Modern Vespa

Anyone aware of a European solution to taking a Piaggio MP3 on anything other than a 'standard' trailer?

I originally had a Sfera, then Hexagon that happilly fitted onto a tilting platfom, and was carried flat against the back of the RV. This was great for trips round the scottish islands, as it wasn't classed as a trailiner, and only the lenth of the vehicle was charged.

As the bikes got bigger (X9 250, X9 500) this transportation method had to be abandoned as they also got heavier, and the RV's axles were under severe strain! I then tried standard 'motorbike' trailers but the ferry costs became prohibitive - not forgetting the prolems when needing to find a passing place big enough to let cars overtake without snagging on the trailer!

In my dreams, I have this idea that someone has invented a platform with a loading ramp that can spin 90 segrees, and be close-coupled to the RV to keep the overall length down, yet still allow the MP3 to travel cross-wise whilst being strapped into position wit tie-downs. Does such a thing exist - or ate there other options?

I'm making what you are referring to, but there are several U.S. manufacturers making them in the $750.00 range. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Mike

My friends have this one. I saw it and it is made very well.
http://www.joehauler.com/

Phone is 760-510-9092

Please tell them that this lead came from the Johnsons in Temucula

mjm....are you really designing one/making one for the MP3? If so, will you share/show us? Pleeeze

Hi Buzby, I hope these come through clearly for you. We just finished hauling our MP3 500 and sailboat 2100 miles up into Canada behind my RV. I found a good welder who was able to modify a 1000 lb rated cargo carrier to take the weight of the scoot plus the tongue weight of the sailboat. I hope you can see that the two front wheels drop into a cradle welded at the end of the carrier. During the whole trip we never once had to adjust any of the 8 tie-downs, thankfully. It was as steady as a rock. The ramp was something we picked up on the internet and when we added a 12-volt winch at the front end, we were able to easily pull the scoot up into its travel position. No way we could have done this with a 2-wheeler.
Good luck with your project.

Cheers, R (ex East Kilbride)

Cute Whippet. I think that's how you spell it.

Sure SKY. My neighbor gave me a 2 1/2"X48" hitch extension rated at about 800lbs at the point I will weld the platform to the extension.
Having the hitch extension is what the whole thing is based on. It will save me hundreds plus it will be exactly what I want and with the proper lighting.
Sky, I know you like lights!

Have you ever heard of a 'swivel wheel' trailer? The 'trailer' attaches at two points and the rear wheels swivel and rotate just like casters. Lots of pictures and info in the link below.

http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html




Dave

That looks very sensible for reducing rear axle load without making the overall length too long. Nice one...

Never seen it. Very cool. Wonder what the speed rating is? I'm rarely slow.

Maybe a little more info than you wanted but I thought it was relevant.

From the FAQ's "What replacement tires do I use?"

The tire must be replaced by a 5.70 x 8" "D" Rated, 8-Ply, Highway Speed Trailer Tire. Always maintain the proper tire inflation pressures. Most tire failures are due to over or under inflation. This tire is rated for 1075 pounds at 100 psi cold. Tire pressures of 20 pounds under the tire manufacturers specifications will result in approx. 150 pounds of reduced carrying capacity. This reduced tire pressure will also increase the amount of heat generated within the tire, thus increasing your chances of major tire failure. This is not just related to the Swivelwheel system. It relates to all tires. Most people have a bad taste for 8" tires from the old trailer days. Usually boat trailers. These tires used on the older trailers and on some still to date, were a "B" rated 4-Ply tire, This tire would not handle the loads nor the heat generated by today's highway speeds. We have pulled the Swivelwheel system thousands of miles around the country without a flat tire at near maximum loads. You may want to view the Tire Safety or the Recreational Vehicle Tire Guide article in regards to tire pressures and maintenance.

