to move most of that. Just the silver screen and waste water container. Jeremy Dunno what kind of Rack Paul has but I can get mine off or on in less than a minute. I dont bother covering it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul F Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 Barryd999 - 2022-02-09 9:55 PM laimeduck - 2022-02-09 7:40 PM Paul F - 2022-02-09 6:07 PM I have watched people trying to squeeze scooters into their garage along with all their other stuff, and it just seems to take them forever. My scooter is on, strapped down and covered in about 15 minutes. I'm sorry but I do disagree on this point. I can get my Motorbike into the garage, strapped down with all the other gear we carry - in 10 minutes! I have gas and electric stoves, tables, chairs, two fold up electric bikes and silver screen, wastewater container all in the garage! I guess it really depends how organised you are. I can get the bike in and out without having to move most of that. Just the silver screen and waste water container. Jeremy Dunno what kind of Rack Paul has but I can get mine off or on in less than a minute. I dont bother covering it though. Many years of transporting track bikes on trailers, in vans and on bespoke carriers has shown me how easily and unexpectedly they can move in transit. If that happens, a tricky or expensive situation usually ensues. This has probably made me a bit paranoid with the strapping down, so I put the carrier mounted bar on the handlebar, two wheel chocks in, and then ratchet strap the forks and the rear end down. Then I put the weather cover over the top, and bungee that as well. Far more than is probably needed, but at least I can drive off without any worry about the scooter and I parting company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 Paul F - 2022-02-10 1:31 PM Barryd999 - 2022-02-09 9:55 PM laimeduck - 2022-02-09 7:40 PM Paul F - 2022-02-09 6:07 PM I have watched people trying to squeeze scooters into their garage along with all their other stuff, and it just seems to take them forever. My scooter is on, strapped down and covered in about 15 minutes. I'm sorry but I do disagree on this point. I can get my Motorbike into the garage, strapped down with all the other gear we carry - in 10 minutes! I have gas and electric stoves, tables, chairs, two fold up electric bikes and silver screen, wastewater container all in the garage! I guess it really depends how organised you are. I can get the bike in and out without having to move most of that. Just the silver screen and waste water container. Jeremy Dunno what kind of Rack Paul has but I can get mine off or on in less than a minute. I dont bother covering it though. Many years of transporting track bikes on trailers, in vans and on bespoke carriers has shown me how easily and unexpectedly they can move in transit. If that happens, a tricky or expensive situation usually ensues. This has probably made me a bit paranoid with the strapping down, so I put the carrier mounted bar on the handlebar, two wheel chocks in, and then ratchet strap the forks and the rear end down. Then I put the weather cover over the top, and bungee that as well. Far more than is probably needed, but at least I can drive off without any worry about the scooter and I parting company! I think a lot of people do the same. When I saw the Armitage rack for the first time in 2008 I was a bit concerned how simple it was. One short ratchet through the front wheel and one to ratchet the bar down over the seat. Thats it. The bike cant move sideways because of the ratchet through the front wheel and its going nowhere backwards once the rubber bar is clamped down. I was a bit worried at first having seen the lengths some go to but 14 years later and God knows how many countries, mountains and goat tracks its never budged. I am not sure I would be so confident with something much heavier though. The little Honda is just 102kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 Having now looked at the majority of the options available, we have decided to go down the route of bike in van and a box on a frame attached to the chassis for the bikes and other bits to free up locker space. As long as the box is removeable then we do not have problems with registration in Spain, so watch this space! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Hi, You really need to make sure your not overweight on your rear axel ,Well covered here by all. From 130kg upwards I would lean towards a trailer for safety and easy of use. Be careful of the portable weight checks across Europe, more may be used to check Motorhomes travelling abroad from now on Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.