moto_rph 178 Posted November 27, 2022 (edited) Hi kids, UPS got here less than an hour ago, but I'm so impressed with this product I had to post a couple of pics. A little history... about 6 mos ago, I purchased a "new to me" 2017 KTM 500 from a guy that bought it as a first bike. It didn't go well. Consequently, I got the bike and all the farkles for a good price....stick a fork in him cuz he was done. One of the things I was given was a bumper carrier. Cool! I have a bike trailer, but this is carrier easy for a skinny bike. Well, the bumper carrier I was given hasn't made it 6 months. The 2x2" male end that you put into the receiver had split in the corners due to the incessant rocking back and forth during transport. I talked to @DSM8 about welding and he bought up the point that it was cheap in the first place. Good point. So, I went shopping. I found the MotoTote Sport carrier...see pics Nice! (note: it is NOT buttoned down yet. All bolts are loose in pic.....that's for tomorrow) It's pricey. But for $599, it's all powder coated. Max weight is 600lbs, which means I could put my Street Triple on it if I needed to. Look at the size of the rear tire it will accommodate! This thing is so burly, you can extend the receiver tube further out, move the bike stuff back towards the truck and uncover a hole for a trailer ball. You can actually load a bike on this thing AND tow a trailer behind it. I'll post more pics as I get it "sized" for my KTM. The length is adjustable... Check it out at: MotoTote Sport - Deluxe Motorcycle Hauler for Dual Sports & Sport Bikes Edited November 27, 2022 by moto_rph spelling 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shutterrev 513 Posted November 27, 2022 Very nice hitch hailer @moto_rph Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSM8 406 Posted November 27, 2022 To clarify based on where and how the metal was spliting the base material was under sized for the application upgrade was the right choice Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cj54x 57 Posted November 27, 2022 It's the rocking that ruins a hitch hauler. If you hook one of the tie downs from the bars to the truck bumper it will stop the rocking and make the carrier last forever. I've had a cheep Harbor Freight carrier for 9 years that I use off road behind my Jeep and haul big heavy street bikes with. That's a nice carrier you bought! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmbthumper 164 Posted November 27, 2022 Very nice carrier. Will be interesting to see how the mesh holds up. I use my Black Widow every so often for ease of use. The heaviest bike i hauled was my VFR800 from Palm desert. ZERO issues with this carrier since 2019. I hated how they swayed even with a light bike so i use a tie down from the foot peg to the truck chain holes at the received. It doesn't sway a bit and forget it is back there. Only thing i hated was the front wheel chalk thing. I bought some chinese ones cut them in half to fit in the rail and made one for behind the front and rear tire. Welded nuts on the bottom so they come on/off easily. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goofy Footer 549 Posted November 28, 2022 8 hours ago, cmbthumper said: Very nice carrier. Will be interesting to see how the mesh holds up. I use my Black Widow every so often for ease of use. The heaviest bike i hauled was my VFR800 from Palm desert. ZERO issues with this carrier since 2019. I hated how they swayed even with a light bike so i use a tie down from the foot peg to the truck chain holes at the received. It doesn't sway a bit and forget it is back there. Only thing i hated was the front wheel chalk thing. I bought some chinese ones cut them in half to fit in the rail and made one for behind the front and rear tire. Welded nuts on the bottom so they come on/off easily. Long live the XR600! @cmbthumper can the black widow be loaded in the opposite direction? I have a heavy hauler that loads driver side to passenger side. When parked on the street (right side) I can wheel the bike perpendicular to the road and onto the ramp. I have step between the truck / van and the hauler to do it but it's worked so far. @moto_rph the mototote looks reversible? A hitch hauler can open up quick load & ride opportunities vs loading a bike into the truck bed if you have a big 4x4. I've seen plenty of people crash loading up their bike. I run a strap from the top clamp to the vehicle's hitch like @cj54x mentions and it definitely quiets down some rocking. I run small 1" cam buckle straps to secure the wheels in places - specifically the front wheel in the chock and that helps the bike from rocking backwards when off road. Joe Hauler is local to SD and makes hitch haulers as well. I believe he has done some work on @KTMrad's sidecar rig. @PbdBlue made a custom 2 hitch version for his RV if I recall correctly. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moto_rph 178 Posted November 28, 2022 @cmbthumper seems to have it dialed in, but I am new to the "rock and roll" of the carriers. This carrier is reversible. I have ordered some new tie down straps that seem to be "job specific" for bikes. I ordered a set of Pro Taper Swivel Hook Carabiners for the front tie downs....very cool. You don't have to worry about twisted straps AND they include soft loops over the handlebars. See: ProTaper Swivel-Hook/Carabiner/Soft Loop Tie Downs | Parts & Accessories | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC (rockymountainatvmc.com) I'll let you know how we go with some mileage:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nostep 17 Posted November 28, 2022 I didn't like the rocking either. I added a piece of square tube to the carrier. I bolted a piece of plate with angle bolted to it to the hitch side plate. Bolting (rather than welding) it added a little bit of adjustability. With no load, it slides in and out smoothly. When a bike is on the carrier, it flexes and binds the tubing between the pieces of angle. No more rocking. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bfar33 176 Posted November 29, 2022 I wish the moto carriers would incorporate something like the 1up mountain bike carriers. They have an "anti-wobble" mechanism where you turn a bolt and it wedges a ball into a corner of the hitch, taking out all of the slop. I have one and transport an e-bike and you can off-road with no rocking/wobbling. Something like @nostep built would probably be the best and strongest option if available. I used to have a Joe-hauler for sport/dirt bikes and always wanted something that mounted into two hitch receivers instead of just one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 563 Posted November 29, 2022 (edited) 21 minutes ago, bfar33 said: I wish the moto carriers would incorporate something like the 1up mountain bike carriers. They have an "anti-wobble" mechanism where you turn a bolt and it wedges a ball into a corner of the hitch, taking out all of the slop. I have one and transport an e-bike and you can off-road with no rocking/wobbling. Something like @nostep built would probably be the best and strongest option if available. I used to have a Joe-hauler for sport/dirt bikes and always wanted something that mounted into two hitch receivers instead of just one. Joe Hauler has the anti-wobble mechanism on their more expensive haulers. Edited November 29, 2022 by KTMrad 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bfar33 176 Posted November 29, 2022 Alright I learned something this week! Good to know, I haven't looked at them since buying a truck a decade ago. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites