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Trackday trailer

A

abithewannabee

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2022
Location
EMERYVILLE
Moto(s)
Mt09SP
Hey all,

New to track riding, and riding in general, did my first track day at Sonoma Raceway last Monday. Pretty exhilarating, safe to say I want to do more.

Unfortunately I don't have garage space or a truck, I actually rode my bike there and back. I saw a bunch of folks with uhaul trailers I assume they're renting, and other small set ups. I have a 2020 Honda Civic (boring I know)....not sure what I can even tow with that...

What do you guys recommend on a bare bones set up or guide on being able to trailer my bike to the track? I have an Mt07 and am in Emeryville, being able to trailer the bike would let me get to more days at Thunderhill/Laguna Seca etc without having to ride the bike 2 hours each way.

Thank you in advance, sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. Thanks!
 
hi, i was there on monday (i was the trident). get a kendon, it is lightweight and really easy to use and setup. it also stands up vertically so you don't lose much garage space
 
+1 on Kendon. I have a knockoff and love it - easy to move, easy to store upright (I can lift it with my 1-functional-arm), and tows easily, even my gf's veloster could tow it

Y0oNN5Z.jpg


You can see it stored, upright, in the back of my garage here

ZNBwOgY.jpg
 
People with 4cyl cars pull Kendon single rail trailers all the time. Same goes for Harbor Freight trailers, they're also very light weight and have foldable versions and are normally cheaper than a used Kendon. My 4cyl Rav4 easily pulls my two rail Kendon with a single full size bike or two small bikes, it has been up and down the west coast without any issues.
 
If you have the money, get the Kendon... definitively worth it...

If you don't, get a hitch carrier like this one:
https://www.discountramps.com/hitch...FjB4suYJUsmNwVnwOcDWKURTBtuwIA3hoChHsQAvD_BwE

It's only $300 and works really well... I had one on my SUV that I used to pull my Tuono to and from the track for 4 years without any issues whatsoever.

Stopped using it because I ended upgrading it to a Kendon but for context, you're talking at about $2k for one (if you can find it, as they sell quickly).
 
Just realized you have a Civic, don't think the hitch carrier will have the ground clearance... so yeah, go with Kendon.
 
+1 on the Kendon. Although as an interim step, if you want to try it first before buying the Kendon or a knockoff, maybe you could just put on your hitch (and don't forget the electric harness), and rent a u-haul for like $15 for the day.

I did this for awhile with my Mighty Matrix when I was racing back in the early 2000's. Worked great.

If Civic rear height is a problem, maybe get a gooseneck receiver for the hitch to raise the ball up high enough so it won't scrape. (?).
 
fufo47 said:
Just realized you have a Civic, don't think the hitch carrier will have the ground clearance... so yeah, go with Kendon.
Click to expand...

Just to add to your follow-up post: Even with a bigger car a hitch carrier is a bad idea most of the time. For anything bigger than a pit-bike or scooter, you'll need a class III (or bigger) hitch.

In order to safely carry the weight of/on the hitch carrier without hurting your performance (steering/braking) or your car (overloading the fame/hitch) the setup needs:

  • Class III-V hitch, to handle the weight
  • The hitch/carrier must be far enough back to strap the bike down with enough leverage to keep it from tilting forward/back on accel/decel/hills. The straps will create a triangle - one side keeping it from leaning forward, the other side for keeping it from leaning back
  • A vehicle that can support a class III hitch AND its tow/tongue weight rating isn't close to the tongue weight with your planned hitch/moto setup.
  • (Recommend) Hitch tightener - this is a great addition to any bumper pull trailer/load setup. Keeps the hitch from moving inside the receiver, otherwise the gap allows the ball mount to move around; without one, it's noisy without anything on the ball mount, clunky when stopping/starting with a trailer in tow, and sketchy/wobbly on a hitch carrier (which will teeter left/right if the ball mount isn't very tight in the receiver tube

The tow/tongue weights assume a trailer, which push down on the tongue or push forward/back on the hitch/frame laterally. A bike carrier exerts a LOT more torsion on the hitch area than an equivalently weighted trailer setup. One a trailer, the torsion is minimized b/c the weight is distributed/balanced by its wheels and hitch point. A carrier puts all that stress on the hitch, which then torques the frame in all directions. Imagine a 10lb toy-sized trailer. If you hold the coupling point and pull it around like your hand is the hitch, you never feel much force in any direction except forward/back... now if you stand the trailer up, holding it by the coupling point, as you move it around like your vehicle would, you'll feel immense pressure from the weight at the top levering at the point where you're holding it... by orders of magnitude, depending on how tall it is.


