Best hitch carrier for my 2007 Honda rebel?

jeep2001 · 08-05-2015, 01:17 AM

I have a 26 aspect Winnebago that l would like to bring my Honda rebel with us. Would anyone have any recommendations for this job. The bike weight is 325 pounds. Can this type of carrying be done safely? I do have a spare tire on the back too so the motorcycle might have to sit a little further back. Thanks for the help. Mike

NeilV · 08-05-2015, 03:09 AM

Most simple racks like one from Harbor Freight have a 400 lb capacity and should do fine however the Aspect due to the Winnebago house frames may limit the hitch to around 300 lbs regardless of what the hitch manufacturer has stamped on it. Verify the tongue weight capacity of the Aspect with Winnebago before proceeding. Even if the hitch is up to it you may have to redistribute a few hundred pounds of items stored in the back of the coach a bit closer to the front so you don't have light steering and a drifting coach when the bike is loaded.

I use the Harbor Freight hitch rack for my 325 lb bike and it works fine. I use a ratchet strap on the passenger peg between the bike and the back of the coach to stabilize the bike on the rack while setting up the rest of the straps. Having a spotter at least the first few time is a great idea too.

jeep2001 · 08-06-2015, 08:27 AM

I will check the tongue weight today. I'm just wondering when the bike is on the back of the motorhome does it block the tail lights and all. It is an E450 chassis does that help at all. Thanks Mike

Todd157k · 08-06-2015, 12:25 PM

Harbor Freight with a couple outriggers for tie downs. I also switched out the center bar for one that is a little thicker, and longer than original. I use a wheel troff across the cage. I used this setup on my Class C too. Bike weighs in around 375#

kb9adw · 08-06-2015, 06:33 PM

We have a Honda rebel and it rides on the back of our 2001 Journey via a VERSAHAUL carrier. It is a very well made carrier that comes with a ramp, too. I believe it has a 600 lb capacity and has outriggers to attach tie down straps. You can find Youtube videos of them.

jeep2001 · 08-07-2015, 12:38 AM

Thank guys for the information, there was a decal on the back bumper it was faded but it looks like vertical hitch weight is 300 or 350 pounds. With the bike and the carrier I think I'd be maxed out on the weight. Would this be ok, or would I be better off with a small scooter on the back? Thanks Mike

Nortguy · 08-07-2015, 07:43 AM

We had the same idea: use a hitch rack on our Sightseer 33C for our 2005 Honda Rebel while we did a 10,000 mile tour of the west. We bought a Harbor Freight rack and tested it on our Chevy Suburban. Worked fine. THEN we tried it on the Sightseer. First problem: the hitch receiver is much higher than the Chevys, so the short ramp hung straight down, not even touching the ground! Finally rigged up a long extension to the ramp. Then we found it very difficult to roll the bike up the ramp, onto the rack, while maintaining control and trying to secure the bike with ratchet straps. The bike is very high in the air when on the rack, making it difficult to keep upright while strapping it down. Finally got it pretty secured but the handle bar was very close to hitting the back of the MH, unless you angled the bike back a bit, which seemed a bad idea. Plus, the whole contraption seemed a bit wobbly to me and I wondered how it would hold up to the terrible interstates in Indiana and Illinois. I had visions of the bike and rack crashing off the MH after hitting the millionth pothole. Plus, we really couldn't see ourselves going thru the ordeal of unloading/reloading very often. Better to just rent a car.
Bottom line: we left the bike and rack at home.

jeep2001 · 08-07-2015, 03:03 PM

Thanks for the reply Nortguy, your set up seems just like mine. I didn't even think about the bike being so high off the ground to load and strap down. I also have a spare tire on the back which I would have to mount the bike farther away. This seems like a lot work, is there an easier way to bring a motorcycle with? I seen some carriers that are Hydralic to lift the motorcycle up after you drive it on but I would think that would be very expensive. Thanks Mike

jeep2001 · 08-07-2015, 03:50 PM

The Versahaul carrier seems very well made. I found a price about $400 is that the going rate for these carriers. Thanks Everyone

NeilV · 08-07-2015, 10:37 PM

With the weight of the carrier along with the bike you will probably be over weight for the hitch and potentially the rear frame of the coach.

My 250cc Scooter weighs in at 326 lbs so no savings there over your Rebel unless you drop to certain 150cc Scooters however the 200 lb scooters will generally be single shock and have a very limited capacity.

You may need to consider additional receivers to spread the load but also need to calculate the effect the weight will have unloading your front wheels. Check out Blue Oxes web site as they have a downloadable sheet for calculating this.

jeep2001 · 08-14-2015, 11:26 PM

Thanks NeilV I just got home from vacation. I was worry about the weight would max out the hitch load. Yes it seems that the scooters weight as much as the Rebel. I will check out the Blue Oxes web site tonight. Thanks Mike

jeep2001 · 08-15-2015, 12:00 AM

I found the Blue Oxes web site but I having problem finding the downloadable sheet for calculating this. Is this on there home page? Thanks NeilV

NeilV · 08-15-2015, 12:26 AM

I am not seeing the carrier listed on their web sight however I did find an RV store that sells the Blu Ox Sport Carriers and have the PDF Sheet for calculating the loads available for download.

Try:

http://www.carrierliftstore.com/file...alculation.pdf

jeep2001 · 08-16-2015, 01:39 AM

Thank you for that information NeilV. I think I will have to use a lighter bike than my Honda Rebel. I have a Yamaha xt 225 enduro that weighs 235 pounds and thinking with the carrier I am a few pounds under my max vertical hitch load. I was just wondering if someone makes a heavy duty receiver hitch for a Ford E 450. Thanks Mike