Hitch Hauler and my CUV

GusinCA wrote:

No way, so much wear and tear on the bike that way.

Trust in the hitch, young Skywalker, the Force is strong in that one.

I could not agree more! Just ride it if that is what you plan to do.
If the vehicle you bought is so poorly made it cannot carry 1 relatively light bike, is it strong enough to even be safe on the road? You are not trying to carry a wing, or a ultra classic, or some heavy beast.
I see a guy regularly show up to a local riding area with a 2 bike hitch carrier and bis and hers bikes on the back. They only drive a toyota suv.....sorry i did not pay attention to which one, it could be a 4 runner or a rav 4....but it does not seem to break their little toyota. Should they do it.....likely not.....but they have done it many many many times.....and no issues.

Fly..do you understand my concerns? Next time you see this Toyota, try and notice what model... (If you don't mind)
People tell me (not just here) I saw this,, I see that,, I even had a local tell me that he sees a civic with a double carrier with 2 bikes onit all the time...every time he's out on the grounds every weekend..so naturally I asked to take a photo or exchange information for me to talk to this person... Well guess what, the story has changed.. From "I see him all the time" to "Awe dude haven't seen him in like a month" this is coming from a guy who owns a full size pick up that carries his bike in the bed,, so I don't think his concerns are similar to mine... The only one so far that can back up the claim is GusinCA....and I thank him very much for leaning me toward this side of the fence.... But Just looking for a couple more with similar vehicles to mine,, before I commit.... That is all I want to get out of this thread and my questioning local peeps. Let me ask you Fly.. How do you transport your ride to the grounds if you transport it at all? And let's compare notes and see if your concerns are similar to mine.
In regards to my vehicle, it's fine and safe for these public roads, passes state inspections since new in 2011, and hauled my ass up and down the east coast numerous times and still alive..

Bottom line is this: If the hitch has a 2 inch receiver, it can handle a single motorcycle like the WR.

That's all you need to know.

To carry two bikes or a quad requires a full size truck, but not to carry one bike.

Use the anti sway bracket and a silent hitch pin to prevent the rack from swaying.

Now get out there and ride.

GusinCA wrote:

Bottom line is this: If the hitch has a 2 inch receiver, it can handle a single motorcycle like the WR.

That's all you need to know.

I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.  You can bolt a simple 2" hitch receiver onto anything that'll hold the weight of the receiver.  That doesn't mean it'll carry the weight of what you attach to it, or that the vehicle's suspension will either.

wwguy wrote:

GusinCA wrote:

Bottom line is this: If the hitch has a 2 inch receiver, it can handle a single motorcycle like the WR.

That's all you need to know.

I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.  You can bolt a simple 2" hitch receiver onto anything that'll hold the weight of the receiver.  That doesn't mean it'll carry the weight of what you attach to it, or that the vehicle's suspension will either.

Exactly!! Thank you wwguy

GusinCA wrote:

Bottom line is this: If the hitch has a 2 inch receiver, it can handle a single motorcycle like the WR.

That's all you need to know.

To carry two bikes or a quad requires a full size truck, but not to carry one bike.

Use the anti sway bracket and a silent hitch pin to prevent the rack from swaying.

Now get out there and ride.

Gus.. Just have to be comfortable / convinced before I jump in...especially with something that I really have no experience with.
As I mentioned earlier your post is the one that partially convinced me 50%,, just have to fill in the rest of the pie to be 100% convinced...
working with a vendor...carriers4cycles.com and asking the same questions that I post here, he doesn't seem overly concerned about the capability of my vehicle.. in fact he sent me photos of a chevy HHR with a WR450, ford taurus, and a buick regal with a KTM on them.
gonna try my friends carrier this weekend just to see how my vehicle reacts with the weight... and depending how that goes will make a final decision

WWGUY, yes, that is how it works. If there is a 2 inch receiver on your SUV that was manufactured FOR your SUV, and installed by a professional place such as U-HAUL or some other pro installer, it WILL hold something like a rack and a bike like the WR250R and much more. The fact that it is a TWO INCH receiver means it is rated for a MINIMUM weight, both for the TRAILER and the TONGUE.

Leo167 wrote:

Fly..do you understand my concerns? Next time you see this Toyota, try and notice what model... (If you don't mind)
People tell me (not just here) I saw this,, I see that,, I even had a local tell me that he sees a civic with a double carrier with 2 bikes onit all the time...every time he's out on the grounds every weekend..so naturally  I asked to take a photo or exchange information for me to talk to this person... Well guess what, the story has changed.. From "I see him all the time" to "Awe dude haven't seen him in like a month" this is coming from a guy who owns a full size pick up that carries his bike in the bed,, so I don't think his concerns are similar to mine... The only one so far that can back up the claim is GusinCA....and I thank him very much for leaning me toward this side of the fence.... But Just looking for a couple more with similar vehicles to mine,, before I commit.... That is all I want to get out of this thread and my questioning local peeps. Let me ask you Fly.. How do you transport your ride to the grounds if you transport it at all? And let's compare notes and see if your concerns are similar to mine.
In regards to my vehicle, it's  fine and safe for these public roads, passes state inspections since new in 2011, and hauled my ass up and down the east coast numerous times and still alive..

