Not As Easy As It Looks

Reflection – written May 27, 2002

I have been looking for a long time to find a motorcycle trailor that is really easy to use. On occasion it would be really nice to be able to tow a motorcycle somewhere and then ride it back home or visa versa or to tow it to a destination and then take a local motorcycle trip. I have a flat trailor made by Haulin which I bought at Home Depot. It was inexpensive and seemed like just the right thing. I made sides for the trailor from 2 x 6 planks with the idea that one of them would then serve as a ramp to drive a motorcycle onto the trailor. I found a bracket somewhere on the Web that mounted to the trailor bed which was designed to hold the front wheel of the bike in place. The final step in preparing this home made bike trailor was to have tie-down rings welded to the sides of the trailor. All set — ready to use. What a disaster! (read more)

The part of the plan that I did not anticipate was the weight of the motorcycle. The Harley-Davidson Sportster weights about 600 pounds. The larger sized bikes weigh 700-900 pounds. My first attempt was with the Sporster. The eight foot ramp makes a non-trivial angle from the ground to the trailor bed. The bike is much too heavy to push up the ramp. That means you have to ride it up the ramp. If you go fast enough to make it up the ramp and you miscalculate you are in for an accident. If you go slow you lose your balance and once on the ramp there is no place to rest your feet to get balance. I loaded, transported and unloaded the Sporster two or three times but that was enough. Last time was a near disaster. Fortunately, my wife was nearby and helped me regain my balance after coming within inches of dumping the bike on its side. In short, unless you are Evil Knievel, then forget about it. I now use the Haulin trailor for transporting firewood. The quest for a more suitable trailor was underway.

During a visit to my local Harley dealer, I saw a really slick looking trailor made by Kendon. I was very tempted. Not only is it slick looking but it also has a slick design that enables it to be stored in your garage in a standing up postion, thereby taking minimal space. There is only one catch — it uses a ramp to get the bike onto the trailor. The dealer assured me that it was easy but after looking at it closely and thinking about it a lot, I concluded it would involve  the same peril as my modified Haulin trailor.

After a lot of time searching the Web I found the Razor trailor. It has a very unique design that allows you to lower the bed of the trailor to the ground and then just drive on. You then crank it back up and in the process it lowers the trailor hitch to your car or truck. Extremely clever. The Razor is made — one at a time — by an expert welder inDahlonega, Georgia. I bought the Razor from John Revelle in Simsbury, Connecticut. I stopped by to see it on a Sunday afternoon and John was nice enough to deliver it to me later that same day. One alternative to the Razor is the Easy Hauler. It is a similar idea but when you add the features to make it comparable to the Razor it is quite a bit more expensive. John Revelle easily convinced me that the Razor was a better choice.

Today (05-27-02) was  my first attempt at using the Razor and it worked out fine — although there were tense moments. The goal was to bring the Ultra Classic Electra Glide back from a trip to Pennsylvania. I lowered the trailor bed to the ground, rode the bike very slowly onto it, and then put down the kickstand. The nice thing about the Razor is that it has a wide bed and it is made of a solid sheet of steel. Not sure of the gauge of the steel but it is very solid. It was a bit tricky riding the bike to exactly the center of the galvanized channel that is attached to the bed. On the “dresser” it is impossible to actually see your front tire. I am sure it will be fine as I get some practice. One lesson learned is to make sure you have flat ground under where you lower the Razor. This wasn’t the case for me as you can see from the picture. Uneven ground makes it harder to tell if you have the bike tied down level and generally increases nervousness — at least for me.

The major difficulty was finding the optimum place for the tie-downs and operating the ratchets. Ratchet tie-downs are very reliable once you get them in place but operating the ratchet mechanism requires a degree in mechanical engineering to operate. There has to be a better way. If you have ever tried them you know what I mean – they can be a mess. The front tie-downs worked best by putting the straps on the handlebars — being careful not to pinch wires. The service manager at Baer’s told me to compress the front forks about two inches and that rear tie-downs should not be necessary unless you want a security blanket. I did so I tried various places to apply the tie-downs. At one point I sprung one of the hard bags out of place. Fortunately, it went right back into the right position when I relieved the ratchet. Still not sure where best place is but I did finally get the bike firmly in place. I won’t go into further details. Hopefully, practice will make near perfect. The bike was ready to roll and the 150 mile trip was uneventful.

I was nervous about how the unloading would go. Turned out to be a piece of cake. Very simple and straightforward. I would highly recommend a Razor to anyone with a reason to tow their bike from time to time.

