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Trailering to Rally
- Thread starter bluehole
- Start date
Lemme guess, you ride an RS, right?
You'll be missing out on a really sweet ride, pal. From where you live, across the Appalachians, up through Ohio and Michigan, across Lake Michigan on a ferry, and then arrive at the rally on a bike. Like real men (and women).
If you do trailer the thing, you may as well keep going to the west coast where I can give you lessons on why bikes are meant for riding and not towing.
You want more grief from me, just keep posting stuff about trailering your touring bike. Geez.....
bluehole
Active member
Who invited this guy to the party?
If we decide to take the late model bikes, we will ride. I love my /5, but for me, riding that far on my Airhead is harder on me than riding the Oilhead. Riding the /5 means I need to figure out how to load it properly (I may need to buy luggage). I understand it best to avoid putting too much weight on the back of bikes like my SWB model. I doubt a day on the interstate will be fun on the Airhead and while I prefer secondary roads, a certain amount of slab will be necessary. If I had more time I could stay on secondary roads the whole way. That would be great, but I have to limit the days I allot to the trip.
If I bring the /5 you should be able to find me. I will be the blur that remains a quarter mile a head of you.
I've ridden to rallies but when both bikes let me down just before leaving in 2012, I drove to Sedalia. I received no grief from my riding and camping buddies and some borrowed the car on occasion to pickup supplies. I will be at the 2014 rally, and will ride and do not care how you get there so long as you are there and are enjoying yourself. 
motorman587
New member
About a year ago I was trailering my motorcycle with my 31 foot camper. I had my children with me and the wife followed in the truck. A motorcyclist passed me on the interstate and as he passed he looked back at me and gave the "what the f**k" look with one hand waved up in the air. I could have cared less because I had my family with and my motorcycle with me. I had an awesome weekend. Like somebody else stated, do what makes you happy.........
story
New member
When I read the title of this thread Trailering to Rally I thought of course I'm going to trailer.
Then I realized you were talking about hauling the bike.
Goes to show you how my mind works.
I drag a trailer behind the bike quit often.
I have a enclosed cargo trailer and a bunkhouse tent trailer.
Here are some friends I hang with camping
3 Bunkhouses and an Aspen.
The red one is mine.
All towed by motorcycles.
So I'm thinking of heading to St. Paul next summer (2000 miles one way) and I will be Trailering
Then I realized you were talking about hauling the bike.
Goes to show you how my mind works.
I drag a trailer behind the bike quit often.
I have a enclosed cargo trailer and a bunkhouse tent trailer.
Here are some friends I hang with camping
3 Bunkhouses and an Aspen.
The red one is mine.
All towed by motorcycles.
So I'm thinking of heading to St. Paul next summer (2000 miles one way) and I will be Trailering
WI Sharon
New member
Probably going to trailer something too
I'm fairly close to the rally but I'll probably trailer there due to the volume of stuff I want to bring.
So far the plan is to bring a pool, cabana, grill, and bacon. Everything is better with bacon...
Just do what is the best plan for you and don't worry what anyone thinks or says.
And I probably need Bloody Mary stuff for this rally
I'm fairly close to the rally but I'll probably trailer there due to the volume of stuff I want to bring.
So far the plan is to bring a pool, cabana, grill, and bacon. Everything is better with bacon...
Just do what is the best plan for you and don't worry what anyone thinks or says.
And I probably need Bloody Mary stuff for this rally
About a year ago I was trailering my motorcycle with my 31 foot camper. I had my children with me and the wife followed in the truck. A motorcyclist passed me on the interstate and as he passed he looked back at me and gave the "what the f**k" look with one hand waved up in the air. I could have cared less because I had my family with and my motorcycle with me. I had an awesome weekend. Like somebody else stated, do what makes you happy.........
