A motorcycle can provide transportation independence, but the time occasionally comes when the thing has to be moved by other than its own power. If you don’t own a suitable truck, this can be a problem. Even if you do own a truck large enough to haul it, getting it loaded is generally a pain.
My son owns an Icebear Rocket 49cc scooter. Even though it weighs “only” 220 pounds, and we have transported it in the back of a minivan, it’s not ideal. Fighting 220 pounds into the car, without a real ramp, is no fun, and there’s always the chance of oil or gas spilling inside the vehicle. So when we recently had to take it to the shop, we decided that there must be an easier way. And, indeed, there is, in the form of U-Haul’s motorcycle trailer.
I’m always a little bit leery of U-Haul, and I once spent a few hours at a loading dock with one of their trucks as the U-Haul mechanic did his best with bailing wire and duct tape to get the thing running. And whenever I see one of their trucks driving down the road, I do my best to keep my distance. They paint them bright orange for a reason, and that’s to warn other motorists that the driver has never driven a truck in his or her lifetime, and probably has no clue as to what they are doing.
But there’s not much that can go wrong with a trailer. And for the reasonable price of $14.95 per day, U-Haul has a motorcycle trailer. I decided to give it a try, and it was definitely a bargain.
The trailer is just a flatbed trailer, but it’s optimized for motorcycles. The bed measures 7’8″ by 3’9.5″, and would accommodate even the largest of bikes. It was certainly more than adequate for our little scooter. The tailgate folds down easily to form a ramp. Other reviews have noted that it has plenty of ground clearance for most bikes. In our case, with the scooter, it just barely cleared, so in retrospect, we should have propped up the ramp an inch or two. But the bike easily rolled right in, and the gate was very easy to raise and lower. When loaded, the gate is held in place with two pins, making a visible indication that it’s securely closed.
The trailer was clean and well maintained, and seemed safe to drive. It used what looked to be full-size automotive tires, rather than the smaller trailer tires used on most trailers. I suspect this means that the chances of a blowout are much reduced. The coupler seemed to be in good shape, and the minimal electrical system worked fine.
At the front of the trailer, there is a nose that extends several inches, and this serves as a chock for the front wheel.
You’ll need to supply your own tie-downs. Most would probably use ratchet straps. But I’m an Eagle Scout, and Scouts use rope to tie things down. Afew trucker’s hitches made sure the bike was rock solid. Whenever I’m hauling anything, I stop after about a mile and make sure that the load is secure. I did so before getting on the freeway on-ramp, and everything was solid.
To tow the trailer, you’ll need a 2 inch hitch ball, and a flat four electrical connection. If you’re lamenting the fact that you don’t have a vehicle with a trailer hitch, a hitch can be installed on virtually any vehicle, including most passenger cars. For more information, see our trailer hitch page. Of course, if you don’t have a car with a hitch, you can rent a truck that has one.
When I reserved the trailer online, I had to select the location I wanted it from. The closest to my house, strangely enough, was a liquor store, which apparently rents U-Hauls as a side hustle. Sure enough, when I drive past there, I notice there are always two or three trucks in their parking lot. I suspected that they might not just happen to have a motorcycle trailer the day we needed it. And sure enough, I got a phone call a few hours later directing me to another location, the large U-Haul dealer in the area.
I picked it up there on a Saturday morning. The clerk texted me a link, and I used my phone to upload a picture of my driver’s license. I neglected to call my insurance agent to see if I needed insurance, so to be on the safe side, I opted to pay an extra $8 for the collision damage waiver. But still, the total charge was under $25.
The technician outside quickly hooked up the trailer, and I was on my way. The return was equally quick, and I never had to mess with the connection myself. The trailer towed just fine, and made the trip quite easy. I had a little bit of brush at home that needed to go to the compost site, so I used the trailer for that before returning it.
The motorcycle trailers are available only for local rentals: You can’t rent it at one location and return it at another. If you need a one-way rental, then you need to get their larger 5×9 open-ramp trailer. The motorcycle trailer has a solid floor, so it would also be suitable for small ATV’s, lawn equipment, or just about anything that would fit on the7’8″ by 3’9.5″ deck.
If you need to haul a motorcycle locally, then the U-Haul trailer is an inexpensive and convenient solution to the problem
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