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One Serious TW ADV Setup!

19K views 67 replies 16 participants last post by  trailscout 
#1 ·
I'm in the process of building a trailer for my TW. I was poking around the net trying to find what happens to the handling if the hitch angle is too large or too small. Haven't found that answer yet but I did find this interesting setup.


 
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#2 ·
can't tell, but if that is dual-tank front and rear that would have a range.... over 500 miles?!?! i'm surprised the trailer is plated and those plates look like washington, lots of territory there to wander.
 
#3 ·
The man that built that up was a member here. He wrote about his journey with that setup on Advrider. Unfortunately he became ill during that journey and eventually passed some time later. One of the best setups ever done IMHO.
 
#4 ·
That certainly does look like a fabulous set up and a lot of excellent craftsmanship went in to it. I can't fault it at all!

Where I do have a major concern though is in the bike he used to plan this project. I mean, come on, the TW200 is a great bike but with something in the order of 16 horse power and adding all that wet weight I can't see that bike getting much over 40 MPH with a good tail wind fully loaded. Just some simple math will put that bike well beyond it's rated weight limits even before he locks the trailer on.

Just my ow opinion but I would have begun a project like that with a horse pumping more in the order of 650 CCs.

GaryL
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the link. I have the entire thing saved. Hats off and God Speed to Macadam Drifter.

Here is his posted fuel mileage and speed on one leg of his trip.

"I started from Fairview Hall, a rundown building with a long history. This building served as a grange hall for many years; the social, educational, and political center for the northeast corner of the Kittitas Valley. From there we crossed the Valley and picked up US 97-the fastest speed was 55.5 mph per the GPS.

Fuel economy was 77.3 mpg from Ellensburg to Wenatchee and 66.7 mpg from Wenatchee to Grand Coulee. "
 
#7 ·
Ain't it great to live in a place and time where some people ask why, and some people ask why not.....If you will take the time to search ADV Rider and read the thread about the build and trip you will have a better understanding. Macadam Drifter was his board name, a hell of a guy. I followed his adventure from the start, great read indeed.

There has been any number of trips and adventures with the "wrong" bike, and to the "wrong" place.....we have a bunch of crazies here on the TW forum doing wrong things all the time, take a look at Trailscout's videos.....TW's were not made to go where he takes them, but he rides them none the less and goes places men half his age would not go.......it's all good.

Mike
 
#9 · (Edited)
I used a 10 degrees on mine, from what I've read that seems to be the sweet spot for hitch angle. There is some good info here. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113997

Macadam Drifter's TW and trailer are legendary. Like a lot of you I followed his amazing journey to the end, it was an impressive ride. His story was a big inspiration for me to build mine.
 
#10 ·
I used a 10 degrees on mine, from what I've read that seems to be the sweet spot for hitch angle. There is some good info here. Dual Sport Trailer assembly thread - ADVrider

Macadam Drifter's TW and trailer are legendary. Like a lot of you I followed his amazing journey to the end, it was an impressive ride. His story was a big inspiration for me to build mine.
I think you told me 10 degrees in an earlier post also. Being a motorcyclist I got to wondering, what happens over 10 degrees and what happens under 10 degrees. Mine is adjustable at the moment but it is set at 10 degrees.

My hitch frame is not that much different than DMC came up with. Much poorer quality workmanship though. Pick up the shock today from UPS and hope to have it finished by Monday.

Looking at Macadam's trailer, I can see a few spots to put fuel cans also. But the trailer is primarily to be dedicated to my dog Meka. It'll be named Meka's Chariot.

Took it for a short trip yesterday without the suspension. Had the swing arm C-clamped in place. I was surprised and pleased. I remember you reporting the same experience.
 
#12 ·
As with any trailer, once you decide on the angle that suits you, the most important thing to always plan on is tongue weight and load distribution. A simple mistake of 5-10 pounds too far forward or left/right could make for some disastrous results on a 300 pound bike.

GaryL
 
#14 ·
A simple mistake of 5-10 pounds too far forward or left/right could make for some disastrous results on a 300 pound bike.

GaryL
I can almost guarantee there will be too much weight and that it will be too far forward. On top of that it will shift left and right occasionally. When the load is a 100 lb. Great Pyrenees there's just not too much choice of placement on a single wheel trailer. Pivot point is as close to the tire as I could possibly get it and at about axle height. I'll just have to deal with it. I had her riding on a platform on the back of a Rokon. Anything will be better and easier handling than that. She loves to go and I'm tired of going on the quad. With a 70 tooth sprocket I can crash and it shouldn't be all that bad.
 