I do cor sure understand your concern.
My thinking is that you are overly worried a bit though.
I am not saying you shoukd carry a gold wing on it....but a yami 250 is relatively light.
My gf said they have a toyota fj .

Fly man wrote:

Leo167 wrote:

Fly..do you understand my concerns? Next time you see this Toyota, try and notice what model... (If you don't mind)
People tell me (not just here) I saw this,, I see that,, I even had a local tell me that he sees a civic with a double carrier with 2 bikes onit all the time...every time he's out on the grounds every weekend..so naturally  I asked to take a photo or exchange information for me to talk to this person... Well guess what, the story has changed.. From "I see him all the time" to "Awe dude haven't seen him in like a month" this is coming from a guy who owns a full size pick up that carries his bike in the bed,, so I don't think his concerns are similar to mine... The only one so far that can back up the claim is GusinCA....and I thank him very much for leaning me toward this side of the fence.... But Just looking for a couple more with similar vehicles to mine,, before I commit.... That is all I want to get out of this thread and my questioning local peeps. Let me ask you Fly.. How do you transport your ride to the grounds if you transport it at all? And let's compare notes and see if your concerns are similar to mine.
In regards to my vehicle, it's  fine and safe for these public roads, passes state inspections since new in 2011, and hauled my ass up and down the east coast numerous times and still alive..

I do cor sure understand your concern.
My thinking is that you are overly worried a bit though.
I am not saying you shoukd carry a gold wing on it....but a yami 250 is relatively  light.
My gf said they have a toyota fj .

Overly worried? absolutely,, this is why I need a couple more "like vehicles" to convince me since I have no hauling experience with this truck..except with a couple of bicycles that is no where near the weight of the WR, I do think in a "worse case" can't help it, this stems from my job, and with the bike + carrier weight puts me 5# over the Max tongue weight of 350#, bottom line I've exceeded the max specified weight, and if this lets go I have no argument here, I knowingly went over the spec.
which proves I was negligent, not talking strapping or the way I secured it to the carrier, I'm talking the assembly from hitch to the attachment on the truck

I had the 07 Fj and with a 500# max TW, I would not think twice about hauling this bike on that Fj
If this assembly was to let go, they really can't put liability on me, can they? at least with this I have an argument

In the end I most likely go this route, it is the cheapest and the least hassle for storing.... just need to satisfy my process first

Go for it! And please post photos!

dhally wrote:

Go for it!  And please post photos!

The Mazda is yours? doesn't sag much..
thanks for posting the other stuff

Leo167 wrote:

[quote="dhally"

The Mazda is yours? doesn't sag much..
thanks for posting the other stuff

No. Just saying you can do anything you want to your vehicle. You wouldn't be the first.

dhally wrote:

Leo167 wrote:

[quote="dhally"

The Mazda is yours? doesn't sag much..
thanks for posting the other stuff

No.  Just saying you can do anything you want to your vehicle. You wouldn't be the first.

Gotcha...

If you got the space for it why not invest in a small trailer to tow the bike. Im thinking a small little flat bed, that doesn't take up a lot of space. That way you gain the utility of a full size truck without straining the frame. You now got room for up to a few bikes plus a whole lot of gear and you can use it for all sorts of hauling other than just bikes.

I'm willing to bet you could find a decent little trailer for around the same price as nice hitch mounted hauler. Heres a really cool harbor freight Folding-Trailer

blusmoke wrote:

If you got the space for it why not invest in a small trailer to tow the bike. Im thinking a small little flat bed, that doesn't take up a lot of space. That way you gain the utility of a full size truck without straining the frame. You now got room for up to a few bikes plus a whole lot of gear and you can use it for all sorts of hauling other than just bikes.

I'm willing to bet you could find a decent little trailer for around the same price as nice hitch mounted hauler. Heres a really cool harbor freight Folding-Trailer

that was my original plan..and HF was what came to mind,, but really don't have the room for one

So.. I chickened out of the carrier.. mind would not allow it, So I went the trailer route...a little bit more than i wanted to spend and had to really purge the garage......but for me peace of mind is worth it (and a much cleaner garage)
thanks for the folks who replied to this post