Trailer trash - towing behind a Fazer

[red98]

some good work here CHRISTO well done for seeing it through......please be carefull though,take plenty of time loading the thing...balance and load, as you know is very important 

[ChristoT]

some good work here CHRISTO well done for seeing it through......please be carefull though,take plenty of time loading the thing...balance and load, as you know is very important 

Drive it like you were a lorry!  :lol

But yes. I may be insane as to amount I load my bike, but I'm paranoid about the load. Always stop an hour into a trip to ensure the baggage has settled well - and I remember on one occasion, I had to pull off sharpish as I'd noticed the rain cover on a pannier had nearly fallen off!!  :eek

[ChristoT]

DaleH also tows behind a 600. In fact, I tried to copy his rack to a certain degree! 

<img src="http://foc-u.co.uk/MGalleryItem.php?id=1126" alt="" />

<img src="http://foc-u.co.uk/MGalleryItem.php?id=1129" alt="" />

[slimwilly]

Does it go "beep beep beep beep " when you are reversing ?

[red98]

no brakes on the trailer then christo ?...

[mr self destruct]

Been following this thread with interest and think you're a genius! 

It's galvanised steel - but lousy galvanising, has a few rust spots. Quite light, I'd say 40 / 50kg dry weight.


The trailer needs a few mods:


- Shorter tow bar (hitch to trailer body)

[size=1em]Couple of points though, I don't know what European law is like but are you aware of the UK laws? Max weight 150kg or 2/3 the kerb weight of the bike, but if its more than half I think it needs brakes.[/size]
https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-motorcycle


Also, max distance between the rear axle and the end of the trailer is 2.5m.


With this in mind I'd try to get it as close to 2.5m as possible, because that will minimise the angle the hitch moves through for a given change in height (i.e. bumps etc.). Think basic trigonometry. 

[red98]

good points there MSD  .....theres a lot of unknows here so could i suggest lots of cautious test rides loaded/unloaded before the big trip .....good luck CHRISTO 

[red98]

Hope your mate can weld, both members will suffer fatigue due to the dynamix forces of tension and compression on each piece when accelerating and decelerating. Could try a further brace but you loose the flexability. You've said its heavy duty so good job then .

Close up pics on mount locations and have you tried it out yet?

iam sure iam not the only one on here who dos`nt know what "dynamix forces of tension" is.....is it the stretching and shrinkage of the steel when under load ?

[red98]

Yeah, two members will be being pulled under acceleration, the other members will be being compressed. Then the opposite on each under deceleration.

ahhhh....cheers FIZZY,easy when you know 

[ChristoT]

Been following this thread with interest and think you're a genius! 

[quote author=ChristoT link=topic=9335.msg94400#msg94400 date=1376508823]

It's galvanised steel - but lousy galvanising, has a few rust spots. Quite light, I'd say 40 / 50kg dry weight.


The trailer needs a few mods:


- Shorter tow bar (hitch to trailer body)

[size=1em]Couple of points though, I don't know what European law is like but are you aware of the UK laws? Max weight 150kg or 2/3 the kerb weight of the bike, but if its more than half I think it needs brakes.[/size]
https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-motorcycle


Also, max distance between the rear axle and the end of the trailer is 2.5m.


With this in mind I'd try to get it as close to 2.5m as possible, because that will minimise the angle the hitch moves through for a given change in height (i.e. bumps etc.). Think basic trigonometry. 
[/quote]

It's about 2 metres now - and it's very hard to judge corners, as it sticks out so far behind me. The hitch will move more when shorter, but should make cornering a bit tighter. Again, many, many test rides are required!

Slimwilly - no - but it should!!  :lol :lol :lol

Red - it's unbraked, which is why I am so cautious with it on the back!

Fizzy - that's the reason I'm out with the trailer as much as I can - trying to familiarise myself with the handling as much as I can, and to inspect the welds! If they're too weak, I want to know BEFORE I'm halfway round the M25!

I'm getting there! 

[fireblake]

I had the pleasure of seeing Chris and the behemoth on Sunday and i must say it all looks pretty good. Not something i would want to ride (or be seen dead with) but all the best to you Chris. And i'll look forward to hearing all about your epic journey. Take care young chatty nemisis.


Mickey

[ChristoT]

I had the pleasure of seeing Chris and the behemoth on Sunday and i must say it all looks pretty good. Not something i would want to ride (or be seen dead with) but all the best to you Chris. And i'll look forward to hearing all about your epic journey. Take care young chatty nemisis.


Mickey

Thanks, Mickey! I'm sure you'll come round to it...  mokin :thumbup

News update:

- NOT shortening the drawbar (can still tow behind car now)
- Not turning the lid round
- Trailer now black
- Numberplate and wiring all tidied up

Shock news - we were tidying up the trailer, and looking for the kerbside weight plate, we made a startling discovery. My trailer is a classic!  :eek

The plate we found showed it was a VW trailer - built in 1963! With the shape of the trailer and the high suspension, we suspect it may be ex-German army!  :eek :eek :eek

[Pat]

I had to lug a couple of 2.5l tins of Farrow & Ball paint over to France in my panniers for the GF last month, cost me £30 a tin to buy it here in the UK,  costs €80 a tin over there!  :eek

Out of interest, what difference does using a trailer make to your insurance?

[ChristoT]

I had to lug a couple of 2.5l tins of Farrow & Ball paint over to France in my panniers for the GF last month, cost me £30 a tin to buy it here in the UK,  costs €80 a tin over there!  :eek

Out of interest, what difference does using a trailer make to your insurance?

Amateur! I'm lugging 3 10L containers of Wickes paint for a friend!  :lol :lol :lol

The trailer = nowt extra! The trailer and contents are only covered by 3rd party, but that's good enough for me! 

[fireblake]

I must admit I was thinking Kubelwagon when I saw it?

[ChristoT]

I must admit I was thinking Kubelwagon when I saw it?

Jawohl!  :rollin :rollin :rollin

[ChristoT]

Piccies!

[smg id=1139 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 1"]

[smg id=1140 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 2"]

[smg id=1141 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 3"]

[smg id=1142 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 4"]

[smg id=1143 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 5"]

[smg id=1144 type=preview align=center caption="Trailer 6"]

Finally, I have also decided on a nickname for the trailer. Due to Fireblake's comment that it looks a bit like a Kubelwagon, I reckon "the Kub" is as good a name as any for it!!

Finally...

[smg id=1145 type=preview align=center caption="Who's that lazy bastid?"]

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

[Doddsie]

Have you got any warning light or buzzer that tells you if the indicators on the trailer stop working??

[ChristoT]

Have you got any warning light or buzzer that tells you if the indicators on the trailer stop working??

No, but they're wired direct to the rear indicators. If the flashers don't work on the trailer, they don't work on the dash. Also, the trailer is low enough for the bike's own indicators to be visible above it. 

[Doddsie]

Could be wrong but Im pretty sure you are supposed to have a seperate device just for the trailer