Dallara
01-30-2006, 10:18 AM
Well, I got a new toy this weekend... Actually, it's more of tool than a toy.
What is it?
A new trailer.
I know, I know... I'm going to get a lot of flak from a whole mess of ya' saying things like "Trailer? Why don't your bike there, you wuss?", etc. But hey, in all my long years around motorcycling it has been my experience that there is nothing quite so convenient under certain circumstances than a really good motorcycle trailer.
It's about 200 miles from my home to get to any truly fantastic riding roads, and I hate cooking off 400 miles worth of expensive rubber every time I want to go to the Hill Country. Last Metzler Z-6 I had on the rear of my R1150R was toast at 4,000 miles, and using 10% of that every time I go hunting for twisty roads is ludicrous. A good trailer also comes in handy for hauling dirt bikes, picking up folks with busted motorcycles, and a godsend if you have to haul a broken bike to a dealer.
Anyway, in the past I had always built my trailers (three to be exact), and had my designs evolve into some unique and very versatile rigs... Movable wheel stays (the thing the front wheels push up against), multiple tie-down points, full flat deack to make them easy to walk around on while tying things down (and my last two home-builts used expanded metal grate for the decks to make them easy to clean and save weight), ramps and spare tire stowing underneath, load bearing fenders, box up front for storage and protecting the bikes from rock chips, etc.
And understand - I like open trailers, and don't care at all for enclosed ones. Why? Lighter weight, less aerodynamic drag, ability to haul more different and varied stuff, easier storage, less wear and tear on wheel bearings and tires, and the ability to be towed at much higher speeds if they are designed and laid out right.
I was all set to build another one when I stumbled across an outfit called Triton trailers out of Wisconsin...
All welded, ALL ALUMINUM construction, torsion suspension (helps make it lower and ride better), allow wheels, moveable wheel stays, a very trick style of "bearing buddies", flat deck with movable tie-down points, all aluminum lockable storage box, a real sealed wiring harness, inserted rubber grommet lighting, load bearing fenders (so you can sit, stand, step, etc. on them), ramp storage underneath, swivel jack, and a lot of other features I used ot build into my trailers. They aren't cheap, but good things rarely are... I could have had a nice, used enclosed trailer for what I paid for this one, but it would not have been nearly as tough or as versatil, so I'm happy.
Found out through Triton that they had a dealer/distributor in Houston, and started e-mailing and phone chatting with about a month and a half ago. After much good natured negotiating we settled on a fair price, discounted considerably from list... Decided on a pick-up date, and off I went to Houston at the crack of dawn Saturday morning. Met up with the owner, Larry, there at his storage facility (they aren't usually open on Saturday), and he the trailer all ready to go with all the accessories we had discussed, paperwork, etc. Really nice guy to deal with.
Finished up all the details and I hit the road for home while Larry took off for a boat show where he had a display in San Antonio. Hauled the unladen trailer home with the venerable Chevy Suburban "Pagan Family Truckster" and towed it as fast as 100 MPH just to check out the towing characteristics... And it towed like a dream (though unladen).
Here's a pic from Triton's web site:
http://www.tritontrailers.com/models/mctdfrontrear.jpg
You can hang a center wheel stay and haul three bikes with it, but they would have to be dirt bikes. It's a little bit tight for three big road bikes, though I have never found myself hauling more than two (just like most enclosed trailers) big street motorsicles, anyway.
With the way I build my own trailers I couldn't have made one up for much less than this one, and it would have been half-again heavier as I make 'em out of steel, and it would have cost me damn near as much. Despite being aluminum this rig is hell for strong, and I foresee no construction or reliablity issues.
I am still going to make some minor modifications to it (like I do with everything else!), but not many. It's pretty *right* as it sits.
I will shoot some pics of the completed rig once I finish fooling with it and post 'em here.
Wooooo-Hooooo! I'm jazzed !!! :026:
Just thought some of you who might need a trailer in the future might be interested.