More info
1) https://www.stowaway2.com/trailer-hitch-basics
2) https://www.discountramps.com/how-to/powersports/choose-hitch-mounted-motorcycle-carrier/a/b113/

/soapbox
 
Last edited:
You all are the freaking best! Thank you so much for all the advice, Kendon seems like the sure fire way to go.

Now a quick follow-up....any reliable knock off brands haha, they are super expensive new...like half the cost of my bike itself, thanks
 
Harbor Freight Trailer if you like building stuff yourself. You will frequently see them for sale as well.

0228211653_HDR-XL.jpg

0228211709b-XL.jpg
 
Thanks for the PM Chris, unfortunately I think the Kendon trailers might be a bit out of my budget for now. I'm just starting to get into this track day stuff and $2500 is like a years worth of regular track days and tires.

Okay last question, do you guys have any experience with the Uhaul rental trailers, seems pretty cheap to just rent a trailer for $30/day or whatever and get harnesses and use that instead, thanks!
 
abithewannabee said:
Thanks for the PM Chris, unfortunately I think the Kendon trailers might be a bit out of my budget for now. I'm just starting to get into this track day stuff and $2500 is like a years worth of regular track days and tires.
Click to expand...

$2750... darn craigslist lowballers!

abithewannabee said:
Okay last question, do you guys have any experience with the Uhaul rental trailers, seems pretty cheap to just rent a trailer for $30/day or whatever and get harnesses and use that instead, thanks!
Click to expand...

etrailer.com likely has the hitch and harness for your car and you can install it yourself. Uhaul is a great deal, but be sure to reserve your trailer in advance :)
 
HadesOmega said:
Harbor Freight Trailer if you like building stuff yourself. You will frequently see them for sale as well.
Click to expand...

They've jumped in price since i did mine (4' x 8')...i think i ended up around $400 all in. still a sight less than some of the other options though. the 4x8's now look like $499 and $549, depending on weight capacity, before you add decking or mounting provisions.

with the word of the bearings being...not great, i went ahead and cleaned out the grease they shipped with, and repacked them with moly bearing grease when i assembled mine. not a ton of mileage, but it's been good so far...tows fine behind a 4cyl compact truck (on the bumper, even).
 
Following up on his comment. I have a hitch carrier on my Frontier with added airbag levelers and tightener. Without the airbags any bump would be very noticeable.

I made sure the weight of everything is well below the tongue load rating for my truck. Would not suggest this on a car for a street bike.

cg_ops said:
Just to add to your follow-up post: Even with a bigger car a hitch carrier is a bad idea most of the time. For anything bigger than a pit-bike or scooter, you'll need a class III (or bigger) hitch.

In order to safely carry the weight of/on the hitch carrier without hurting your performance (steering/braking) or your car (overloading the fame/hitch) the setup needs:

  • Class III-V hitch, to handle the weight
  • The hitch/carrier must be far enough back to strap the bike down with enough leverage to keep it from tilting forward/back on accel/decel/hills. The straps will create a triangle - one side keeping it from leaning forward, the other side for keeping it from leaning back
  • A vehicle that can support a class III hitch AND its tow/tongue weight rating isn't close to the tongue weight with your planned hitch/moto setup.
  • (Recommend) Hitch tightener - this is a great addition to any bumper pull trailer/load setup. Keeps the hitch from moving inside the receiver, otherwise the gap allows the ball mount to move around; without one, it's noisy without anything on the ball mount, clunky when stopping/starting with a trailer in tow, and sketchy/wobbly on a hitch carrier (which will teeter left/right if the ball mount isn't very tight in the receiver tube

The tow/tongue weights assume a trailer, which push down on the tongue or push forward/back on the hitch/frame laterally. A bike carrier exerts a LOT more torsion on the hitch area than an equivalently weighted trailer setup. One a trailer, the torsion is minimized b/c the weight is distributed/balanced by its wheels and hitch point. A carrier puts all that stress on the hitch, which then torques the frame in all directions. Imagine a 10lb toy-sized trailer. If you hold the coupling point and pull it around like your hand is the hitch, you never feel much force in any direction except forward/back... now if you stand the trailer up, holding it by the coupling point, as you move it around like your vehicle would, you'll feel immense pressure from the weight at the top levering at the point where you're holding it... by orders of magnitude, depending on how tall it is.


