When you’re on the road in your car, truck, or RV and want to take your motorcycle with you, the most ideal solution is to opt for a motorcycle trailer.
The thing is, choosing a motorcycle trailer, much like choosing any other trailer, can be a tough challenge. If the trailer is too heavy, it can give your vehicle’s engine a hard time. If it’s too light, on the other hand, it might not be able to handle your motorcycle’s weight.
So, how do you go about determining the ideal motorcycle trailer weight? What are the different factors that you have to account for? Stick around to find out.
How to Calculate the Ideal Motorcycle Trailer Weight?
When trying to determine the ideal weight for your motorcycle trailer, there are two main factors that you have to take into consideration: your vehicle’s towing capacity and the specifications of the trailer. Let’s discuss each of these factors.
How Much Can Your Vehicle Pull?
With a simple Google search, you can find the maximum weight capacity that your vehicle can tow. Alternatively, you can refer to your owner’s manual.
Keep in mind that, since a trailer doesn’t have independent breaks, you’ll be looking at the max unbarked weight capacity. With that said, make sure that the sum of the trailer, motorcycle, and additional gear is less than the maximum weight capacity of your vehicle.
Pushing your vehicle to its limits and making it pull more than it’s designed to isn’t a smart decision. It can loosen the hook’s screw, drain your vehicle’s engine life expectancy, or lead to other serious issues in other components.
What About Trailer Specifications?
Motorcycle trailers come in all shapes and sizes, which can make it a bit challenging to find the right trailer for your needs.
For starters, you need to determine the right size. You don’t want to buy an oversized trailer, as that equates to extra weight.
In addition, make sure that your motorcycle’s weight is within the weight range for the trailer. For example, if the trailer’s maximum weight capacity is 500 pounds, you shouldn’t use it with a bike that weighs more than about 450 pounds.
Try to have a free weight margin so that you don’t stress the trailer too much. And if you plan on carrying gear with you on the trailer, include them in your calculations.
So, how do you determine the right trailer size for your vehicle, exactly?
When trying to determine the perfect trailer size for your motorcycle, you should have a chart of both your motorcycle and trailer’s specifications.
Got the charts? Great! Now, measure the distance between both the motorcycle’s tires’ centers. From there, add the length of the tire’s radius. These two combined are called wheelbase.
The next step is to add a couple of inches to secure the tire and to make sure the back wheel’s center is stable. Now, add the three measurements, and that’s the needed trailer size.
One exception is if the trailer has extra space for the front tire. If so, adjust your calculations to the extra space.
What About Tongue Weight?
Before we introduce the concept of tongue weight and why it’s important, we need to introduce another term first: Gross Trailer Weight (GTW).
Simply put, GTW is the total weight of the trailer along with all the things loaded on it, including the motorcycle and gear.
So, what is tongue weight and why is it important? Tongue weight is how much downward force the trailer with all its components is exerting on the rear of your vehicle.
The tongue weight is simply about 9-15% of the Gross Trailer Weight—it’s preferred to be over 10%.
One important thing to keep in mind is how the weight is distributed. You shouldn’t be putting all the gear and other loaded things in one place (e.g. the front of the trailer).
Improper weight distribution can lead to difficulties when it comes to controlling the trailer.
Why Is Tongue Weight Important?
You might wonder why it’s important to calculate the tongue weight, the simple answer is without taking the tongue weight into consideration, driving with a motorcycle trailer behind isn’t going to be a smooth experience.
If your tongue weight is less than 10% of the GTW, your trailer will constantly sway right and left all along the way. In this case, you should put hefty items on the trailer.
If your tongue weight is over 15% of the GTW, your vehicle’s rear will be pulled down. Besides, your front tires will have a hard time staying on the road.
How to Calculate Tongue Weight?
Get to a nearby public vehicle scale or a truck stop to have your vehicle weighed. You’ll pay a small fee for the service you’re getting.
Drive your vehicle on the scale with the trailer attached, then record the weight.
Then, detach your trailer from the vehicle and record the weight of the vehicle alone.
Subtract the attached-vehicle weight and the detached-vehicle weight. The result is your tongue weight. The calculated value should optimally be about 12% of the Gross Trailer Weight.
General Tips for Towing Heavy Trailers
Now that we’ve discussed all the details regarding how to find the pinpoint motorcycle trailer, we feel the need to point out some general precautions/tips that you must keep in mind.
- Check your trailer’s structure to ensure that it’s firm.
- Make sure the hook or hitch ball you’re using can bear the weight of the trailer.
- Make sure you connect your trailer and vehicle properly so that it won’t slide off while you’re driving.
- Keep a safe distance from other vehicles just in case something wrong happens. It’ll also help you if you need to change lanes.
Final Words
Towing a motorcycle trailer can be challenging, but it’s definitely worth the hassle once you’re able to get on your bike and ride.
To ensure a smooth towing experience, you need to know how to pick the right trailer for your bike, which you should be able to do with the aid of the information shared in this post.
It’s also not a bad idea to have a tow truck or ride assistance number, just in case something unexpected happens.
Safe travels!