Special Note: I contacted Carlisle Tire in regards to the 5.70 x 8" tire that we use on the Swivelwheel product. They told me that the tire was speed rated at 65 mph. In questioning the "Highway Speed Trailer Tire" description for that tire, and that some states have a 75 mph speed limit on the freeways, what would be the outcome with those speeds with the tire. They told me that with the added speed, extra heat could build up within the tire as with any tire. He said that most trailer tires (including all "ST" special trailer tires) are rated for 65 mph unlike auto and truck tires which can be rated for over 100 mph. Also, along with the increased speed, depending on the outside temperature, road surface temperature, and road surface conditions, these factors could relate to excessive heat buildup and possible failure. Understand, this is a factor related to any trailer tire, not just the one used in this application.

Exactly what I'm lookin' for. Thanks for that. Having a nuclear backround I enjoy the minutiae. What and why matter.

Luckily for Buzby, all trailer-drawing vehicles have a speed limit of a max of 60mph in the UK. So those will do just fine.

And on those lovely twisty single-lane-with-passing-places Scottish roads you'd be lucky to make 60mph on a bike, let alone in a car or RV.

WOW! These solutions are fantastic! I had no wish to 'reinvent' the wheel, but I remain surprised that it is the US that leads the field in these devices! On my last trip to FL I saw a number of 'solutions' for my X9 that for one reason or another would fail EU-type classification and be illegal to use on European roads (althogh I agree the chances of being stopped would be slim) it can all come and hit you if there was an accident that didn;t even involve you!

Much food for thought - thanks all!

It's never the speed, Jim - only the flexibility! With a 2 wheel bike, there are issues with balancing and control when mounting and removing, with an MP3, there is inherent stability that makes it much easier to control! The speed of the RV is never an issue!

http://tailgatorcarrier.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=7

Not applicable in this case I believe.

I saw a MP3 carrier on Ebay. Hitch mounted with no wheels. It was 499 including shipping in the lower 48. Search for it


Search no more. Here's the link

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PIAGGIO-MP3-Motorcycle-Carrier-hauler-scooter-Vespa_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1205Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem3a47ae8304QQitemZ250310722308QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Pretty nice set up. What class is the hitch on your RV? I would imagine...depending on the tounge weight of your boat it would be a class IV? I guess you could get by with drawbars on a class III but that may be pushing it.

That looks almost too good to be true. I had a Veras-Haul that I used to carry my Kymco People 150 on my motor home, but the Kymco only weighted like 250 lbs. I seem to remember that I paid around $500 for the Versa-Haul. $499, including shipping, seems like a steal. He has 99.7% positive feedback out of almost 3500 customers, so he must be doing something right. I would be concerned about "hanging" an almost 600 lb bike on a trailer hitch. That is a lot of torque and could have significantly negative effects on both stopping and handling of a vehicle, especially a smaller and/or lighter truck or SUV.

Yeah that is what spurred my question above...i saw the ebay listing and saw this question and answer:

Q: What is the towing capacity behind this hauler. I have a motor home and I tow a 2006 toyota tacoma. I would need to tow it behind the rack. Jun-02-09
A: Add $99.99 for a towing adaptor to tow up to 6000lbs. Thanks

I immediatly thought about putting my 450lb 250 on it and then hooking up my camper with a 300lb TW. Not sure my class III would handle that.

The handling of the vehicle unless it is a smart car is not the issue it is the hitch recievers tongue weight capability. Most smaller SUVs and most cars and small trucks (Toyota Tacoma/Honda Ridgeline) can't do it either. The frame, if your car has one, needs to be able to handle the stress too.
Typically the reciever matches the vehicles capability pretty well.

Correct.

I've followed up a few leads provided here and the real pain-in-the butt is that NONE of these towing solutions are available in Europe. In fact one of the US firms went so far as to say (niceely) that they don't 'do' nternational orders, and if I wanted to place an order they'd take my money, but they wouldn;t shp t. No, I'd have to fnd some independent contractor who would cll at their premses, take it off ther hands, do the freight forwarding and customs clearance, and would I like one?

The answer was NO! Some firms do need lessons in International commerce!

Yes jimc wrong thread

???? Have you posted in the wrong thread?