Trailering!! Everyone's favorite topic.

[Motogeezer1949_imp]

Harbor Freight trailers are great, I've had 2. Both the 4'x8' versions. Rather than a channel for the bike, I went to a steel supply and got a 4'x8' sheet of expanded diamond mesh. Tack welded it to the frame every 8" or so. Got 2 wheel chocks. Setting 1 up on the center, I used the heaviest bike I had at the time, a Moto Guzzi. I placed it in the center, a few places forward and back on the trailer and just used "feel" ( yea, nothing high tech or complicated) regarding the weight on the tongue. I ended setting it up pretty much at the point of balance. Once I knew where that was, I took the chock off and set it and the other one up spaced so that I could get 2 bikes on. For ramp, I got the aluminum tri-fold from Harbor Freight. It works great and it's the width of the trailer so the bike can be walked up or down. A lot easier for one person to load and unload. Folded up, it can stow next to 1 bike or between 2, held with a bungee. I also got the adjustable 3rd wheel that you bolt on up by the hitch, and a spare tire and wheel. After I was all set, I prepped everything and sprayed black epoxy. Travelled to track days, the mountains, with either my Tuono, FZ-1 or to Daytona hauling my Moto Guzzi AND Lees Honda RC-51. Tracked excellent, no worries cruising at 80. The best part? My tow vehicle was a Toyota Scion XB. The Toaster. 1.5 liter, 108 hp, automatic tranny. The only mod was the addition of an auxilary transmission cooler.
I had about 80k totally trouble free miles on that vehicle when I finally traded it.
Maybe you can find a bit of benefit in my little tale. All the best to you. Be safe, and enjoy your travels.

[Cormanus]

You've got it figured, Prophetic1. Good luck with the trailer. I can't wait for the ride report!

[kennyw]

For your loading question, all you need is a bathroom scale and a helper. Two bathroom scales if you have access. Put the front tire on the scale while carefully balancing from the side. Then do the same for the rear. Then, measure the wheel base spacing. With that information you can calculate the CG fairly quickly.

[4 Paws_imp]

Local rock quarries and trucking company frequently agreeable to letting folks use their scales briefly.
+1 on bathroom scales. And adjusting tongue weight by positioning bike before placing chock (scale under landing gear then?).

Enjoy your trip.

[JustPassinThru_imp]

As someone who's moved cross-country with a bike trailer, twice...I really don't think it matters that much. If it's forty pounds or seventy pounds...it's not rocket science. If you don't have enough weight on your trailer tongue, put a spare trailer tire on the tongue - or the spare car tire.

BUT.

I think you're missing out on an adventure by not just loading up the CB. It's economical and sturdy - and last summer I was laid off half the summer. Instead of worrying, I loaded up the gear - and hit the roads. The loaded CB was a sight - but in handling I never felt the difference. I put 12,000 miles on it.

Of course, we all have to find our own way, what works for us. But this sounds like an outstanding chance to see America via Blue Highways - and, where traffic and prudence allow, at triple-digits.

[rboe]

I went the pickup route with a 48" wide ramp.

Naturally this is not in the same budget range as the Harbor Freight trailer - but hey, no need to learn how to back up a trailer!

For tripping I prefer to leave the car home. The right seat, the right windscreen, the right gear, these are two week plus touring machines. But hey, what ever spins your crank.

[Cormanus]

I did nearly a month and 7,500 kms on mine back in 2014—no windscreen and an AirHawk. It was great.

[Greg Davis_imp]

SO: Here's the deal:

In late May thru early June, I'm going to drive my daily driver around the country. Mostly, I'm going to do this because my wife can't take vacation until December, and I need to burn the hours. I'm taking the daily driver around because it keeps miles off of both of my '15 vehicles at the house. (Challenger R/T+ and Silverado).

However, everywhere I stop, I'm going to be riding the new kid...my '14 CB1100E (what's the E stand for anyway? Excellent?). When I get to Milwaukee, pull the bike off the trailer, putter around. Rapid City, SD, off the trailer. Seattle, off the trailer...etc, etc, you get the idea.

Now, I'm going to be building the trailer for this. I've already purchased the rail, and I'm buying a little Harbor Freight 1190 lb capacity 40.5"x48" single-axle trailer to put it on. My wife works at a fabrication shop, and since I've done some work for them in the past, they're going to make me a ramp to go up to the rail, gussets for the rear end to shore up the back (even though the rail is relatively stout), and decking for either side of the rail.

OK, before anyone gets on my case...I've had a lot of luck with the Harbor Freight trailers. I've had three of them, and each one I've modified and sold or given away. They've done very well, and all 3 of them are still in service.

My tow vehicle (let the laughing start) is an HHR LT. Towing capacity is 1000lbs, max capacity is 1800, so I'm in good shape as long as I don't gain 400 lbs before I go. Tongue weight, 100 lbs.

Herein comes the problem...I need to figure out weight distribution over the single axle so I can have ~65lbs on the tongue.

In a perfect world, the 540lbs of the CB1100 is 270 front tire, 270 rear tire...but that's not always the case...so my question to you folks out there in the world is, do you know what the weight distribution is front/rear? That way I can start getting on my CAD drawing for the trailer. TIA, and I REALLY appreciate it.

Total cost for the trailer when it's done will be a bit south of $400, which is nice. I may even put some cargo on it for gear/luggage (centered over the axle, of course). I'll get pics as soon as it's ready.

BONUS! Picture of new, less than 50 miles on it bike.

As for trailer, I like big tires and wheels on my trailers. With small tires and wheels, the tires get extremely hot, as do bearings. Open trailer is nice, less wind resistance, lighter. I have pulled my CB on open trailer. and if weather was going to be nasty, I wrapped bike in a cellophane like material that can be purchase at any U-Hall dealers. The cellophane comes in 12 inch 18 inch and 24 inch rolls. It's inexpensive, works great, easy to wrap and unwrap bike. I pulled my CB from Ohio to Fl. in winter on open trailer, ( hit some snow covered roads, etc.) bike was perfect when I got to Fl.

[Frulk_imp]

I see good deals out west here all the time on trailers. Bought this one off a guy for $450. Spent about two hours painting the floor on the inside and bolting in 4 recessed oval tie downs through the frame. Use it exclusively to haul my bikes to southern Utah in winter. Bonus is it's under 750 pounds so I don't have to license it and I can move it around with one hand on the driveway.

[clearviewx]

Frulk: Nice trailer and a heck of a deal....