Take A Number and Have a Seat

Reflection – written May 26, 2002

A trailer for towing motorcycles to and from always seemed like a good idea to me. Getting the trailer was the easy part. Registering it at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Connecticut was the hard part. First I rode to Danbury — a half hour ride. Then I stood in line for ten minutes to get a form and a ticket with a number on it — just like at the deli. My number was 462. I filled out the form with my name, address, phone number, etc. and then started reading magazines I had brought along — this was not my first trip to the DMV. After two hours it was my turn. The experience at the counter wasn’t easy either. I presented my two documents — a certificate of origin containing information about the Razor trailer and the for I had filled out. The DMV agent didn’t’ like the certificate of origin. He said it didn’t look right. It wasn’t like the ones from Ford or GM or Nissan. I explained that the trailer was handmade by a one-man operation in Dahlonega, Georgia and that the form was signed by him and by the dealer from whom I bought the trailer. The agent studied the form and eventually went to consult with his supervisor. He then said things were fine and he issued me the license plate and registration. I left for a nice motorcycle ride home and stopped for a sandwich. This was a half-day experience. Does it have to be this way? Could the dealer have entered the information about the trailer via the web? Could I have used a web page to request the registration? Could both have been validated by systems so that the registration and license plate would just be sent to me — or an authorization set up so that I could come in and go to the “fast path” window to pick them up? I think we all know the answers. Standing in line to give information to an organization that they already have (or could have) is beginning to stand out. It is part of the 98% of the way we have to go with the Internet. I spoke to Governor Rowland about this and thankfully he completely agrees. He told me that within six months they hope to have an Internet based system in place. Won’t be any too soon.

“Not As Easy As It Looks”

JRP’s Motorcycling page

Motorcycle Riding: How It All Started

It all started in 1970 when I was drafted into the U.S. Armyand was stationed at MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, Flordia. MacDill was the home of the U.S. Strike Command. STRIKE stood for “swift retaliation in any known environment” and it focused on preparedness for activity in the Middle East. The Strike Command was redesignated U.S. Readiness Command in 1972. My wife and I lived in an apartment about ten miles from the base. When she got a job as a nurse in the intensive care unit of the Tampa General Hospital we decided we needed a second car. This was not an affordable alternative at the time and so I had the brainstorm one day that a motorcycle would be a good idea. Warm climate, friendly terrain, economical transportation, etc.. Why not? So, I bought a Honda 90cc motorcycle. It was perfect. Or so I thought. Then I enrolled as a graduate student at the University of South Florida. The campus was 25 miles from the apartment via Interstate 75. If you ever rode a 90cc motorcycle on an Interstate highway being sucked along by passing tractor trailers you’ll know why I then upgraded to a Honda 160cc. It was bright orange and I loved it. By the time we moved back North from Tampa I had put over 16,000 miles of motorcycling under my belt. After a short 27 year break I recently decided it was time to get back to riding a bike!

So, what kind of motorcycle to buy? I was predisposed to Honda. My experience with the 90 and the 160 was great. Never a single mechanical problem of any kind. Low maintenance, high quality. I am sure that is still the case. Then I got talking to Carl Conti, a retired IBM executive with a very distinguished career at IBM and also as a consummate motorcyclist. He told me about his Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Yes, plural. I went to http://www.harley-davidson.com and began to learn about the “cult”. The decision was actually financial. Not the price of the bike but rather a review of Harley-Davidson stock (HDI). When I saw their stellar financial performance in terms of growth, profitability, return on equity, and stock price appreciation I knew there was something to the Harley movement. I also found that Harleys hold their resale value very very well. As final confirmation I went to a Harley-Davidson dealer and saw the crowds of people buying clothing, accessories, and admiring the new bikes on the showroom floor. I knew that this was a company and a product I wanted to be associated with. Seemed a lot like how I hope IBM is perceived; outstanding engineering, quality products, good reputation.

I couldn’t bear ordering a new one and waiting months to take delivery so I bought a 1995 Sportster 1200. It looked brand new! The Sportster has been a great bike for me to re-learn motorcycling on. I have been taking it very seriously from a safety point of view. I took a two day Motorcycle Safety Foundation approved class as part of getting my license. The instructor was outstanding and I learned a lot of things I wish I had known back in 1970! I think about riding much like when I was flying an airplane on instruments; constantly scanning the road ahead, rear view mirrors, speedometer, side traffic, and my GPS III.

Riding has been as enjoyable as I had remembered from 1970. Well actually more so. Back then it was a way to get to grad school classes. Now I think about it as a way to be out there in the open, explore roads I wouldn’t otherwise travel, meet new people, and enjoy the thrill of the curves.

If you visit the Harley and Guggenheim sections of the Photo Gallery you can see some pictures of motorcycles and motorcycling friends and, oh yes I can not tell a lie, a picture of the Harley I am dreaming about.