#15 · (Edited)
My work is very crude, I doubt you can do worse than me. I like to see all trailer idea's, let's see what ya got. Remember there are two thought's on building a trailer to pull with a TDub, there are those who think it's silly, and those who have done it. :D
 
#16 ·
Fantastic setup.

A Solo TW200 Travels Eastbound WA to MN - ADVrider and
Utah to Alaska - 6100 Miles on a TW200 are two RR's I came across (along with these forums) when initially looking at a TW200 that really captured my imagination and helped form my decision to actually purchase one. They really illustrate what is possible with a simple desire for adventure and the will to pursue it. It's not the bike, it's the rider, that makes all the difference.

Kudos to TW2007 and TheMule!
 
#17 · (Edited)
A friend sent this to me, and I've posted it before, it reminds me of those two ride reports and what a lot of the guys here do for fun.

Lightweight Motorcycle Travel:
Riding a bike long distances in a manner familiar to our dusty predecessors.
Meaning relatively simple equipment and just enough horsepower to get the job done.
It means crossing state lines on far less than a 500cc worth of propulsion.
It means riding for the sake of riding---almost anything--without worrying about 'keeping up appearances' or having the latest and greatest.
It means going places they haven't. It means having a certain amount of grit, ingenuity, and self-reliance.
It means doing things that some folks sneer at. It means going places they haven't.
It means refining a personal system of travel based on hard experience. It means having a twinkle in your eye. It means being the Gasoline Stranger.
All the 'in front of the bar' posing in the world on a chrome-encrusted-what-have-you, is a sad substitute for surveying a vista you've never seen, or even fixing a decrepit bike in a rainy ditch with a strange forest nearby. Or having to wait overnight for the only gas station to open because it closed at five 5PM.
Lightweight unsupported motorcycle travel means riding a 13 horsepower, 280 pound motorcycle, on a multi-day road trip, without a supply vehicle following behind.
Motorcycles like this encourage a routing bias toward dirt roads and two-lane secondary roads when necessary. In addition to matching their speed capability better, back roads provide a more interesting mile by mile riding environment.
 
#19 ·
Macadam Drifter was a real inspiration and taken far too soon. He was planning to ride the TW to Caniapiscau, at the end of the Trans-Taiga road in Quebec, a place Mrs Trip and I have been to in our truck camper. Its the farthest point reachable on a road from any town in North America. We'd exchanged PM's about his plans. We needed to tow a trailer with an extra 35 gals. of diesel to make it there and back, so it was a bit of a logistical problem that he solved perfectly. I'm sorry he never got the chance to do it.

On another note, one of the beauties of the TW is its carrying capacity. My KLR650 is rated to carry a total of 304 lbs, including the rider and his luggage. The TW200 is rated to carry 298 lbs. It might not do it fast, but the mighty TW will handle the load.
 
#21 ·
I love the idea of a trailer. I've seen the motomule and it seems like it's keep from overloading the frame. The downside is that probably half the weight of the trailer and load would be on the rear axle of the TW as UNSPRUNG weight. I like the ideas poster have here with putting the hitch on the sprung part of the bike. Has anyone strenghtened the frame? I'd hate to have a bike in some remote place and it get loose, bent or unrideable in the middle of nowhere.

Big question of the whole thing is not how it affects top speed but rather the handling characteristics. Anyone here care to write a little about it?
 
#22 · (Edited)
To me pullng a trailer is similar to carrying a passenger as far as handling is concerned, it doesn't take long to get used to it. I kept the trailer bed small to keep me from overloading it, I only carry my normal camping gear in mine (30 lbs.) . I have some back problems and carrying the load on a trailer, rather than on the rear rack, makes mounting and dismounting a LOT better for me after a long day in the saddle. This will give you an idea of how mine handles, again I built mine for back road use, not off road use.
 
#23 ·
Taking a break. Finally got the shock mount figured out. Now I gotta go do it. The hard part was jury rigging it up to see about where the leverage should be. It's a 730 pound shock and I'm short on material and didn't want to go until I was pretty sure about the leverage.

Mine is over built and a bit on the heavy side. But I plan to abuse it and maybe drag it through and over some boulders and crap before I relent and drop it before I travel onward.

If I was just carrying camp stuff I would not have used a frame mounted hitch frame. But my best friend will be riding back there so I'm trying to make the ride as soft as what I have. I'm using the forward mounted/leading link or whatever suspension because sidecars use them and claim better suspension and some also remove the telescoping forks and install Earls type forks. I've always heard they really worked well and only fell away because of the greater travel of telescoping forks.

