Motorcycle Hitch Carrier - An Actual User's Review

[cnpellegrino]

I know some questions have been asked about motorcycle hitch carriers in the past and they catch a lot of flack from people on here who think it's the most dangerous thing ever yet they have no experience with it. I thought I could offer some different insight instead of just hypothetical into what it's really like to use since I actually own and use one on my 3rd Gen.






Some Background
I'm temporarily living in a city, hopefully getting out of here soon. I really enjoy motorcycle riding but around here it's just traffic and chaos so it's far from ideal. We frequently go stay with our family on the weekends especially in the nicer weather because they live by the shore. It's awesome to ride down by them but the ride to actually get there is pretty awful on a motorcycle, NJ turnpike and tractor trailers everywhere so its really no fun. It also presents a logistical issue where I'm riding down and my wife has to take a separate vehicle. Then when we go home I have to ride back up separately through NJ hell, this time in the dark as well. I can't just store my bike down there because they don't have the room for it and I like to always have access to it. I don't have room to store a trailer and even if I did that's just one more thing to have to register and maintain.

Enter The MotoTote
I saw all these different motorcycle carriers online and the idea made a lot of sense to me. Most of the people who were using them, had them on more full size trucks, not something lighter duty like our 3rd Gens. Or they would be using them for dirt bikes which weigh a lot less than an actual motorcycle. I saw one good decently in depth review about one on an older Nissan Xterra and that convinced me to pull the trigger and try it out.

Why the MotoTote?
Now the reason I chose the MotoTote brand over many of the other brands is simple, weight. A lot of the cheaper brands weigh a good 30lbs or more than the MotoTote. The MotoTote weighs 63lbs and is very easy to carry and install on the truck by myself. If it's too cumbersome and a hassle to use you'll never actually use it. This product is well engineered and I can have my bike on the back of my truck and strapped down in under 10 minutes, I've timed myself. The ramp is nice and long and its very easy to walk the bike up and into place.

How does the 3rd Gen handle it?
Ok, this is where I'm going to lose some of you. My truck is completely stock suspension wise at the moment. Hopefully going to order a Sonoran Steel kit really soon. Tow rating of the 3rd Gen is 5000lbs and the tongue weight is 10% of that for 500lbs. That's how MotoTote calculates what you can load on the carrier even though the carrier is rated for 600lbs. Lets just say I'm pushing that 500lb limit a bit. my bike is 473lbs wet and the MotoTote is 63lbs so I'm 36lbs over the actual limit. There's little things you can do to get the weight down, like make sure the bike doesn't have a full tank of fuel or take the ramp off and put it in the back seat, that alone will save 15lbs. But here's the thing, it's completely fine. Yes the suspension sags a bit but other than that it really feels solid as a rock. It actually rides smoother with the added weight than it does empty. The steering doesn't really feel any differently and you can cruise on the highway with no problems. I just do 65-70mph in the right lane and take it easy. I have Tundra brakes on my truck and they also don't really notice the added weight. The MotoTote come with an anti-wobble bolt that works wonderfully and I'm never worried that the bike is going to go anywhere. I also use these tie down straps called "Tank Straps" that are rated for 4400lbs each and I use 3 of them.

Overall
I love this thing. I think its one of the slickest items I ever bought and people constantly ask me about it whenever I'm loading or unloading it. I've used it probably a dozen times now over 2000 miles and its still rock solid. Some of the cheaper units have reviews saying you have to re tighten some hardware. They frequently have sales on scratch and blemish units which is what I bought. The power coating is pretty lousy on it and it scratches just looking at it so save yourself some $$$ and get one of those. Another thing to consider is that the bike blocks your tail lights. They sell a kit to add LED trailer lights to the bottom which is what I'm gonna do. Might even rig up my own because they are a little pricey. Feel free to post any questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them.