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara)
What is it?
A new trailer.
I know, I know... I'm going to get a lot of flak from a whole mess of ya' saying things like "Trailer? Why don't your bike there, you wuss?", etc. But hey, in all my long years around motorcycling it has been my experience that there is nothing quite so convenient under certain circumstances than a really good motorcycle trailer.
It's about 200 miles from my home to get to any truly fantastic riding roads, and I hate cooking off 400 miles worth of expensive rubber every time I want to go to the Hill Country. Last Metzler Z-6 I had on the rear of my R1150R was toast at 4,000 miles, and using 10% of that every time I go hunting for twisty roads is ludicrous. A good trailer also comes in handy for hauling dirt bikes, picking up folks with busted motorcycles, and a godsend if you have to haul a broken bike to a dealer.
Anyway, in the past I had always built my trailers (three to be exact), and had my designs evolve into some unique and very versatile rigs... Movable wheel stays (the thing the front wheels push up against), multiple tie-down points, full flat deack to make them easy to walk around on while tying things down (and my last two home-builts used expanded metal grate for the decks to make them easy to clean and save weight), ramps and spare tire stowing underneath, load bearing fenders, box up front for storage and protecting the bikes from rock chips, etc.
And understand - I like open trailers, and don't care at all for enclosed ones. Why? Lighter weight, less aerodynamic drag, ability to haul more different and varied stuff, easier storage, less wear and tear on wheel bearings and tires, and the ability to be towed at much higher speeds if they are designed and laid out right.
I was all set to build another one when I stumbled across an outfit called Triton trailers out of Wisconsin...
All welded, ALL ALUMINUM construction, torsion suspension (helps make it lower and ride better), allow wheels, moveable wheel stays, a very trick style of "bearing buddies", flat deck with movable tie-down points, all aluminum lockable storage box, a real sealed wiring harness, inserted rubber grommet lighting, load bearing fenders (so you can sit, stand, step, etc. on them), ramp storage underneath, swivel jack, and a lot of other features I used ot build into my trailers. They aren't cheap, but good things rarely are... I could have had a nice, used enclosed trailer for what I paid for this one, but it would not have been nearly as tough or as versatil, so I'm happy.
Found out through Triton that they had a dealer/distributor in Houston, and started e-mailing and phone chatting with about a month and a half ago. After much good natured negotiating we settled on a fair price, discounted considerably from list... Decided on a pick-up date, and off I went to Houston at the crack of dawn Saturday morning. Met up with the owner, Larry, there at his storage facility (they aren't usually open on Saturday), and he the trailer all ready to go with all the accessories we had discussed, paperwork, etc. Really nice guy to deal with.
Finished up all the details and I hit the road for home while Larry took off for a boat show where he had a display in San Antonio. Hauled the unladen trailer home with the venerable Chevy Suburban "Pagan Family Truckster" and towed it as fast as 100 MPH just to check out the towing characteristics... And it towed like a dream (though unladen).
Here's a pic from Triton's web site:
http://www.tritontrailers.com/models/mctdfrontrear.jpg
You can hang a center wheel stay and haul three bikes with it, but they would have to be dirt bikes. It's a little bit tight for three big road bikes, though I have never found myself hauling more than two (just like most enclosed trailers) big street motorsicles, anyway.
With the way I build my own trailers I couldn't have made one up for much less than this one, and it would have been half-again heavier as I make 'em out of steel, and it would have cost me damn near as much. Despite being aluminum this rig is hell for strong, and I foresee no construction or reliablity issues.
I am still going to make some minor modifications to it (like I do with everything else!), but not many. It's pretty *right* as it sits.
I will shoot some pics of the completed rig once I finish fooling with it and post 'em here.
Wooooo-Hooooo! I'm jazzed !!! :026:
Just thought some of you who might need a trailer in the future might be interested.
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara)