A motorcycle trailer is either a trailer used to carry motorcycles or one to be pulled by a motorcycle in order to carry additional gear.
Motorcycle carrying trailers may be open or enclosed. They may be wide, for two machines side-by-side, or narrow, for just a single machine. The main features that distinguish them from other flatbed or enclosed trailers are track(s) to keep the wheels from sliding side to side and sufficient tiedown points to keep the motorcycle(s) from tipping. They may also tilt, or include ramp(s) to facilitate the loading and unloading of motorcycles. Trailer manufacturers often offer trailers specifically designed for carrying motorcycles.
General purpose enclosed trailers, as seen in the photo above left, have the advantage of providing a more secure way of locking up the motorcycles contained within it, keeping them out of sight, and protecting them from all kinds of weather. However, as they are heavier than open trailers and create more wind resistance, pulling a general purpose enclosed trailer can decrease the fuel efficiency of the tow vehicle. Conversely, an enclosed motorcycle-specific trailer can be built low enough so that wind resistance is reduced. As a result, fuel efficiency is better than towing a general purpose enclosed trailer.
Collapsible or folding motorcycle trailers are available to overcome storage problems that might prevent use of a non-collapsible trailer, some such trailers are sufficiently compact to allow the user to carry the trailer in the trunk of a car when not in use.
The basic motorcycle trailer design consists of a fixed platform mounted above one or more axles, which requires the motorcycle be loaded by physically lifting it or rolling it up a ramp onto the platform, potentially a difficult problem when dealing with a heavy touring machine or one that has been disabled. Since the latter half of the 20th century a number of different trailer styles have been devised to make loading motorcycles on them easier. Broadly, such designs include:
Trailers towed behind motorcycles are distinguished by their relatively small size, especially narrow wheelbase. They are also often styled to match the look of the motorcycle they are intended to be towed behind. This styling can include the overall shape, fender shape, lights, chrome, etc.
Cargo trailers provide extra storage space on for bikers whose motorcycles have little storage. The most popular models are made of fibreglass or aluminium and ride on two wheels.
Motorcycle utility trailers are uncovered, single-axle, flatbed trailers. These trailers are designed to be towed by a motorcycle, so they are much smaller than standard open trailers which must be towed by a four-wheel vehicle.
Motorcycle dog trailers are designed to transport the animals in safety and comfort. They are fully enclosed, well ventilated and have suspension.
Two types of trailers prevail within the motorcycle camping trailers category: clamshell and platform camper trailers. Fabric material is attached to the top and bottom halves of the clamshell trailer. The tent is created when the trailer is opened. Once a platform camping trailer is opened, however, the tent is pitched on it. These platform style camping trailers are larger than clamshell camping trailers and can fit full-sized to king-sized air mattresses. Most often, clamshells can only accommodate a single occupant.
The Pav trailers were manufactured in the Czech Republic, originally by "AVIA n.p". and later by "KOVOZAVODY SEMILY" by Jawa Moto. Earliest examples were made in the mid- to late-1950s, which pre-date the PAV 40. The PAV 40 debuted in approximately 1958 or 1959. The PAV 41 eventually replaced the PAV 40 and was produced into the 1970s. Pav trailers feature a single 4-inch (102 mm) wheel and are rated to 80 km/h (50 mph). They were made to be attached to Jawa motorcycles, although they make excellent accessories for Vespa, Lambretta, Cezeta, Heinkel, Fuji, Zundapp, Cushman, or any other vintage motorcycle, scooter or microcar (like Isetta or Messerschmitt). Having just one wheel, these trailers are attached to the towing vehicle by a hitch that has only two degrees of freedom — pitch and yaw.
In order to tow a trailer behind a motorcycle, one of the following coupling combinations or mechanisms is needed: a ball and socket, swivel adapter, or pivot ball hitch and coupler.
Most trailers are towed by joining a ball and a coupler (socket). [1] The coupler is attached to the trailer, and the ball hitch is attached to the tow vehicle. The coupler slides over the ball hitch. Then, pressure is applied to a clamp, usually with a toggle or lever, which secures the ball in the coupler. When properly attached, the coupler will have limited movement, swiveling mainly right and left as well as tilting slightly.
The swivel adapter, more commonly referred to as a swivel coupler or swivel hitch, functions by connecting one end to the trailer tongue and the other end directly to the hitch on the tow vehicle or to a coupler. This mechanism is engineered to rotate on the vertical axis so as to eliminate the possibility of coupler binding. As a result, the motorcyclist is able to lean into a turn as far as necessary at high speeds while keeping the trailer upright.
The pivot ball hitch is an anti-binding motorcycle trailer hitch assembly composed of a base and a trailer ball. The base is secured to a standard ball mount on the motorcycle. The trailer is attached to a socket coupler. A space between the ball shank and the assembly mount allow the ball to move left and right in a vertical plane. Thus, the ball remains in a generally upright position when the motorcycle leans left or right into a turn because the base of the pivot ball hitch is able to move in the opposite direction of the motorcycle without causing the coupler to bind. [2]
Making a turn on a single-track vehicle such as a two-wheeled motorcycle requires the driver to lean the bike. The amount of the lean is dependent upon the speed. Faster speeds require more leaning than slower speeds do. [3] When making a turn with a trailer attached, the mechanism that joins the trailer to the motorcycle must allow for an appreciable lean in order for a trailer to stay upright. Without the ability to freely rotate on a vertical axis, the coupler will bind and the trailer will jack-knife or flip.
