van!! trailers......too wet, too dirty, too accessible for wrong ins...where do you store it when you dont use it....... been there sold it!
I borrowed one of these when I picked my 1198 up. Motolug Collapsible Motorcycle Trailers - Home page When I returned it, it fitted into the back of my little Clio.
Motolug trailers are brilliant, i bought a similar design trailer off ebay and i love it. it sits in the corner of my shed when im not using it.
+2 I have the two bike version, which also does one bike only when you want to. Reliable and sturdy and tows well enough. And goes in the boot of the car on the way back. Ideal really. Unless you have space for a van. Which I wish I did!
I have just brought a tow bar and electrics for my car, as I have been given a trailer, need to collect it from near silverstone. It's just a flat bed trailer but for free can not complain.
personally I wouldn't buy a single bike trailer, they are too narrow and I have seen a fair share of these tipping over with bikes on them when cornering, I bought a wider two bike trailer that converts to single bike. This has a much wider axle and far more stable. I wouldn't want to trust a narrow single bike trailer with my Duke on the back or any other of my bikes come to think of it.
Better off with a van, I reckon.......................one with rear swing doors and side sliding doors. Let's face it, it's safer on the road and easier to park at the paddock.............the bike doesn't get wet when it's p*ssing down, plus you can use the van to get changed in and make the tea........ ........tools and spares easier to carry, leathers can hang up etc etc etc........and on a weekend bash, you can attach a tent to it. We used to transport our outfit in a van most of the time...... AL
+ and - for both I suppose. Van is clearly more convenient, but more expensive to buy also it's another vehicle to park/ tax/insure/maintain/lose money on.
Consider a box van trailer, all the advantages of a van, without the complications of tax, insurance, MOT, and maintenance. A ramp back door facilitates single person loading. Rose trailers do a small single bike one. Rose Trailers - Specialists in freighter trailers
I've got a company van and a 2 bike trailer that can be converted to single use but I normally end up with the bike on one side and the gazebo and a couple of other small bits and pieces strapped down on the opposite side. Most of the time I'm carting an enduro bike around so I don't want it in my van because of the mud and crap that would be left behind plus a car is just much nicer to drive for a couple of hundred miles than a van. The main tip I'd give anyone looking at buying a trailer is buy one with the biggest wheels you can because the tyres a lot longer and you don't go through as many wheel bearings. It's also worth carrying a spare wheel bearing and a bottle jack to lift the trailer up while you change it because it's game over if you don't have one and you could end up leaving your bike on the trailer by the side of a main road. This is probably the best reason to always have a way of locking the trailer so if you have to leave it nobody else is going to do a 10 minute bearing change and drive off with it.
I got rid of my van due to the London emission zone charges that came in a couple of years back. I bought a van trailer to save on running costs of another van. As you say, both have pros and cons, If I could justify having another van, I would get one in an instant. As using any trailer is a PIA. Here's the trailer I bought.
