The great Swivel hitch debate!

To SWIVEL HITCH or not to SWIVEL HITCH!

Motorcycle riders who tow touring trailers often question if they should spend the extra money and install a swivel hitch on their trailer. This is an interesting question.  Some riders say that a swivel hitch is not necessary and yet others would never tow a trailer without one.

The riders who say they are not necessary are basing their opinion on the fact that with a standard Fulton type coupler (which is the most popular type) the coupler will rotate left and right on the hitch ball about 35 to 40 degrees. Very seldom would a motorcycle (that’s towing a trailer) lean that far over in a curve. Because of this , they say a swivel hitch is not necessary for towing a trailer in normal riding conditions.

The riders who would not tow a trailer without a swivel hitch say the big advantage of installing one comes in to play, not for riding and towing, but for those rare occasions when a rider may accidently drop his or her motorcycle or lay it over in a crash. In either one of these instances, the coupler would need to rotate much more than 35 to 40 degrees. Without a swivel hitch, the coupler could not rotate far enough, which means something is going to bend or break, whether it’s the motorcycle frame where the hitch is attached, the hitch itself, or the trailer tongue. The installation of  a swivel hitch would prevent damage to any of these items due to over rotation.

So the question riders need to ask themselves when considering whether to install a swivel hitch on their trailer, is not ” will it affect my riding and towing”, but the question should be ” is it possible that I might drop my motorcycle or lay it over someday and have to do all the necessary repairs”. The answer to this question should be the same answer as to whether to install a swivel hitch or not.

As with all things that are motorcycles, it all depends on personal preference and budget.  So no matter what you choose enjoy the ride!

See you on the road…

Road Dog.

Road Dog Trailers has swivel hitches available for purchase, along with a full line of motorcycle touring trailers.

Amazing Individuals

For those of us who work for a living and aren’t allowed a lot of time off, stories like the one posted here are quite enjoyable and offer a bit of an escape from our everyday lives.   I, like most people who ride, would love to take a trip like this one.  It captures our imagination and sense of adventure like no other, so until the day comes when we can realize a dream like this, we are bound to live vicariously through folks like this…

Check it out,  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did… http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/309/5425/Motorcycle-Article/Soloing-Cross-Country-on-CM400.aspx

See you on the Road!

Road Dog.

Honda buying Harley?

I dont know if I like this or not but here is the story…

Harley driven up by possibility Honda may buy it

Investors think it’s credible. They expect an announcement in the short term and a big move in the stock. Trading in options to buy shares of Harley-Davidson Inc. surged to a record on speculation that the biggest U.S. motorcycle maker may be acquired by Honda Motor Co., the world’s largest maker of motorcycles. via Asbury Park Press Online

Take it for what its worth, It can only make for an interesting situation for both sides of the fence…..

If I find anymore about it I will forward it along.

Road Dog.

New Video!

Just a quick note to let everyone know the new Rally Wagon Video is on YouTube now… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnZ7hdcibTQ This is a short video that gives you a little better perspective than just a picture.

On another note we attended the IMS  show in Minneapolis this last weekend.  It was a very good turnout overall.  A lot of the exhibits were very impressive, especially the Victory Booth.  I have to say the new models are very cool as well as the accessories that go along with it.   If you havent checked them out already I suggest you do, im sure you will like what you see.

Thanks again to all the folks who stopped by our booth, we hope to see you all this summer with your Road Dogs in tow!

See you on the road,

Road Dog

Cleveland IMS Show

Well I am back from the IMS show in Cleveland Ohio this past weekend and am happy to say it was a great success.  It was very encouraging to see all those folks who came out to see all the new products.   From what I hear it was  great turn out, and we were very busy.

The sponsoring dealer was CycleMax of Valley City Ohio, http://www.cyclemaxohio.com/trailers and Creager Cycle Center of Bedford Ohio they are the local Viper Dealer  http://www.vipermotorcycle.com/index.html.  They were awesome to work with and a fun bunch of people.

Pictured  is Craig and Judi of Creager Cycle Center.  For all of you folks in the Ohio area that need bikes, trikes or trailers they are the ones to see. Great customer service and very easy to deal with.  Thanks again to everyone who attended this years show, Im sure we will see you next year.

See you on the Road….

Karl Sjoberg                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Road Dog

International Motorcycle Show

I will be at the International Motorcycle Show this weekend in Cleveland, OH.   The show will take place at the IX center right in Cleveland.  I well be there to assist our newest dealer, Trike Max of Valley City, OH.   They are a local Viper motorcycle dealer and recently took on the Road Dog line of trailers.   I will return on Sunday and give a full report with some pics as well.   Im sure there will be many interesting things to see.

Hope to see you there!

Karl.

Road Dog’s New Trailer

Spring is just around the corner and that usually means time for new products.  Based on the success of the GT, Road Dogs all aluminum model, we add the “QT”.   The QT is a great all around trailer for everyone from the entry level to the most seasoned of riders.   The QT boasts all aluminum construction like its big brother the GT as well as most of the other features.  

 

We designed this trailer in response to the economic times and a demand for a less expensive style touring trailer that was high in quality and durablility and low in price.   The QT delivers this combination with ease.   Plenty of room,light weight, low profile, great looks and a low price! You can see more on the QT at http://roaddogtrailers.com/trailers_QT.asp 

Dont forget you can also follow us on Twitter, http://twitter.com/ROADDOGTRAILERS                                                                                                                and Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/RoadDogTrailers?ref=profile

See you on the Road!

