Attaching motorbike rack

Brifor · Member

Attaching motorbike rack

Possum3 · Guru

Hi Brifor, Welcome toGN's.
The first thing I noticed was the illegal blocking of number plate - you need to either relocate box or number plate. You could mount the number plate to box which would mean rewiring numberplate light.
Do you need to have the toolbox? Seriously consider removing it and put you bike carrier on you HR tow mount. MH should have adequate storage for tools.
You could fit roof carrier to MH if you must keep toolbox or similar.

See www.caravancouncil.com.au/ for free technical specs and checklists.

Jaahn · Guru

Hi Brifor smile

My thoughts ! I would not put a motorbike behind that tool box on any rack. I would not consider it a satisfactory engineering setup and might expect it to suffer badly on rough roads . Either the box or the motorbike for me ! aww

But possibly I would consider getting a light trailer and putting both the box and the bike on that. Possibly allowing you to put some other bulky stuff or some extra water/fuel there also. I think I would do it that way. Put some high/wide marker poles on the trailer so it can be easily seen while driving. hmm

Jaahn

yobarr · Guru

Brifor wrote:
Hi All I am new to Grey Nomads.
We have a Winnebago and I want to take my Yamaha XT 225 on a rack on the rear (see pic). I have a tool box also on the rear which I would like to keep so I am thinking of attaching an extender I can put the bike rack into. My tow bar is Hayman Reese and can take 280 kgs, the bike weighs around 130 kgs. Apparently with the extender it lessens the maximum weight the rack can take by one third. The rack weighs 25kgs.
Does anyone have any experience with the racks and extenders? I have heard they rock and roll a fair bit and I dont want the setup to break out in the bush.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards Brian

Hi Brian...there's no way known I'd be hanging anything like 155kg behind that toolbox.All good to say the towbar is good for 280kg,less 1/3,leaving 185kg (+/-) but with your bike and rack being 155kg,that leaves only 30kg for total toolbox weight,(looks like steel?) and the 'rock and roll' effect would soon see that weight reduced to zero when the whole lot went its own way.Just saying! Cheers

Brifor · Member

Hi Possum 3,Jaahn and Yobarr,

thanks for the replies guys, it seems the vote is unanimous, and I will re think what I will do.

Regards Brian

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome to the gang Brifor, enjoy here and out in the playground.

I'm not up with Motorhomes but I would look to see if there is a limit to the overhang allowed on the rear. It's a different set up to towing a caravan. In my mind anyway.

Keep Safe out there.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

There is a ratio the rear body can be behind wheels . From memory its 60% of wheel base . ?? I would tow a light 6X4 trailer . As said not good engineering fitting both weight and length wise

Eaglemax · Guru

Ideally a fully enclosed 7x5 box trailer but an open one would suffice. Think of all the items you could store in that? In 1974 I owned a VC Valiant with standard factory towbar. I purchased a Suzuki 250 motocross motorbike and a rack and transported it like that all over. Lifting wheels onto the rack was challenging.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Aus-Kiwi wrote:
There is a ratio the rear body can be behind wheels . From memory its 60% of wheel base . ?? I would tow a light 6X4 trailer . As said not good engineering fitting both weight and length wise

60% is correct. Overhang of any sort must NOT exceed 60% of the wheel base.

Cheers,

Peter

yobarr · Guru

Aus-Kiwi wrote:
There is a ratio the rear body can be behind wheels . From memory its 60% of wheel base . ?? I would tow a light 6X4 trailer . As said not good engineering fitting both weight and length wise

As usual,Graeme,you are absolutely right! On a rigid vehicle,rear overhang must not exceed 60% of the vehicle's wheelbase,or 3.7 metres, whichever is the lesser.Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Sunday 9th of August 2020 06:30:47 PM

Brifor · Member

Dougwe, Aus-Kiwi, Eaglemax and Pete and Marg,

thanks guys, no-one seems to have done the extender plus rack successfully, the last thing I want is to wreck the precious bike :) and attract the interest of the Police . Im sure my wife would have something to say if I ruined the towbar too.

Thanks for the info on the ratios

Brian

dogbox · Guru

Eaglemax wrote:

Ideally a fully enclosed 7x5 box trailer but an open one would suffice. Think of all the items you could store in that?

In 1974 I owned a VC Valiant with standard factory towbar. I purchased a Suzuki 250 motocross motorbike and a rack and transported it like that all over. Lifting wheels onto the rack was challenging.

x2 for trailer

Kebbin · Guru

Not to mention anyone behind you when it did come off, 185 plus kg hitting a motorbike rider or a pedestrian wouldn't go to well for any number of reasons.

oldbloke · Guru

yobarr wrote:
Brifor wrote:
Hi All I am new to Grey Nomads.
We have a Winnebago and I want to take my Yamaha XT 225 on a rack on the rear (see pic). I have a tool box also on the rear which I would like to keep so I am thinking of attaching an extender I can put the bike rack into. My tow bar is Hayman Reese and can take 280 kgs, the bike weighs around 130 kgs. Apparently with the extender it lessens the maximum weight the rack can take by one third. The rack weighs 25kgs.
Does anyone have any experience with the racks and extenders? I have heard they rock and roll a fair bit and I dont want the setup to break out in the bush.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards Brian
Hi Brian...there's no way known I'd be hanging anything like 155kg behind that toolbox.All good to say the towbar is good for 280kg,less 1/3,leaving 185kg (+/-) but with your bike and rack being 155kg,that leaves only 30kg for total toolbox weight,(looks like steel?) and the 'rock and roll' effect would soon see that weight reduced to zero when the whole lot went its own way.Just saying! Cheers

+1

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Hi Brian,
Do you really need your motorbike with you?
Some friends of ours have a Landcruiser ute with a Trayon camper + two electric bikes (not cheap, though). They have an ISI rack fitted to hold them. It works well over all sorts of roads & to please the feds, it is made in Melbourne.
You may have to quarantine it for 2 weeks in a posh hotel, though!

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

I have seen a bike above tool box . The box was not very high the sides, lower than centre top . There was a bar going up to roof height with elect winch on it . I can imagine he lifted bile on top of box ? There was a slide bracket off rear of motorhome to hold support bike & tool box . The rear axle was near rear of motorhome . Well with in 60 % wheel base.

Bas + Eve · Senior Member

Yes the 60% of WB limit of overhang is correct. Also the vertical load limit of your tow bar must be considered. A rule of thumb is VLL is 10% of max capacity of the tow bar. We have a Benz truck chassis under our MH and we have a Suzuki 250 on a HitchMate rack. We are just inside the 60% overhang and well within the vertical load limit. We have travelled Australia for 10 yrs without any troubles. HitchMate are no longer in operation....retired.

Brifor · Member

Thanks Bas and Eve, yeah I am thinking the tool box has to go to put the bike on. Brian