Hey John, sad that he isn't half the rider you are. He would be ashamed if he knew who you are. Got time for lunch in cedar key on 25 jan?
motorman587
New member
Correct! My HS class friend rides to Sturgis from Western KS every year on his police Harley, (rode his BMWGS across Siberia) stereotypes get ya in trouble... He does trailer his dirt bikes. I do reserve the right to "make fun of people", no matter how this turns out...
greenwald
New member
You should do whatever your feelings or circumstances call for - the only person who you need to please is yourself.
No one should 'judge' you for your decision to trailer.
Then again, no one should 'judge' those who have earned recognition as Iron Butt riders either.
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bluehole
Active member
Any room on your trailer for another /5?
Oh yeah. I think I will rent a tractor trailer and offer all east coast Airheads a lift to Minnesota.
bdimon
BruceRT
Part of the satisfaction of getting somewhere is how you got there. Ignoring what other but people would think (who cares?), you would feel some satisfaction arriving on your bike. Normally a trip, whether it is to the local twisties or the other side of the country, is about "the ride." If your dream is to ride old US 66, would you trailer the bike?
But is that really the point of going to the rally? Are you going because of a burning desire to ride the roads between you and St. Paul? Are you going to share the BMW experience with other association members? Showing up on a modern oilhead is cool but showing up on a /5 is cooler. What if you brought a /5 and a K-1? That would be cooler still.
What if your wife said she would like to be at the rally but could not take the long drone over a hot interstate? Would the satisfaction of "the ride" there be less than enjoying "the rally" with your loved one?
My point is that enjoying "the ride" is different from enjoying "the rally." Where do you want to spend your fun? Would riding your /5 around "the rally" be more fun than the satisfaction of "the ride" there? Choose whichever is more fun.
Since I am jealous that you have both a new oilhead and a cool /5, I would make fun of you for trailering but you should ignore my petty remarks. They are tongue-in-cheek.
ricochetrider
Out There Somewhere
Hey IMO it's as much fun to road trip in a car or truck as it is on or in any vehicle! Frankly, for me personally, I don't like to ride on Freeways for extended periods of time... and don't really have the time to back-road it all the way across half the USA to get to... well, to anywhere. SO to trailer would, for me, mean taking the fastest possible route- AND I like the idea of dropping the bikes off here and there to ride great roads along the way. So it seems it's win-win to trailer the bikes.
The one time I ever went to Barber's Vintage days in Alabama, we took a big, 10 foot long trailer, and my buddy and I took two bikes each. We bee-lined it down, but on the way back stopped and rode the Dragon (on a rainy Tuesday- nobody there), and the Cherahola Skyway. We also popped in to see some friends who had gathered in Virginia- and with them, rode sections of the BRP.
So yeah.
pffog
Small road corner junkie
Well put, funny thing is I trailer 3 hours to come down in your back yard to play!
Bud
It is what it is.
I'm fairly close to the rally but I'll probably trailer there due to the volume of stuff I want to bring.
So far the plan is to bring a pool, cabana, grill, and bacon. Everything is better with bacon...
Just do what is the best plan for you and don't worry what anyone thinks or says.
And I probably need Bloody Mary stuff for this rally
I'm setting up my tent next to Sharon!
Bud
It is what it is.
wwmhd?
Don't have a trailer but there have been times when I would have loved to have one. This past sept. while riding home from kali I found myself in a culvert during a very bad lightning storm. Was joined by a Canadian couple on harleys. Would have paid good money for a trailer and a car or truck to tow it with.
There is another aspect that would support "trailering" to a rally and that has been touched upon in some of the responses: Time to get there! I am not into riding 700+ miles per day to get to a rally. I found that I can go 800 miles in a trailer towing rig. Most rallies I attended, It took me significantly less time to get to my destination pulling a trailer behind a truck or SUV than others who rode there. This in turn, gives me more time to explore the area of the rally, which uusally has nice rides set up. But if you just want to hang out at the fairgrounds and the beer tent, I guess this does not matter.