Road Dog

Size Matters

Size matters!  Here is a very common question we here quite a bit…Why did you make it only 11 cubic ft?  or Why does it seem smaller than other trailers?  Well we actually designed it this way on purpose.  After reading countless articles talking to a lot of trailer owners.  We found out that bigger is not always better. 

When looking at a touring trailer it is easy to get carried away with a large trailer because it is easy to envision all the stuff you could take with you.  All too often more is not better.  Even though you are pulling a trailer for extra room for more gear and necessities, the old adage of “everything in moderation” still applies.  

There is also the design aspect of the larger trailer.  It is usually just a bigger cargo area on the same frame, with no real consideration of aerodynamics or weight displacement. Bigger can also mean more wear and tear on your bike and tires if it is not built correctly.

We wanted a safe trailer that could haul quite a bit of gear but would be difficult to overload.  We found that if you stayed in that 10-15 cubic ft range and kept the empty weight to around 150 the customer could always haul enough gear well within safe weight parameters.  Also by keeping your touring trailer to a modest size, means braking, accelerating and climbing are all something most touring bikes can handle with ease.

Now we have a trailer that we build called the Drifter.  http://roaddogtrailers.com/Drifter.asp  This trailer has 23 cubic ft of space and was initially designed for trikes.  The look of the trailer compared to its actual carrying capacity is deceiving. Because of its low profile and wide stance it actually tows very well behind the larger touring bikes.  This is due to the aerodynamic shape, low profile and low center of gravity.  These are features that most of the other larger trailers do not have. So again it all boils down to how much you want to take with you and where you want to go.

Road Dog has a full line of well engineered touring trailers for you to pick from, with new models being added all the time. See us on the web at www.roaddogtrailers.com

See you on the Road!

Road Dog.

Wide Tires!

This question is one I get quite a bit because Road Dog has such a different look.                                 “Why the wide tires?”  It all started with the intent of designing a different look for motorcycle trailers.  We tried a few different configurations and were never happy with how it felt behind the bike.  Either the tires were too small or too tall or too expensive.  No matter what we did we could always feel the trailer back there.

I always heard stories about the standard little trailer tires that wear out quickly so we tried to stay away from those.  The taller tires were ok, but it made the trailer to tall for our liking.  When the wider tires showed themselves we decided to give them a try.     

After some initial testing the performance of these wider wheels started to show. We immediately noticed a very smooth ride. Over time we noticed that tire wear was very minimal.  I have customers that have over 40000 miles on their original set of tires and still going!

The wider tires also uncovered another benefit; they last a very long time.  The wider footprint provides a greater weight displacement across the tread.  This in turn puts less psi on the tire tread which equals longer tire wear.  It also stays out of ruts and wide cracks in the road for a less noticeable pull. Not to mention it looks really cool.

We have been asked about hydroplaning with the wider tires and the best way to explain it is this.  All tires will hydro at a given speed with a given amount of water. The big difference is if the wheel is under power.  If a car or motorcycle begins to hydro the vehicle usually begins to drift one way or the other because it is being pushed by the rear tires.

A trailer on the other hand is in the trailing position. It is being pulled through the water not pushed. Also there is no lateral force, right or left being applied.  It just follows the pulling vehicle.  These rules apply to any tire not just wide ones. Like most people I have never heard of a trailer overtaking the pulling vehicle due to hydroplaning.

 Road Dog has a full line of well engineered touring trailers for you to pick from, with new models being added all the time. See us on the web at www.roaddogtrailers.com

See you on the Road!

Road Dog.

Loading My Trailer

“What is the best way to load a touring  trailer?” Believe it or not this is a very good question.  How your trailer handles has a lot to do with how it is loaded. Most mfg’s suggest that tongue weight should be right around 10% of the total weight.  So it is time to do some math.  For the sake of shameless self promotion I will use one of our trailers.  The average Road Dog Wide Track weighs in at about 150lbs.  Let’s say you add about 125lbs of gear.  That would give you a total weight of 275lbs. At the 10% range your tongue weight should be in the neighborhood of 28 lbs. 

A good way to measure this is with a fish scale. These are available at most Wal-mart and or hardware stores.  I would get one that goes to about 50lbs this way you are covered. As with most mfg’s of trailers the rule of thumb is heavier items down low and the lighter ones on top. 

Keep track of what each item weighs as you load it so you can get a good idea of how much weight you are taking with you. Don’t forget to include the weight of your cooler if you are putting one out front.  Check your tongue weight and adjust it accordingly so your tongue to weight ratio is just right.

Just remember that light tongue weight or improper loading is the cause of the sway and swampy action that you see when you are on your way home from a rally and you see those guys flying by you with their trailers weaving back and forth, scaring the hell out of everybody!.  This of course makes most people say “look at that crazy bastard, that’s why I would never pull a trailer!” 

 Well, if you look closely most of those trailers are a hodge-podge of parts cobbled together that were never meant to be pulled by a motorcycle.  Trailers are not just two wheels and a tongue and go!  They actually have to be thought out and engineered, especially when you are towing one behind a motorcycle.  Just because a trailer is small doesn’t automatically make it suitable for a motorcycle.

 When you do it the right way and the safe way with a trailer that was designed for this purpose, pulling a touring trailer is a great way to enhance your riding experience.  Road Dog has a full line of well engineered touring trailers for you to pick from. See us on the web at www.roaddogtrailers.com

See you on the Road!

Road Dog.