Hitch carrier for dirt bikes

Rossi86

Rossi86

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Thinking of trying a hitch carrier for my dirt bike KTM 525SX, because of the convenience . The problem is my car is a Chevy Cobalt, with a hitch rated for 200 lbs of trailer tongue weight, the bike would exceed that by up to 40-70 lbs, and put extra stress on the hitch from side to side. Won't get on the highway with it, only local roads of up to 80 km/h, ~20 min drive to the local dirt tracks.

Anyone here use a hitch carrier on a sedan for their dirt bike? Is the subframe holding up ok?

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Wouldn't do it. Buy a tiny trailer and set it up for a motorcycle.
 
Mad Mike said:
Wouldn't do it. Buy a tiny trailer and set it up for a motorcycle.
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Have one already, not very practical for me. Hard to find parking at work with the trailer attached. Usually go to the track after work, would have to go back home to get the bike then head to the track, both are on opposite directions from work. Soon I'll upgrade to an SUV that can carry a class 3 hitch anyway to be able to transport 2 road race bikes to the track, but was wondering if others had tried this on a sedan...
 
Rossi86 said:
Have one already, not very practical for me. Hard to find parking at work with the trailer attached. Usually go to the track after work, would have to go back home to get the bike then head to the track, both are on opposite directions from work. Soon I'll upgrade to an SUV that can carry a class 3 hitch anyway to be able to transport 2 road race bikes to the track, but was wondering if others had tried this on a sedan...
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Get the SUV first. I doubt you can find a motorcycle carrier for 1.25" receiver. adding an adapter would extend things out further, making the whole setup a lot sketchier.
 
Lightcycle said:
Don't forget to add the weight of the hitch carrier to the tongue weight. How much do those things weigh? 40-50 lbs?
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And the substantial difference in leverage. A bike on a carrier is much further from the receiver than a ball is.

OP, I think those things are a terrible idea for almost every reason. They impose lots of forces into a hitch that a hitch was never designed to handle. That being said, many people have used them successfully. My neighbours use on on their CRV. Normally for dirt bikes but they grabbed a Ninja 250 from Ottawa with it and it didn't fall off. I doubt the CRV is rated for more than your car.
 
I agree with most that's been posted here, but I will add that my buddy Don drives ALL over Ontario with his setup, and has NEVER had an issue. Cruisin' at 120km/h for hours on the 401, or bouncing down fire/seasonal roads getting to our back-country campsites, again never an issue. He even hauls two kayaks him at the same time in most cases:

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Princess auto carrier as my back up, I have a open and enclosed trailer also. But this one is handy if I am going to the ganny straight from work.
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Jayv said:
Princess auto carrier as my back up, I have a open and enclosed trailer also. But this one is handy if I am going to the ganny straight from work.
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Damn, there is nothing left of your lights. I would add a couple lights on a short trailer harness and attach them to the bike somehow.
 
GreyGhost said:
Damn, there is nothing left of your lights. I would add a couple lights on a short trailer harness and attach them to the bike somehow.
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Never thought of that, I only use this one once in a blue moon. Next year i'll try and rig something up.
 
I put some led lights on my carrier that I plug into the truck when usingg mine

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I used a PA carrier for years on my dodge 1500 and 2500. I wouldn't even consider one on a car.
I did try it on my Honda odyssey, the van would have needed airbags to help the rear suspension. Just my 2 cents.
Edit: They also require a 2x2 class 3 hitch minimum.

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Jayv said:
Princess auto carrier as my back up, I have a open and enclosed trailer also. But this one is handy if I am going to the ganny straight from work.
6b6ad34a6eee8421249ebe7ce8fd4bcf.jpg
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What's the tongue weight rating on your hitch?
 
I have a PA one as my backup to an enclosed trailer. Read all the reviews and was skeptic. Used it a few times now for trips to the Ganny from Burlington area. Works great and no real concerns. Added a $15 4-pin lighting package from PA (thanks Newman) for the extra "don't give cops a reason to pull me over" credit.
 
My daughter has a pa carrier for her Chrysler 300.It has a couple of 2" angle iron mounts for pa magnetic mount lights.She lets them drop when loading and then puts them up in place.Tidy.
Took the pic to show her how to tie it down.
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you guys need to pull the pins where the wheel rides on top. let the tire sink into to carrier. way safer
 
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