Road Smith Trailer

[bikerbillone]

Anyone pulling a trailer behind their Road Smith? Any information appreciated. Brand, how it pulls, mpg sacrifice, the good and the bad.....

 

[Lunchbox1983]

I pull an Aluma XL, never cehcked the MPG sorry. It pulls great really do not know it back there.

 

[Bighorn]

I pull a piggy backer. Have probably 20K miles behind the trike with no issues. Can't tell it's back there. I usually run a couple of miles under the speed limit on the interstate and loose maybe a couple of miles per gallon. I was concerned about the 8" tires but there hasn't been issues there. Replaced the tires about a thousand miles ago and good to go again.

 

[mhgoldwing]

Two wheeled Goldwings pull trailers without issue so a trike should perform even better. I just purchased a used trailer to pull behind my Roadsmith and I anticipate it will be easier than pulling with a two-wheelers as the trike is more stable, has more rubber on the ground for stopping, and doesn't lean in the curves. A small drop in fuel economy would be expected.

 

[bikerbillone]

So what did you get? I'm thinking a preowned Unigo, don't need that much room, it's lighter. Could be the the downside is only one tire which may not give as many miles as two. Anyone like to chime in on the Unigo?

 

[kb9osl]

Well haven't pulled our Bush Tec Roadstar more than 1500 miles , 03 wing with a 04 Road Smith kit, never even knew it was there. As far as gas mileage went I think we may had dropped a 2 or 3 mile to the gallon at most. We pulled it from central Indiana to Maggie Valley and back. While coming thru Tn. we stopped by Bush Tec's factory in Jacksboro Tn. and traded it in for a Bunkhouse lx camping trailer. Waiting on a call from them to go back down and do the swap and bring our new toy home. Would buy another Bush Tec cargo trailer if the need arises , they are a great trailer :10: ThumbUp

 

[bayoudave]

I pull a Piggy Backer when I just need the space and I pull a Time Out camper when we plan to camp. Never had an issue with either. The Piggy Backer doesn't hurt the mpg but the camper does cost about 4-5 miles when running at higher speeds. Both pull well. Only thing is that you have to remember that unless you have trailer brakes any trailer adds to the stopping distance because of their tendency to push you. Therefore you have to add a little stopping room when following another vehicle.

 

[gwtrikeonr]

I have a 2013 GL1800/Roadsmith and pull a Bunkhouse LX camper which weights about 350 lbs dry wt. I figure I'll put 150 lbs gear in it. The Wing pulls it with no problems and I seldom know it's back there. If I drive at around 70 mph I'll get about 25 mpg. Wind direction and hills have an impact on mileage. Leave plenty of space behind the auto you follow. Last weekend on a camping trip I had a lady in front of me stop for a yellow light, which I planned to get through thinking she would also, and slid up beside her. I got lucky!! I don't have brakes on the Bunkhouse.

 

[ladyff1481]

I towed a clamshell trailer much like the HF ones loaded down behind my Sportster Roadsmith Trike. Never a problem.

 

[THWilson]

I have a 2013 GL1800/Roadsmith and pull a Bunkhouse LX camper which weights about 350 lbs dry wt. I figure I'll put 150 lbs gear in it. The Wing pulls it with no problems and I seldom know it's back there. If I drive at around 70 mph I'll get about 25 mpg. Wind direction and hills have an impact on mileage. Leave plenty of space behind the auto you follow. Last weekend on a camping trip I had a lady in front of me stop for a yellow light, which I planned to get through thinking she would also, and slid up beside her. I got lucky!! I don't have brakes on the Bunkhouse.

Looked at the Bunkhouse Camper this weekend at the Great American Motorcycle Show in Atlanta, would like some feed back about it from someone who owns one. Thanks

 

[gwtrikeonr]

Looked at the Bunkhouse Camper this weekend at the Great American Motorcycle Show in Atlanta, would like some feed back about it from someone who owns one. Thanks

I bought at Sturgis last Aug and was able to use it twice before the end of 2013. In addition to my comments in the earlier post I don't think I could find one that I would like any better. One real plus is that it's very easy to set up and take down. My wife and I can set it up in about 5 min and about the same to take down. I bought some air mattresses to us but found that the bed supplied is so comfortable that we don't need them. We do use sleeping bags rather than try to mess with sheets/blankets. I haven't used an air conditioner yet but have a small 5K. The windows are easy to open and stow and provided adequate ventilation in the fall weather. The stability using the struts under the Bunkhouse prevents any movement while we are sleeping.

Another plus with the 'soft top' style is that all the canvas and metal braces are above the storage space. This leave plenty of space below for your stuff and its easy to access while setting up.

As I mentioned last post I didn't purchase the brake system but if driven responsibly they aren't needed. Just leave plenty of room to stop. The GL1800 has plenty of horsepower. I also have pulled it with my 2010 Ultra Classic but have had the engine rebuilt to provide about 113 hp. Not sure how it would pull with a smaller engine.

Bottom line- I think you would like the Bunkhouse.

 

[lgjhn]

I pull an Aluma XL, never cehcked the MPG sorry. It pulls great really do not know it back there.

+1 on the Aluma XL. Like what's posted above; you really don't know it's back there for the most part, and you have to be careful when passing that you don't cut back in too soon. It's easy to forget it's back there taking up some extra space. Not sure on the mileage decrease, but I suspect 3-4 mpg less depending on how you ride/drive.
With any trailer, you've got to load it properly and get a little tongue weight on the ball, but probably not over 50-60 lbs or so. IF you don't, it's gonna sway on ya. Also, watch the hard braking. You forget it's back there and it does require extra space for braking. Hard braking can cause a jack-knife condition unless you have a trailer brake option. I've towed a trailer without the brake option for years, have braked hard several times but have yet to get on the brakes to the point of a jack-knife situation, but it's possible.

Towing a trailer requires the rider to have more awareness of what's going on all the time.

 

[Solidbob]

We pull a HF built Cartop Carrier trailer with 10" tires, changed the fenders after one of them vibrated into and fell of, saw it in mirror luckily as the plate was attached to it / kept the plate . Changed the fenders to heavier ones that don't vibrate, no more problems - loose about 2 mpg when loaded at 65 - 70 MPH.

We also had an Aspen Ambassador but it just wasn't for us / we'll the wife so we sold it - it lost approx. 5 - 6 mpg much heavier.. but pulled fine!!

 

[Roadsmith Trikes]

Hello all! Just a quick note... Because the trailer hitch receiver is designed and built-in as a structural component of the Roadsmith chassis, you can rest assured that it will easily handle any commercially available motorcycle trailer out there.

 

[black heart]

I pulled a Neosho cargo ark to cal and back,didn't feel it behind me.lost a little mpg but was in a lot of wind on trip.