I know I'm gonna catch flack for this...

[DK Custom Products]

We were determined to get a 26' toy hauler when we retired, but upon investigating the problems of bad and disappearing campgrounds, lack of quality control on the trailers and the maintenance costs, having to deal with the tanks, and the labor of set up and take down, we decided to just go with the motels. We would have to do a lot more traveling than we have planned to spend what the first year depreciation is on a toy hauler. The main factor though is our physical condition and ability to deal with it and the problems that come with it. We bought a 16' v-nose that will hold the trike, an inflatable bed and a Porta potti. We can leave it at home, haul the trike to the motel in it, or camp out if we want. I just need to add the AC unit and it's a go. If we were younger we would have gone your route. I really like the design that you chose. Happy Trails!

I hear you on the quality control issues in the RV world. Makes HD Customer Service look amazingly good.

We thought about building out a Cargo trailer...have quite a few friends who've done that. With the amount of travel we do, plus the fact that I work 3-4 hours a day while we're on our trips, we opted to go with the ready made trailer.

When we are making a beeline to where we're planning to ride, 9 times out of 10 we stop at a rest area. The entire set up process is one of the two following-

--If it is hot, I start up the generator in the back of the truck and plug it into the trailer so we can run the air conditioning.

--If it is not hot, we get out of the truck and go into the trailer.

The few times there has not been a rest area, we will go to a Walmart parking lot or some other store lot that welcomes RV'rs or Semi's.

Once we get to where we are going, we look for dispersed camping (free) or BLM camping (free). This is about 50-50 with paid campgrounds.

Here's a video of BLM land that we stayed at. Amazing place, we were there for 5 days. No cost.

Here's a vid of our trip up to Canada this summer.

All of these could have been done in your V-nose too...just more comfortable in the TH.

We like this new way of traveling to the Best Riding spots so well, we went ahead and upgraded to a larger TH. We got the original 19' TH knowing that it would be too small long term, but we wanted to test the waters and see if we liked this new way. We did.

Pics and videos of the larger TH coming soon.

Kevin

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I was one of the "skeptics" that thought this new mode was gonna make your ride reports a little tamer ... :Shrug:

I was wrong ... you have totally won me over with the logic of your method of trike touring, so much so that I think I'll be doing the same on a smaller scale with my new to me Jeep Grand Cherokee ... pull the trike on the trailer, sleep in a campground in the jeep ... at least until I get to a "home base".

For example ... I want to see the Ark and Christian Museum in Kentucky, visit your shop and maybe Randy's shop as well ... maybe include some time in Texas riding with friends I met there and eating BBQ ... LOL.

Anyway ... just makes sense to do the boring miles in the comfort of the jeep and do the fun miles on the trike ... save me time, money and saddle sores ... LOL. As a side note ... If my little buddy is up to it .... I'll have company ...

EDIT: Just out of curiosity, how many miles a day did you do with the truck and toy hauler?

 

[DK Custom Products]

I was one of the "skeptics" that thought this new mode was gonna make your ride reports a little tamer ... :Shrug:

I was wrong ... you have totally won me over with the logic of your method of trike touring, so much so that I think I'll be doing the same on a smaller scale with my new to me Jeep Grand Cherokee ... pull the trike on the trailer, sleep in a campground in the jeep ... at least until I get to a "home base".

For example ... I want to see the Ark and Christian Museum in Kentucky, visit your shop and maybe Randy's shop as well ... maybe include some time in Texas riding with friends I met there and eating BBQ ... LOL.

Anyway ... just makes sense to do the boring miles in the comfort of the jeep and do the fun miles on the trike ... save me time, money and saddle sores ... LOL. As a side note ... If my little buddy is up to it .... I'll have company ...

EDIT: Just out of curiosity, how many miles a day did you do with the truck and toy hauler?

