While motorcycle owners love riding their bikes as often as possible, they also understand that hauling it is sometimes their best, and only option. When you need to get a competition bike to the track, want to take a dirt bike along on holiday, or are just trying to get your dual sport back home because it needs a new battery, investing in a bumper carrier may be unavoidable.
The most compelling concern with bumper carriers, however, is safety. Aside from ensuring that the combined weight of your bike and the carrier don’t exceed your vehicle’s limit, the carrier itself needs to be robust enough to support the weight over long distances and rough roads, as well as allow you to load it without hurting yourself. Ultimately, you need more than just a bumper carrier: you need a genuine transportation solution.
Premium Bumper Carrier Solutions Let You Haul Your Bike Anywhere Safely
As a motorcycle owner, while you might be excused for not thinking that a trailer is the easiest or most cost-effective way to move a bike, a subpar carrier is no better. Stability is a major concern with bumper carriers, and premium quality motorcycle carrier systems are designed to give you maximum stability that you can confidently take anywhere, both on- and off-road.
A properly installed motorcycle bumper carrier offers the same secure carriage as a motorcycle trailer, with a host of advantages that include:
- Safety first. With tube steel main supports, and lightweight aluminium carrier and ramp platforms, appropriately designed and rated motorbike carriers are engineered to eliminate the dangerous tendency for bikes to tilt or wobble when driving.
- Convenient installation. Modern motorcycle hitch carriers are made to install and uninstall in seconds, will work with any 50mm x 50mm Hayman Reece type trailer hitch, and take up almost no space when stored away.
- Economical effectiveness. While trailers offer the flexibility to carry more than one bike, the cost to purchase and maintain even a small one is going to be substantially higher than what a heavy-duty motorcycle carrier rack would cost.
Make no mistake: a properly built and Australian Design Rule (ADR) compliant hitch mount motorcycle rack solution has the strength and stability to carry your bike without the risk of damaging it, your vehicle, or potentially injuring another driver or pedestrian. And unlike trailers, motorcycle carrier racks can be safely attached to any car or ute with the right hitching hardware without worrying about maneuvering over rough, or unsteady terrain.
Capacity and Scalability Give Bumper Carriers the Advantage
Let’s be honest: with such a large percentage of the country’s motorcycle riders committed to off-roading, motocross, and even professional dirt biking, it’s to be expected that the majority of motorcycle racks sold in Australia are destined for hauling motocross-style bikes. Aussie riders want to load their bikes quickly, drive straight to their destination, and start riding. That’s why the accessory selection with motorcycle hitch carriers in the 130kg – 180kg load capacity range is so comprehensive.
Aside from their lightweight and variable lengths from 1500mm – 1900mm, premium motorbike carrier rack solutions come complete with:
- Combination tail lamps and number plate brackets;
- Plug-and-play wiring harnesses for tail lamps;
- 7-pin flat, and-7 pin round trailer electrical plugs;
- Adjustable aluminium wheel chocks; and,
- Tie-down straps and carry case.
And for maximum safety, security, and all-round peace of mind, you can purchase additional motorbike carrier accessories to ensure that your solution does exactly what you need it to do, no matter if you’re headed to the outback, or parked in the back of your house.
- Anti-rattle shim kits. Corrosion-resistant, stainless steel shim kits help remove the excess wobble and friction-generated noise that hitch-mount motorcycle carriers are known for.
- Ball mount receiver adapters. Anti-swivel, and multi-use ball mount hitch adapters offer two safe, problem-free options that allow you to use a hitch-type motorcycle rack, but without having to move away from a ball receiver.
- Anti-theft locking hitch pin. With no letup in the national trend in theft from automobiles, a key, high-security locking pin is the sure way to prevent your motorcycle hitch carrier from becoming an easy target from thieves.
With their superior capacity and scalability, and even choice of finish, trailer hitch motorcycle carriers are genuinely the best solution when it comes to reliable, cost-conscious motorcycle transport solutions. By following the same basic precautions with hitch-type motorcycle haulers that you would with a trailer, you never have to let safety become an issue.
Follow the Precautions That Help Keep Bumper Carriers Safe
Regardless of whether you’re using a trailer or a trailer hitch motorcycle carrier, the big concern is safety – safety when you’re loading and unloading, and when driving to your destination. And if you currently own, or have owned a trailer in the past, the precautions you need with a hitch mount motorcycle carrier align perfectly with the best safety practices that you already know and include:
- Verifying weights. You need to be sure that your bike’s weight, including fluids and accessories, doesn’t exceed the weight that your motorbike rack, or your vehicle are registered to carry.
- Checking your receiver. With literally everything riding on how your motorcycle hitch rack connects to your vehicle’s receiver, you want to thoroughly check that all the carrier’s bolts and securing pins are positively in place, and that safety features like tail lamps and plates are clearly visible.
- Securing your bike. Ensuring your bike is securely positioned and strapped onto your motorcycle hitch mount is the final step in safe transport, with special attention paid to securing your handlebars and preventing fender plastics from coming loose or being damaged by the wind.
Ideally, motorcycle carriers should also be checked periodically while you’re in transit to be sure that your bike hasn’t shifted or straps have loosened. It’s the final bit of assurance your solution needs to get you and your bike safely to wherever you want to go.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, if you have to transport your bike, you want to be able to do it as safely, and as efficiently as possible. And while trailers have long been the obvious choice, when you factor in all the variables and costs that are associated with owning and towing a trailer, it’s easy to see that they’re far from being the safest, or most efficient solution.
Premium quality motorcycle carrier systems have the efficiency you want, and the safety you need. If you’re serious about an easy, cost effective way to transport your bike, hitch carriers are only way to go.