More info
1) https://www.stowaway2.com/trailer-hitch-basics
2) https://www.discountramps.com/how-to/powersports/choose-hitch-mounted-motorcycle-carrier/a/b113/

/soapbox
Click to expand...
 
deathbug74 said:
They've jumped in price since i did mine (4' x 8')...i think i ended up around $400 all in. still a sight less than some of the other options though. the 4x8's now look like $499 and $549, depending on weight capacity, before you add decking or mounting provisions.

with the word of the bearings being...not great, i went ahead and cleaned out the grease they shipped with, and repacked them with moly bearing grease when i assembled mine. not a ton of mileage, but it's been good so far...tows fine behind a 4cyl compact truck (on the bumper, even).
Click to expand...

Yeah I'd imagine they have gone up in price. I got mine for around $300 with the 20% coupon back in the day.

As for the bearings I installed bearing buddies greasable bearing caps. I lube them up when I see the spring has gone out. I just use valvoline red automotive grease. I have driven all over the country and still on the original bearings.

I have the 8" tire version and the tires are shit but they're about $30 a piece with the wheel so I just keep buying them. I like the smaller tires because it keeps the deck low and easy to load.

Also yes the decking adds a lot of the cost like you mention and all the chocks. It's very much a diy trailer. I use it as a utility trailer also for moving stuff. For my latest deck I used Hydrotek Marine Plywood, it cost me $150 but it still on there after 4 years.
 
cg_ops said:
Just to add to your follow-up post: Even with a bigger car a hitch carrier is a bad idea most of the time. For anything bigger than a pit-bike or scooter, you'll need a class III (or bigger) hitch.

In order to safely carry the weight of/on the hitch carrier without hurting your performance (steering/braking) or your car (overloading the fame/hitch) the setup needs:

  • Class III-V hitch, to handle the weight
  • The hitch/carrier must be far enough back to strap the bike down with enough leverage to keep it from tilting forward/back on accel/decel/hills. The straps will create a triangle - one side keeping it from leaning forward, the other side for keeping it from leaning back
  • A vehicle that can support a class III hitch AND its tow/tongue weight rating isn't close to the tongue weight with your planned hitch/moto setup.
  • (Recommend) Hitch tightener - this is a great addition to any bumper pull trailer/load setup. Keeps the hitch from moving inside the receiver, otherwise the gap allows the ball mount to move around; without one, it's noisy without anything on the ball mount, clunky when stopping/starting with a trailer in tow, and sketchy/wobbly on a hitch carrier (which will teeter left/right if the ball mount isn't very tight in the receiver tube

The tow/tongue weights assume a trailer, which push down on the tongue or push forward/back on the hitch/frame laterally. A bike carrier exerts a LOT more torsion on the hitch area than an equivalently weighted trailer setup. One a trailer, the torsion is minimized b/c the weight is distributed/balanced by its wheels and hitch point. A carrier puts all that stress on the hitch, which then torques the frame in all directions. Imagine a 10lb toy-sized trailer. If you hold the coupling point and pull it around like your hand is the hitch, you never feel much force in any direction except forward/back... now if you stand the trailer up, holding it by the coupling point, as you move it around like your vehicle would, you'll feel immense pressure from the weight at the top levering at the point where you're holding it... by orders of magnitude, depending on how tall it is.


More info
1) https://www.stowaway2.com/trailer-hitch-basics
2) https://www.discountramps.com/how-to/powersports/choose-hitch-mounted-motorcycle-carrier/a/b113/

/soapbox
Click to expand...


Thanks for the hitch stabilizer recommendation. I just bought one! Picked up some rubber spacers but that doesn’t prevent up and down rattle.
 
Pitbull system isn’t cheap but a lot cheaper than replacing bent handle bars, blown fork seals, dealing with straps and wheels chocks and in my case, an improperly strapped down bike that sustained fairing damage.
 
Fantastic advice all of you, will keep in mind for the future. I looked into getting a hitch for my civic. Unfortunately apparently since I have a 2020 civic SI, the exhaust port is in a bad location for the hitch, so you have to modify that to get the hitch installed. Sucks.

Maybe the best bet is to rent a U-Haul van and just use that. Problem is then paying them per mile and getting to thunderhill is basically $250 just milage price alone at 80c/mile. Doubles the price of track day but maybe that's the easiest way.
 
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