Hi Ryan,
I have a RW4 and I see you do also. You tend to use the Hollywood bike rack on your vehicle don't you? I weighed my RW4 and, with the front basket, the large rear basket, the floorboards and the Ballard Cargo Bags my bike weighs 90 lbs. Naturally the weight is without the battery as I wouldn't transport my bike with it installed. Most bike racks are not designed to be used with such heavy bikes. How do you do it or what do you do to compensate for the weight?
We need a way to transport our bikes to and from various trails so we can enjoy the rides more often.
Thank you
Dave
I use this Harbor Freight dirtbike rack to haul my MiniST2; it's rated for far more than the 90-lb of my bike and comes with a ramp. I use the walking-mode of the controller to walk it on/off the carrier with the ramp. Needed a bit of fiddling to fit my bike perfectly, but it's surprisingly strong for the price (I got it two years ago for about $125 with a coupon) and requires a 2" hitch receiver. When the receiver-clamps are tightened down, it's solid as a rock.
https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-receiver-mount-aluminum-motorcycle-carrier-62837.html (https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-receiver-mount-aluminum-motorcycle-carrier-62837.html)
Photo below was taken while I was still figuring out the strap arrangement; later on I cut them to length so nothing can get caught during transport.
That's awesome JimInPT. It also looks like it would allow for the almost 54" wheelbase of the RW4. It is a great choice. However my partner has a bike too so we need to transport two of them. :-(
She is also looking at upgrading her mountain bike to an e mountain bike and I'm not sure what it will end up weighing.
Quote from: JimInPT on July 26, 2023, 10:48:31 AM
I use this Harbor Freight dirtbike rack to haul my MiniST2; it's rated for far more than the 90-lb of my bike and comes with a ramp. I use the walking-mode of the controller to walk it on/off the carrier with the ramp. Needed a bit of fiddling to fit my bike perfectly, but it's surprisingly strong for the price (I got it two years ago for about $125 with a coupon) and requires a 2" hitch receiver. When the receiver-clamps are tightened down, it's solid as a rock.
https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-receiver-mount-aluminum-motorcycle-carrier-62837.html (https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-receiver-mount-aluminum-motorcycle-carrier-62837.html)
Photo below was taken while I was still figuring out the strap arrangement; later on I cut them to length so nothing can get caught during transport.
Have you found a solution yet?
With a couple of L-bracket and a plank of 1x6 you should be able to come up with a ramp for this. It says max cap of 500 lbs. https://www.princessauto.com/en/60-x-20-in-folding-hitch-mount-cargo-carrier/product/PA0008930976
I recently purchased one of these off ebay for $95. It is painted black. Instructions lacked but I figured assembly out after a few attempts.
Those carriers are a good idea, especially for one bike. I see they are only offered for 2 inch receivers. Our car has a class two 1 1/4 inch receiver and if one uses a 2 to a 1 1/4 inch conversion unit their weight capacity is reduced. The data shows it is generally reduced by 50%. 500 lbs reduced to 250 lbs is still plenty of capacity to carry a couple of bikes though.
We have a cargo carrier similar to the one mentioned but the sides of it interfere with the wheels of my RW4. It won't fit onto or into it effectively, especially if we want to load our two bikes. For me, it is too difficult to secure two bikes in such a way they won't hit each other or move around on a cargo carrier like we have. Thank you for the suggestion but I don't trust my tie down ability enough to risk it.