For some reason I think it would be pretty dangerous !

 

I built a trailer for my 84 softail and towed it several times on long trips. Only time I ever had any issues was if I was riding on a really twisty road. If going down hill and into a tight curve it felt like the trailer was pushing the bike and not following it.

Other than other riders givin me **** about towing a trailer behind a Softail I liked it.

OH BTW....The guys that were giving me **** are the same ones that would come up to me and ask if their OL's could change clothes in my 10X13 foot tent I carried in the trailer or if they could use my camp stove to cook a meal on. I even had one of those portable fold up picnic tables I carried in there. I've thought about building another one for my current bike.

 

I used to tow a little Coleman trailer that weighed a little under 200lbs empty. It was a pain in the a$$ around town, but I hardly noticed it on the highway. You just have to remember it's back there, take it a little easier, not overload it and give yourself a little extra braking distance when stopping. A trailer will hurt your gas mileage, though... I got about 2/3rds the mileage on a tank of gas.
As far as being dangerous, one thing a trailer does give you is extra size and visibility to other motorists, at least those approaching from behind, assuming it is not a real dark color and has good lights on it.

 

We have one my hubby pulls behind his bike. He says he hardly notices it's back there. It's really nice cause we don't have to strap all our stuff on the bikes when we travel or worry about our stuff getting wet if it rains.

 

I have two trailers, one for work and one for touring.

I ride 90% of the time with a trailer behind me.

Never had an issue with the trailer causing me any problems.

 

If you could find this guy he could probably tell you.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...wtf-trike.html

 

We pull a Bunkhouse camper trailer. On the open road, you don't know it's behind you. Uphill, you use a lower gear. Coming to a stop, you know it's back there. I miss the linked brakes I had on our previous bike, a Yamaha Venture.

Twenty pounds tongue weight on the hitch has a lot less effect than packing all the gear on the bike.

The best part about it, is we can now really camp.

 

Pulled one all over the country. Pulling don't know it's back there till you go up big grades. When stopping you have to remember it's there.

 

I also think it is dangerous,but I ride carefully with my trailer,no problem

 

I have a big *** tent camper (Timeout Trailers) trailer that I used to pull behind my Valkyrie. It's too big for even an ultra classic to comfortably pull (I once loaned it to a friend....who also has a little bike trailer... but the tent camper it was just too damned big and heavy for his UC...he was downshifting all the time on climbs). I can easily pull it up any mountain pass without much noticeable effect on the bike handling (if you load it right, and pay close attention to proper hitch weight)...other than much higher gas consumption, and much more mass when you brake (in an emergency braking situation that could be a very big deal). They do offer trailer brakes, which would no doubt help alot.

Realistically, unless you don't mind doing a BUNCH of downshifting on climbs, the only bikes that can really handle that much trailer mass are the Goldwings, the Valkeries (really just souped up versions of the 1520 cc Goldwings), and the Yamaha Ventures.

The only time it's great is when you're camping...it folds out into a queen sized bed platform, and a little dining area (all off the ground), and when you add the accessory tent awning you could easily park a couple cruisers in there and still be able to walk around them. It's well built, and easy to set up. It makes a nice satellite base to operate out of, once you're set up.

Most of the people who buy camper trailers liked to camp when they were younger (jeez, I don't remember the ground being so hard when I was 25), but don't want to sleep on the ground anymore....they're at an age when they can afford such things....but in reality, you could pay for a lot of motel rooms for what a decent camper trailer costs (and you've got to license and maintain the damned things). There's a lot of camaraderie in biker campgrounds, but to tell the truth, you can enjoy much of the same thing by carrying less crap, and finding the 'mom and pop' motels in small towns. Most of them are quite happy to have groups of bikers sitting out in chairs in front of their rooms, bullshitting, and doing about the same things they did in campgrounds.

Would I buy one again? Nope. I now have a strong opinion that if you need to pull a trailer you're just carrying too much stuff.....and having a trailer is just a temptation to carry even more stuff. It can easily get to the point that you might as well be driving a car. IF you decide you must buy a trailer then get a very small one...that way, when you decide you really miss riding your bike without it, you can more easily unload it on some other poor chump!

My favorite riding is the mountain twisties.... there's nothing like flying through the curves, unfettered by anything but centrifugal force, engine power, and your tires' friction coefficient. Pulling a trailer detracts from that experience.....your bike becomes nothing more than a beast of burden.