imported post
Frenchy wrote:
Goldwinger1984 wrote:
wolvertone wrote:
Goldwinger1984 wrote:
wolvertone wrote:
Isn't the motorcycle experience one of freedom and personal expression?
To each his own,,, let's see some pics when you are done!
Steve
You are absolutely correct wolvertone. I apologize for sharing my experience regarding serious safety issues that I have observed. In the future I shall keep my opinions to myself.
Vic
Vic, sounds like I stepped on your toes! Sorry, didn't mean to.
Your observations on safety are quite valid. I was merely stating that if that's what he wants to do, that's up to him.
No harm done?
Steve
No harm done wolvertone. It waspast my nap timeand I was a wee bit touchy.
There is always two sides to every story and both sides should always be reflected otherwise it would be a boring world to live in.
Vic
Vic,
I think there were more variables at play in Ontario this summer than just the trailers.:?
You must admit though, trailers do a good job of cleaning ditches.......:shock:
I know how it can be if you don't get your nap on time.
Your Fellow Survivor of the 2005 Classic Wing Get together.
Frenchy
Frenchy, you are correct, they were other factors at play, but had it not been for the trailers there would have been no incidents regarding safety, becausewithoutthe trailers everyone would have been able to stop and manouevre at the same rate give or take a little for driver abilities.
For comparison's sake, consider your wife's beautiful trike; if you and her were traveling down the highway and you both did a panic stop you can bet that she will always stop her trike far faster than your gorgeous two wheeled yellow Wing. That's why safety would be best served if she rode in a group at the back of the pack. Can you imagine placing her trike in a panic stop situation where there were Gold Wings with trailers behind her trike? They would turn that wood sided bed of her'sto splinters because they simply cannot stop as fast as the trike with its massive rear tires that give lots of braking friction.
Besides, it wasn't just that incident that I was recollecting, there was another incident where I simply slowed down ( my brake lights were working bright and strong)and the Wing with trailer behind me went sailing past me because he plain and simply could not slow his flamed 1976 Wing and trailer combo quickly enoughto safely maintain control. This fellow drives 18 wheelers for a living and he later told me that hauling his trailer behind his Wingis a real chore and he has to be on his toes at all times when pulling the trailer behind his bike. One wrong move with a loaded trailer behind a bike and there is no forgiving, there's just a lot of peeled skin, bloody bruises and broken bones, at the least. If you sit and ponder the dynamics of pulling a trailer behind a motorcycle, joining the two together just does not make sense.
To go around a corner on a motorcycle you need to lean the bike and when you consider that a trailer tries to push the bike up straight when slowing around a corner and then tries to pull the bike down when accelerating through a cornerthe trailer can really cause some very quirky handling. Besides, a Gold Wing Aspencadecarrying a healthy driver and a passenger with the bags and trunk fully loaded is actually overloaded according to Honda and any further weight from the trailer creates a tremendous safety hazard.
I am not saying that pulling a trailer behind a Gold Wing cannot be done or should not be done, I'm just saying that it is impossible to safely pull a trailer behind a Gold Wing unless you really drop your speed dramatically and you do not try to keep up with motorcycles who are not pulling a trailer.
Knowing what I know today, I would never allow bikes with trailers to be part of the same travel group on the highway.The bikes with trailers should be traveling in a separate group ( or at least in the front of the pack, but, that slows us down and takes our fun and freedom to pursue cornersaway)at a much lower speed than non trailering bikes and they should leave well ahead of the rest of the group's departureso that we could all meet at the final destination simultaneously.
These are hard and fast safety rules that I will forevermore abide by unconditionally because I've seen the results, first hand, of breaking these rules to accomodate fellow Wingers with trailers.
I have a hitch and a trailer for my own Wing and since our trip in July my wife and I have vowed to never pull our trailer behind our 84 Aspencade again because of what we saw the other trailers doing as we went down the highway.
To each his own, but, I'll always prefer alightly packed motorcycleroad trip over a fully laden trailer being towed behind my bike because if you plan carefully, just about everything you might need on a motorcycle tour can be borrowed, arranged or rented at most popular places you might want to visit. It just takes a little legwork to set it all up before you leave for your trip.
Vic
P.S. That beautiful flamed 1976 Wing that was pulling the custom trailer is no more. It was demolished by a fire that also consumed its owner's home and all of his belongings. The bikes owner is fine, but, he is most upset by the loss of his beautiful Wing. Hopefully the insurance company will help him fully recover his losses and get his life back to normal again.