As explained above in "Ball and socket", the movement in the coupler and ball combination is limited to mostly horizontal movement and tilting slightly. Therefore, this type of coupling is best suited for three-wheeled motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles. In contrast, as pivot ball hitches and swivel adapters do allow the appreciable lean necessary to keep all the trailer wheels on the ground while turning, these devices are the better option for towing trailers behind a two-wheeled motorcycle. [1] However, the standard car type "ball and socket" couplings used in the United Kingdom are perfectly adequate for two wheeled motorcycles providing plenty of lean angle.
In the United Kingdom, there are some legal restrictions on towing trailers. [4]
Tips for towing include:
The Guinness World Record for a motorcycle and trailer is 139.5 mph, set in 2002 by Motor Cycle News (UK) towing a Squire D21 trailer behind a Kawasaki ZZ-R1100. [7]
A bogie is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally attached or be quickly detachable. It may include a suspension component within it, or be solid and in turn be suspended ; it may be mounted on a swivel, as traditionally on a railway carriage or locomotive, additionally jointed and sprung, or held in place by other means.
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonly, the term is used to describe a farm vehicle that provides the power and traction to mechanize agricultural tasks, especially tillage, and now many more. Agricultural implements may be towed behind or mounted on the tractor, and the tractor may also provide a source of power if the implement is mechanised.
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type of axle is referred to as a spindle.
The kingpin is the main pivot in the steering mechanism of a car or other vehicle.
Suspension is the system of tires, tire air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support both road holding/handling and ride quality, which are at odds with each other. The tuning of suspensions involves finding the right compromise. It is important for the suspension to keep the road wheel in contact with the road surface as much as possible, because all the road or ground forces acting on the vehicle do so through the contact patches of the tires. The suspension also protects the vehicle itself and any cargo or luggage from damage and wear. The design of front and rear suspension of a car may be different.
A caster is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object to enable that object to be moved.
A trailer is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is commonly used for the transport of goods and materials.
A tow truck is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged in an accident, returning one to a drivable surface in a mishap or inclement weather, or towing or transporting one via flatbed to a repair shop or other location.
A tilting three-wheeler, tilting trike, leaning trike, or even just tilter, is a three-wheeled vehicle and usually a narrow-track vehicle whose body and or wheels tilt in the direction of a turn. Such vehicles can corner without rolling over despite having a narrow axle track because they can balance some or all of the roll moment caused by centripetal acceleration with an opposite roll moment caused by gravity, as bicycles and motorcycles do. This also reduces the lateral acceleration experienced by the rider, which some find more comfortable than the alternative. The narrow profile can result in reduced aerodynamic drag and increased fuel efficiency. These types of vehicles have also been described as "man-wide vehicles" (MWV).
A jockey wheel is a wheel-based mechanical system used for steering or guidance, either:
A tow hitch is a device attached to the chassis of a vehicle for towing, or a towbar to an aircraft nose gear. It can take the form of a tow ball to allow swiveling and articulation of a trailer, or a tow pin, or a tow hook with a trailer loop, often used for large or agricultural vehicles where slack in the pivot pin allows similar movements. Another category is the towing pintle used on military vehicles worldwide.
A bicycle trailer is a motorless wheeled frame with a hitch system for transporting cargo by bicycle. It can greatly increase a bike's cargo capacity, allowing point-to-point haulage of objects up to 3 cubic metres in volume that weigh as much as 500 kg. However, very heavily loaded trailers may pose a danger to the cyclist and others, and the voluntary European standard EN 15918 therefore suggests a maximum load of 60 kg on trailers without brakes.
A dolly is an unpowered vehicle designed for connection to a tractor unit, truck or prime mover vehicle with strong traction power.
Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. These may be joined by a chain, rope, bar, hitch, three-point, fifth wheel, coupling, drawbar, integrated platform, or other means of keeping the objects together while in motion.
A flatbed truck is a type of truck the bodywork of which is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods, and consequently they are used to transport heavy loads that are not delicate or vulnerable to rain, and also for abnormal loads that require more space than is available on a closed body. Flatbed trucks can be either articulated or rigid.
A drawbar is a solid coupling between a hauling vehicle and its hauled load. Drawbars are in common use with rail transport, road trailers, both large and small, industrial and recreational, and with agricultural equipment.
A tank transporter is a combination of a heavy tractor unit or a ballast tractor and a mating full trailer, hydraulic modular trailer or semi-trailer, used for transporting tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. Some also function as tank recovery vehicles, the tractors of which may be armoured for protection in combat conditions.
The term recreational vehicle (RV) is often used as a broad category of motor vehicles and trailers which include living quarters for designed temporary accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, truck campers and Park Model RVs.
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
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