I went with the 21 inch wheel again for rider comfort of my riding partner. I had her on some 80 mile knarly quad trips and she does get tired. As do I.

As far as strengthening the TW frame, I don't think it should be necessary. The vertical load will be directly on the two bolts that the luggage racks go to and those carry quite a bit of weight. (fingers crossed!)

And the pulling forces are on the footpeg mounts. If I rip those out I'll may have other larger worries.

All said, I will for certain be making frequent weld inspections.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Sounds like you've got if going your way, a slight change in shock angle makes a big difference, I mounted mine three times before I got it right. Your hitch mount idea looks great too, you shouldn't have anything to worry about there. I think your riding partner is gonna love it, I'm looking forward to seeing your finished trailer.
I'm taking mine down for a little re-work next week, I'm going to cut the front corners to a 45 degree angle, I haven't had any problems with them being square, but I can see the potential problem of them digging in or hitting something so I'll take care of it now. We also made the neck longer than it needed to be, so I think I'll shorten it too.
 
#25 ·
When I grow up I want to have one of these. Actually, I am going to have to get off my butt and get one built up for next season.
 
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#26 ·
When I grow up I want to have one of these.
:)

I really admire the handiwork and skills of you guys that are building these - they are really cool. Alas, I lack either. My mod skills are limited to what I can bolt to or hang off of the bike. Hehe. That, and I don't have a need for such a piece of equipment. If that ever changes I'll have some fantastic reference material to look at thanks to you guys! Thanks for posting your efforts.
 
#29 ·
I just remembered a forum that has more information than you could ever stand to read on single wheel trailers......... Trailers

Mike


Oh my goodness. This is what I've been looking for. Now I have something to read when it gets dark.

Work on my project will have to be suspended for about a week. There is just no way the shock I ordered will properly support the load applied. Way too much rider sag and it bottoms way too easily. It is about the max shock with 12" OC's so I'm just gonna order another and run two of the same shock. Getting a little porkier but not much more than the Trail Tail.
 
#28 ·
LDR, thats a nice site, lots of info there.

and...

I see hacks too!!!

I have wanted a hack for my TW for a while now...

Thanks for remembering this site, I'm saving it.
 
#30 ·
A friend sent this to me, and I've posted it before, it reminds me of those two ride reports and what a lot of the guys here do for fun.

Lightweight Motorcycle Travel:
Riding a bike long distances in a manner familiar to our dusty predecessors.
Meaning relatively simple equipment and just enough horsepower to get the job done.
It means crossing state lines on far less than a 500cc worth of propulsion.
It means riding for the sake of riding---almost anything--without worrying about 'keeping up appearances' or having the latest and greatest.
It means going places they haven't. It means having a certain amount of grit, ingenuity, and self-reliance.
It means doing things that some folks sneer at. It means going places they haven't.
It means refining a personal system of travel based on hard experience. It means having a twinkle in your eye. It means being the Gasoline Stranger.
All the 'in front of the bar' posing in the world on a chrome-encrusted-what-have-you, is a sad substitute for surveying a vista you've never seen, or even fixing a decrepit bike in a rainy ditch with a strange forest nearby. Or having to wait overnight for the only gas station to open because it closed at five 5PM.
Lightweight unsupported motorcycle travel means riding a 13 horsepower, 280 pound motorcycle, on a multi-day road trip, without a supply vehicle following behind.
Motorcycles like this encourage a routing bias toward dirt roads and two-lane secondary roads when necessary. In addition to matching their speed capability better, back roads provide a more interesting mile by mile riding environment.
Most of these are quotes I recognize from an ebook, Lightweight Unsupported Motorcycle Travel for Terminal Cases. Some have been tweaked. The ebook is not a bad read especially considering most ebooks read like they were written by a semi-literate third grader with almost nothing to say.

Regarding the original post, I don't see that trailer weighing more than a passenger of any substance. Considering how light my front end was after I threw all my camping gear on the back of the bike -- well, that gave me handling problems that a trailer probably would not have.
 
#34 ·
Have there been any failures with the luggage rack mounts that connect to the turn signal tab? That's a pretty thin piece of metal. Thinking I may need to pick up an additional spot somewhere for additional vertical support.
 
#35 · (Edited)
It's pretty weak, but probably fine in combination with some other point of triangulation.

I haul 130 lb. bales of hay on my rack fairly routinely, but my HT pannier racks provide the triangulation to the sub-subframe.
 
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