 

[Cole T]

Thanks for this post! I run one as well, but for a slightly lighter bike (Kawasaki supersherpa) my suspension is stock as well except that I added an Airlift airbag system for $100. I went this route because stock height is fine for me (slightly larger tires) but I’m always changing the weights around. Sometimes she’s totally empty, sometimes empty with the bike in the hitch, and sometimes fully loaded with roof top tent, drawer system, motorcycle rack, and canoe on the roof (about 950lbs). I keep a crappy 12v compressor in the rig and I use the cigarette lighter in the trunk to pump up the bags. Also, I drive through NYC a lot and need to be able to adjust ride quality accordingly.

Since I still have about 90lbs of weight to spare, I’m currently working on building a swing out that will be strong enough to carry the weight of the bike. This way I’ll have trunk access. The swing out will mount in the hitch and the tow point on my shrockworks bumper therefore minimalizing rotational stress on the hitch.

 

[cnpellegrino]

Thanks for this post! I run one as well, but for a slightly lighter bike (Kawasaki supersherpa) my suspension is stock as well except that I added an Airlift airbag system for $100. I went this route because stock height is fine for me (slightly larger tires) but I’m always changing the weights around. Sometimes she’s totally empty, sometimes empty with the bike in the hitch, and sometimes fully loaded with roof top tent, drawer system, motorcycle rack, and canoe on the roof (about 950lbs). I keep a crappy 12v compressor in the rig and I use the cigarette lighter in the trunk to pump up the bags. Also, I drive through NYC a lot and need to be able to adjust ride quality accordingly.

Since I still have about 90lbs of weight to spare, I’m currently working on building a swing out that will be strong enough to carry the weight of the bike. This way I’ll have trunk access. The swing out will mount in the hitch and the tow point on my shrockworks bumper therefore minimalizing rotational stress on the hitch.

That sounds like its gonna be awesome when your done. One of the reasons I want that Sonoran Steel lift is he has an airbag kit for it. I have a Shrockworks front bumper sitting in my basement right now waiting to go on soon, I think that'll help level it out a bit too.

 

[westdiablo]

I've hauled around a 650 dual sport Husky on a hitch carrier for years. And that was on a Honda Pilot with a much saggier rear end than a Runner.

Now that I have the Runner I'll not hesitate to keep carrying that bike.

I do run straps from the ends of the carrier up to the end of each roof rail...running up the side of the truck. Just to reduce bouncing. Only put about 20lbs of tension in those straps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cnpellegrino]

I've hauled around a 650 dual sport Husky on a hitch carrier for years. And that was on a Honda Pilot with a much saggier rear end than a Runner.

Now that I have the Runner I'll not hesitate to keep carrying that bike.

I do run straps from the ends of the carrier up to the end of each roof rail...running up the side of the truck. Just to reduce bouncing. Only put about 20lbs of tension in those straps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So another thing I didn't really talk about too much are those "tank straps" I'm using. You can look it up yourself but I use their method of strapping the bike down vs the way MotoTote tells you to do it. Basically you run the strap around the area where the front fender attaches to the front fork. It's a really solid point of the bike and it allows your motorcycle to still use its suspension vs compressing the suspension. I think this really helps to keep down any bouncing. The method also makes it super easy to load and strap down the bike yourself instead of needing help to balance the bike while you strap.

 

[Outrider]

I used one of those quite a few times, 10-12 years ago, on my Pathfinder, and then on my T4R. Very handy things. You will get way better gas mileage than if pulling a trailer. And you don't wear out your trailer tires and bearings. That is if you have a trailer. If not, then it can keep you from having to buy a trailer.

But it is a major PITA to load a motorcycle on one. There is a learning curve to get past when you first get one. They are a pain, for even just a 225-300 lb offroad motorcycle. I carried a Honda 250 and Suzuki DRZ400 on mine. If I still owned motorcycles, I would still have one, for just occasional use (like on long trips, or going to places I couldn't or didn't want to bring a trailer).

 

[cnpellegrino]

I used one of those quite a few times, 10-12 years ago, on my Pathfinder, and then on my T4R. Very handy things. You will get way better gas mileage than if pulling a trailer. And you don't wear out your trailer tires and bearings. That is if you have a trailer. If not, then it can keep you from having to buy a trailer.