Yeah man, it's been working out great. We were not sure either...not all theories work out as anticipated, how well we know that when it comes to product development. :laugh:

But this has worked well. We have ANOTHER Ride Report coming this year. That will make 3 big trips this year. We did not spend any more money OR time than in previous years where we did only 1 big trip. We saw and rode so much more in terms of great roads!

And here's a dirty little secret...one that I have not mentioned in previous posts about saving $. It costs less per mile to drive the truck and trailer than it does the Harley. Figure these 3 major factors-

-Regular 87 octane vs. premium gas (although the HD gets better mpg, because of the less expensive gas, the difference is not as big as one would think)

-Tires and oil changes on the Harley are many multiples more expensive than truck/trailer

-Depreciation for miles much more on Harley

An average, easy day in the truck is 600-650, but we've done quite a few 750-800 mile days, and they were easy and comfortable too, just a bit longer.

Kevin

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

An average, easy day in the truck is 600-650, but we've done quite a few 750-800 mile days, and they were easy and comfortable too, just a bit longer.

Kevin

That's pretty much the area I was thinking of being in. I'm thinking 600-650 mpd would be comfortable. As I get older, on the Tri I try to plan 400-450 mpd ... so every two days or so I gain a day on riding the trike (does that make sense?). There is also a huge consideration in "doing the boring miles on four wheels and a trailer, I don't have to bring as much clothing. I can pack for the area I'm gonna ride the trike in and it will pretty much cover what I need to bring for driving the Jeep.

It's amazing ... when I was young I thought only sissy's rode baggers ... as I got older ... that changed ... Then I thought trikes where for sissy's ... that too has changed ... never thought I'd believe that trailering the trike to my destination was "a good idea", but this too has changed. Being a logical being ... it just makes lots of sense.

And to expand on the dirty little secret concept, you don't have to worry about finding a spot to get an oil change or new tires etc. On the tow vehicle, you can find those places really easily. Also, weather doesn't dictate your day as much. It's a pain when you hit a big storm with wind and rain and have to slow down some on the trike. Makes the 450 miles seems like forever. In the tow vehicle, it will slow me down some two, but, the tow vehicle is still much more comfortable in bad weather. Anyway, thanks for being the "test dummy" for this concept. glad it's working out for you and Mary.

Been working on the trailer, not mechanicals, it's sound in that department, mostly cosmetic. Still need to replace the floor, the plywood is dry rotting. Big problem here. I think I'm gonna do 1/8" steel diamond plate. Getting tired of having to replace the wood every two years or so. Might add a 100-200#, but, well worth it in the long run.

 

[1dn5up]

Marine grade plywood will out last you ! Just roll out a coat of exterior paint on the bottom before install. We all have something left over in the garage .

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Marine grade plywood will out last you ! Just roll out a coat of exterior paint on the bottom before install. We all have something left over in the garage .

Dry Rot is a big issue here ... I used treated plywood and painted it with two coats of oil based paint and it still came apart. The last time I tried treated and have done Thompson's water seal every year ... the glue that holds the ply's together comes loose and the ply's separate ... I'd love to do Aluminum, but, that has gotten nutty expensive.

Been thinking of selling it and getting a TK1 ... time will tell.

 

[Rmitchell55]

Just sold a 6 x 12 enclosed trailer and got a TK-1 On order. Supposed to be delivered mid December. $2891 in Tucson, AZ. local dealer wanted $3500 for same trailer. My Chevy Traverse had a rough time pulling my Trailer and trike to the East Coast and Back.

 

[birdguy45]

Congrats on the new TK1, Ray…I have really loved mine. Although you probably know already, don’t make the mistake of putting a cover on the bike while trailering it. I did on my first trip and I’m still trying to rub out the damage to the clearcoat and paint. Uncovered, the bike will get dirtier, but a quick trip to the nearest DIY car wash will cure that without even taking the bike off the trailer. The front air dam on the TK1 does a great job of keeping the bike pretty clean.

All the best in your new lifestyle!