Towing

[Gdaddypaul]

I'm wondering if anyone has had or knows about (verifiable) problems resulting from towing a Valkyrie/Roadsmith trike with the rear wheels on the ground and the front wheel in a "basket" connected to the towing vehicle. I see photos of Goldwing trikes being towed this way. I can't get an answer from Roadsmith and don't know how to contact the right people at Honda...What little I've seen written on the internet seems to be opinion and/or rumor. Help!

While I'm at it....How much weight can I safely tow behind my trike ('97 Valkyrie Standard...22k miles mated to a Roadsmith kit)?

Thanks, folks!

 

[Gideon]

I'm wondering if anyone has had or knows about (verifiable) problems resulting from towing a Valkyrie/Roadsmith trike with the rear wheels on the ground and the front wheel in a "basket" connected to the towing vehicle. I see photos of Goldwing trikes being towed this way. I can't get an answer from Roadsmith and don't know how to contact the right people at Honda...What little I've seen written on the internet seems to be opinion and/or rumor. Help!

While I'm at it....How much weight can I safely tow behind my trike ('97 Valkyrie Standard...22k miles mated to a Roadsmith kit)?

Thanks, folks!

I am not an expert, however, I would advise you not to tow it that way. That's a lot of stress. Plus I would think you would tare up your drive shaft.

As far as pulling a trailer, I have pulled 200 lb. without a problem.

 

[Chaplain Dave]

Best regards,

Chaplain Dave

 

[Chaplain Dave]

How to tow and not tow a trike!

I'm wondering if anyone has had or knows about (verifiable) problems resulting from towing a Valkyrie/Roadsmith trike with the rear wheels on the ground and the front wheel in a "basket" connected to the towing vehicle. I see photos of Goldwing trikes being towed this way. I can't get an answer from Roadsmith and don't know how to contact the right people at Honda...What little I've seen written on the internet seems to be opinion and/or rumor. Help! QUOTE

I towed a VW trike across the USA and back to Florida with a special tow hitch and had no problems, and I could back up the trike just like a trailer. The hitch I made towed the trike from the frame and not the front end, and had a cradle for the front wheel to rest on. The reason for doing this was because when a bike or trike front end turns it also swivels or tilts to the direction of the turn, but by towing from the frame you have in effect created a trailer and eliminated front end strain. If you tow directly from the front wheel, unless your tow hitch allows for the wheel to tilt (and the hitches I've seen do not), when your tow vehicle turns you are putting a LOT of stress on the fork tree, and it can twist the front end out of alignment. (A lesson learned the hard way.)

I had no problem with towing the trike in neutral, and whenever I parked it I always checked to make sure some nut didn't slip the trike in gear when I wasn't looking before I took off. ...it did happen once, so I can say it does happen!

I know someone in NC who can make a tilting hitch for you, he made my first tow hitch, it worked great but it towed from the front wheel. I felt that towing the trike from the frame would be safer, be less prone to problems, be easier on the trike, and be "back-able," so I constructed my own tow hitch.

I have pictures someplace, send me a personal email and ask for a photo! The hitch was made years ago and it is filed somewhere in my photo's!

Best regards,

Chaplain Dave

 

[Ozarkryder]

How much can you tow first - we had a 1995 GW1500 with a Motor Trike kit and pulled a Bunkhouse camper. The camper weighed in around 340 lbs, and with our stuff I figure it was about 400 - 450, sometimes more. The 1500 Wing had no problem pulling the trailer, and I would think your Valk, as it is a more hopped up engine that the standard 'Wing 1500, and the Roadsmith kit, will have no problem with any reasonable motorcycle trailer or camper.

As far as towing the trike by the front wheel, I think that would but a lot of stress on the front suspension, but so does the addition of a trike kit.

Neutral disconnects the engine from the transmission. When in neutral the transmission would be driven by the rear wheels, and be spinning. The oil pump runs off the engine in a Wing/Valk, and while the gears would be running in oil, some shafts, bearings and bushings have oil pressurized to them by the oil pump and may not being lubed properly. I have a friend that tows with a cradle that holds the front wheel at the hitch, and for anything but very short tows he disconnects the rear U-joint and ties up the drive shaft.