- Cars
- Motorcycles
ByCody D. Campbell
There are a lot of different situations where you might need to move a motorcycle without riding it. Maybe you haven't got a license or registration yet, maybe you're bringing your bike into the shop, maybe you're buying a used project bike that needs a little maintenance before it's ready to be ridden. Perhaps the weather is crumby, or maybe you've got a dirt bike that isn't street legal. Whatever the reason may be, there may come a time when you need to use a motorcycle trailer. You don't need to buy one though, since you can rent one from U-Haul.
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You probably already know that U-Haul has a large range of different transportation solutions. The company offers everything from massive moving trucks to horse trailers, but you might not have known that you can rent a motorcycle trailer from them. According to the company's website, "U-Haul motorcycle trailers are affordable, lightweight and easy to tow. Our motorcycle trailer rentals come equipped with an easy-access loading ramp, heavy-duty tie-down rings, and a built-in motorcycle chock. The motorcycle trailer rental is great for quick hauls to the shop or a long round-trip."
There are a few things you might want to know before you rent one, though.
Will your bike fit?
The first thing that you should do before you even drive to you're local U-Haul is check and make sure that your bike will actually fit. The motorcycle trailer from U-Haul has 30 square feet of deck space, and the dimensions inside the trailer are 7'8" wide by 3'9.5" long.
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That should be plenty of space for most standard bikes. There aren't a whole lot of four-foot-wide, eight-foot-long motorcycles out there. You'll probably only need to worry about taking a tape measurer to it if you have a particularly massive bike or a custom ride with unusual dimensions. However, you'll also want to consider the weight.
The U-Haul motorcycle trailer is rated to hold a maximum towing capacity of 950 pounds. That should be more than enough for most bikes, but there are sparse few that can hit that limit. Honda Goldwings get close without any modifications, sitting at just under 930 pounds, the Harley Davidson CVO Limited Anniversary Edition comes in at 963 pounds, and the Boss Hoss V8 is known to weigh about half a ton. These are among the heaviest bikes in production today, however, and so the vast majority of motorcycles should be able to fit comfortably with little issue.
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Can you use one to move across the country?
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Some bikes are made for taking long rides across the country, and some bikes really aren't. Sports bikes might be fun rides for zipping down short stretches of highway, but your lower back will probably have something to say anytime you ride one for more than a couple of hours at a time.
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With that in mind, you probably want to find another solution for transporting it if you're moving somewhere far away. You also might simply own more than one vehicle, and need a method for transporting both. Unfortunately, U-Haul doesn't allow you to take its motorcycle trailers for one-way trips. This means that you will have to return the trailer to the same U-Haul location that you originally rented it from. That doesn't mean you're completely out of luck, though.
U-Haul recommends that you take advantage of its slightly larger 5x9 open ramp utility trailer for longer moves where you will need to return the trailer to a different location. This is a bit more expensive, but the newer models have a built-in motorcycle chock so it can do anything the motorcycle trailer can do, and even has a little extra space and capacity for the rest of your stuff.
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How much will it cost?
The next thing you'll probably want to know is how much renting one of these trailers will cost you. Transportation fees can be a real pain, so it's worth knowing what you're in for before showing up at the lot with a credit card in hand. U-Haul has variable pricing for a lot of their products, but not when it comes to their motorcycle trailers.
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Fortunately, renting these trailers isn't very expensive at all. It costs a flat $14.95 per day to rent one of these, and use it as much as you want. There are no added mileage fees like you get with U-Haul's trucks, and the rate seems to be the same in every major city that we checked. This makes them a very affordable solution for quick trips around town, or even for taking a bike out of town for an event or to reach a specific riding location.
You might want to do some quick math if you're the kind of person who likes to take your bike on a lot of big round trips though. Competitive motocross riders or those who like to take their classic bikes out to motorcycle shows might find that these daily fees can stack up over time. There comes a point where owning your own trailer might be the more financially viable solution, provided you have the space to store it.
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What kind of ball and hitch do you need?
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You aren't just going to need a trailer: You're also going to need a few essential towing accessories to attach it to the vehicle that's going to be pulling it. More specifically, you're going to need an appropriate trailer hitch and hitch ball. These need to be the right size, and the hitch needs to be of an adequate rating.
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Every trailer hitch has a rating for how much it can pull. This can usually be found on a label that should be located on the hitch itself. You can technically pull the U-Haul motorcycle trailer with a hitch rating as low as 1,000 pounds, but then your towing capacity drops to only 450 pounds, which may not be enough to pull your motorcycle. You will need a hitch with a rating of 2,000 pounds or greater in order to take advantage of the full 950-pound capacity that the trailer itself is rated for.
In terms of the hitch ball, U-Haul doesn't list a specific size for the motorcycle trailer on the website's description. It does, however, mention in its trailer user guidelines that "Hitch-ball sizes of 1-7/8 and 2 inches are acceptable with a U-Haul trailer coupler. A U-Haul representative can advise you on the correct ball size and weight rating for your trailer."
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U-Haul also sells and installs its own brand of tow kits and hitch balls, so you can always pick up what you need at the lot if your vehicle doesn't already have all of the necessary equipment.
How do you prep the trailer?
The process of loading your bike onto the trailer is fairly straightforward, but you'll need to do a little prep work before you put your motorcycle on it. U-Haul has provided a video giving specific instructions on how to safely and securely load your motorcycle onto the trailer and fasten it in place so that you can ensure that no harm comes to it while it is being transported.
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Start by prepping the trailer for the bike. Make sure that you've engaged the parking break on your vehicle, and then double-check that the coupler handwheel is tight on the hitch and that the safety chains are fully secured. Place four ratchet straps inside the trailer — one in each corner — and then hook one end of each to one of the tie-downs that are located on the trailer bed.
The ramp is held in place by two metal latch pins. Remove these, and then carefully lower the gate onto the ground. This will create a ramp that you can use to load the motorcycle into the trailer.
How do you secure your bike?
Getting the bike onto the trailer is the trickiest part. It might be difficult for you to push a heavy motorcycle up the ramp by yourself. It also isn't recommended to ride the bike up the ramp, however, as there is very little space for you to brake once you reach the top. It might not be easy to put your feet down in the narrow space on the trailer bed either.
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The best method for properly loading a motorcycle onto a trailer is for two or more people to do it together. One person should be guiding the bike from the handlebars with one hand on the front brake, while the other pushes the bike from the rear. Guide the bike all the way to the front of the trailer so that the front tire is positioned in the wheel chop, and the majority of the bike's weight is closer to the towing vehicle.
Different motorcycles will have different recommended attachment points which should be referenced in the bike's owner's manual. Use the ratchet straps to secure these attachment points to the trailer bed, being careful to tighten them evenly so they don't pull the bike more firmly in one direction. These lines should be taught, but not so tight that they fully compress the suspension. Be careful not to pinch any brake lines or electrical wiring.
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Then all that's left is to lift the ramp and secure the gate using the latch pins.
