Riding a motorcycle is dangerous and way too often it becomes deadly. Maybe that is why I enjoy it so much. When I began towing trainers behind my motorcycle there were no good information sources to help guide a person who wanted to get into this hobby. In fact, most of the information is just wrong. And truthfully, I could be wrong as well. If you tow trailers behind your car or truck, it is not the same as towing with a motorcycle. On a motorcycle you have a far less likely chance of surviving an accident than in a regular vehicle. For that reason, towing must be taken seriously. Here or some of the reasons I believe towing with a trike is safer than towing behind a two-wheeled motorcycle.

First, weight. Once a trailer is in motion, it takes very little power to keep it rolling. The problem arises when you want to stop. Since you never tow weight is never more than half the weight of your bike, then having a bigger bike allows you a safer tow weight. My Street Glide is around 800 pounds. So, half of that gives me a total safe tow weight of around 400 pounds. However, a Tri Glide is closer to 1200 pounds. This is what makes the 600 pound teardrop style camper possible.

Second, tire surface area…. I learned this one the hard way. When one of the rear wheels stop for any reason, it causes side pressure to be applied at the trailer ball. At low speeds you are going to put the bike down and it will happen so fast, you will wonder what the happened. This is the reason for swivel hitches on two-wheel motorcycles. And at high speeds? Just google “police PIT maneuver” and imagine you were on a motorcycle. Adding two car tires to the back provides much more tire surface area to the tow unit. While this is not a complete solution, it helps provide stability for when things go wrong back there. The trikes with a single wheel in the back provide a little more security, but still lack surface area compared to conventional trike. For that reason, the only US manufacture that will allow a trailer to be towed behind their bikes, will only approve their trailers. How can they stop you, by voiding your warranty. If you roll into a Harley dealership with a tow hitch on your bike, they will most likely void your warranty. Ouch.