But it is a major PITA to load a motorcycle on one. There is a learning curve to get past when you first get one. They are a pain, for even just a 225-300 lb offroad motorcycle. I carried a Honda 250 and Suzuki DRZ400 on mine. If I still owned motorcycles, I would still have one, for just occasional use (like on long trips, or going to places I couldn't or didn't want to bring a trailer).

Maybe you used another brand but the MotoTote has a nice long ramp and I can load my 473lb bike by myself very easily. I usually just roll it up but if I'm feeling lazy sometimes I'll let the bike walk it self up. When I get it into place I lean the bike ever so gently against the back hatch as to not damage anything while I get my straps into position.

 

[calimobber]

I've been using one for years. I have dirt bikes so mostly 250lb-300lb bikes but it works great. I fire up the bike and use the clutch to walk it up onto the ramp.

One important note. I use a strap for the rear tire. Just loop the carrier and go through the wheel. I've had my bikes fall off twice when I was turning and hit a bump. The rear end bucked up and the rear tire came off the ramp!

 

[Outrider]

Maybe you used another brand but the MotoTote has a nice long ramp and I can load my 473lb bike by myself very easily. I usually just roll it up but if I'm feeling lazy sometimes I'll let the bike walk it self up. When I get it into place I lean the bike ever so gently against the back hatch as to not damage anything while I get my straps into position.

True. Mine was a different brand, and the ramp was shorter. Short enough to fit in the rear floorboard of my T4R.

Still, even with a longer ramp, that's a balls-ey move to power a bike up the ramp. :biggrin2:

 

[cnpellegrino]

I've been using one for years. I have dirt bikes so mostly 250lb-300lb bikes but it works great. I fire up the bike and use the clutch to walk it up onto the ramp.

One important note. I use a strap for the rear tire. Just loop the carrier and go through the wheel. I've had my bikes fall off twice when I was turning and hit a bump. The rear end bucked up and the rear tire came off the ramp!

I usually have a rear strap over the rear tire to hold it own, I just didn't have it on in when I took the picture.

 

[cnpellegrino]

True. Mine was a different brand, and the ramp was shorter. Short enough to fit in the rear floorboard of my T4R.

Still, even with a longer ramp, that's a balls-ey move to power a bike up the ramp. :biggrin2:

I actually find it a bit safer than walking it up. This way I'm only focusing my energy on balancing the bike rather than trying to muscle it up. You really don't have to give it any gas, worst its gonna do is stall and then stop in place because its in gear.

 

[turbo8]

I actually find it a bit safer than walking it up. This way I'm only focusing my energy on balancing the bike rather than trying to muscle it up. You really don't have to give it any gas, worst its gonna do is stall and then stop in place because its in gear.

That's how I would load my dirtbike into the back of my truck back in the day. Now i'm looking at dirtbikes again .

 

[MSRP.]

Not much to add but words of wisdom from loading an mid 400 lbs streetbike:

If you can park on a dip, makes the angle of ramp much shallower.

Tying down in the rain or if it rains shortly after you tighten all straps: RECHECK ASAP. Rain causes some ratchet straps to slightly elongate. Luckily, I only have a minor dent from my barends in my hatch, and not the rear window!

If your carrier has an option for a front tire chock, get it. Makes for easy transition between keeping it balanced, and starting to get your straps tight.

 

[Outrider]

Not much to add but words of wisdom from loading an mid 400 lbs streetbike:

If you can park on a dip, makes the angle of ramp much shallower.

Tying down in the rain or if it rains shortly after you tighten all straps: RECHECK ASAP. Rain causes some ratchet straps to slightly elongate. Luckily, I only have a minor dent from my barends in my hatch, and not the rear window!

If your carrier has an option for a front tire chock, get it. Makes for easy transition between keeping it balanced, and starting to get your straps tight.

Yep - especially if the straps are nylon, which most are. Nylon strap or rope stretches when wet. Polypropylene - not so much. But it would be wise to check both.