Lumina XL Motorcycle Trailer aka RC Hauler

[cmbscx10]

I had one years ago when i did Overlanding in my Jeep days. Since January I have had Search Finders on Fakebook, Craig's List, Offer Up and put out a feeler among my motorcycle buddies. A few popped up over the months but were big $$ and out of budget. This one appeared yesterday and i had to snag it for the $$. These trailers are used behind Honda Gold Wings, Harleys, Spyders and big distance cruisers. They are towed all day at 65-85mph and the 2nd most popular behind the uber expensive Bushtec's.

I don't get to ride my motorcycles as much as i would like to and that bums me out cause it is a total workout and clears the mind. Add in my new hobby being RC, i wanted to kill two birds.

My overall intention and first goal are to use this trailer to haul at least two of my RC’s behind my motorcycle to some remote spot in our local canyons. Karens don’t like canyons.

My second goal is to bring the trailer to the Desert in December and tow the RC’s to different Sand Dunes, Jumps etc etc.

Over the next few months I will be outfitting it specifically for RC use so I will post up how I hold the RC’s down, modifications to the trailer blah blah. Box dimensions - 57-3/4" L x 28" W x 18" D so at least two of my 1/5 Kraken's should fit.

 

[cmbscx10]

Stupid 1/5 Scale RC. Why do they have to be so big. Ha Ha! No way, no how, Top on, Top Off, Wheels, No Wheels, Sideways or stacked are two of my Kraken's fitting inside. So, one inside with my Losi Promoto and one outside on the lid. Now to figure on how to strap it down.

 

[FG-paul]

thats well cool i love it

 

[cmbscx10]

Gotta mount the motorcycle too. Not sure if I want to mount the case above or on the tongue.

 

[Flh003]

What about a taller basket-cargo rack on top of lid and a cargo net bungee cord..did something similar on my rzr and fourwheelers to keep coolers and gas can secure.

 

[cmbscx10]

Messed around with this scenario for my 2 Losi Pro Motos but there are no 1/5 scale tie downs or ratchet straps to buy and i am certainly not the guy to make one off ones so i will just use the Koah case.

 

[StrykerAKAmack]

A couple of those large black tie wraps will hold it down , one atop seat to set compression and a small one thru each rim
Yea you will go thru a set each time ya take it off but they come in bags of 50 n a hundred at Harbor freight .
Much cooler than hidden in a box going down the road

 

[cmbscx10]

A couple of those large black tie wraps will hold it down , one atop seat to set compression and a small one thru each rim
Yea you will go thru a set each time ya take it off but they come in bags of 50 n a hundred at Harbor freight .
Much cooler than hidden in a box going down the road

Thanks for the suggestion. I ride my motorcycles hard and fast so keeping things tied down is a must. For giggles i tried my 1" T&B Zip Ties i use incase my tubes get a puncture i cannot repair. I shook the trailer only 25% of what it would see on the dirt road and the bikes literally shook themselves off. They like 1:1 need a minimum of 4 tie down points. Zip ties don't look "Scale" enough for me so they will go in the Koah box for now.


These trailers normally only come with 1 Gas Strut and mine came with Zero as the PO threw it away for ??. So, i made some brackets and bought 2 to hold the weight of my Kraken on the lid which will allow me to keep it there and still get in the box if needed.

 

[cmbscx10]

x

 

[cmbscx10]

WOW! Total FAIL!!
I bought the Bradley Performance Product tow hitch for my TW200 and boy oh boy did it not work. I decided to try it in my yard before loading it up and sure glad i did. My trailer empty is 190lbs and that was more than enough to flex the BPP that I couldn't even get out of 1st gear and doubt it hit 6mph. My driveway is not that rough and the back was shaking so much side to side from the mount flexing that it would be downright dangerous in almost every situation.

Now, I am admitting that i am using the hitch mount well beyond its designed purpose so i DO NOT blame BPP one bit. I am just sharing my experience.

I will have someone weld a bar from plate to plate just after the tire to see if I can give the hitch area some more strength. If not I'll use my KTM 450 and make a threw Axle pin similar to what Kipmoto does and make a mount.

https://www.bradleyperformanceproducts.net/product-page/yamaha-tw200-tow-hitch-tow-bar

https://kipmoto.com/products/sherpax-dual-sport-trailer

 

[StrykerAKAmack]

What was flexing ? The trailer or the frame kit mounted to the motorcycle ?
If the trailer ,more of weight distribution issue or tires are way out of balance . If the frame kit , either the shock or A arm pivot bolts
could be loose . Or the bolts for kit not fully tightened ,You don't show a pic of ball hitch mount itself but bike trailer looks to be leveled correctly empty at least .
Looking at pics from link looks to be a solid kit . should be no flex if bolts properly tightened ,only concern would be the folded triangle with bolt hole
would weaken from too much up down flex over time , would keep an eye on that

 

[cmbscx10]

As a quick follow up to my Bradley Performance Trailer Hitch Mods. I swung by my retired dad's house and let him know what was going on. Even after 16 years of retirement he gets bored easily. He has built quit a few hot rods, built and raced AA Dragsters (Late 60'-70's), was a mechanic for Otis Elevator etc etc. Basically Way Way Way more qualified than i will ever be at fabricating things.

At 2" after the last U-bolt, the BPP Hitch Mount starts to flex about 1/8". By the time you get the end of the swingarm you could move the mount by hand laterally aka side to side 7/16" at each swingarm leg with relative ease. We went over some ideas and decided to essentially strengthen the BPP Hitch mount by 2 methods. One in extending the mount to decrease the amount of leverage from the single mounting point(s) and second in tying it to the swingarm.

We came up with what we think is the simplest solution, not a whole lot of fabrication time and the easiest to reverse if it doesn't work. Using C-Clamps, Locking pliers and scrap 3/16” bar stock to "Mock Up" our best solution we were able to get less than .5mm of movement at the end of the swingarm leg.

We believe it would work and i wanted a way to take off the BPP Trailer Hitch and just leave the plates for regular riding and not be too ugly. So, we just made the BPP hitch “Bolt On” as it was originally designed.

We only had 5/16" steel plate in the scrap pile so we contoured them at the top to account for the BPP Hitch bend and made it fit the plate. Pops leveled everything up and welded them to the swingarm.

I’ll pick it up this weekend and test it out. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just cut the plates off, grind of the welds, repaint and move on to the next solution.

** Side note: Dad said welding on the 3 layers of crappy steel that makes up the swingarm SUCKED but it won't break...just don't race it.