What can a 1100 pull?

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kerryb

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These trailer parts came along so I grabbed for a good price. Now that they are home I'm trying to determine if my '83 1100 can pull a small teardrop without hurting the bike. I think I can keep the weight under 400 lbs (wet weight), and the height low enough to see over in the mirrors.
The question is can the bike handle this load? the shape desired would be a small modified teardrop. The frame is aluminum and about 25 lbs. The axle is welded steel torsion style and about 70 lbs.

Should I be looking for an earlier year 1100 for lower gearing or is the '83 capable?

Any comments are welcome, we are in the design phase two...the HF option isn't off the table yet.
 

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Teardrop style should minimize resistance. It's been my experience with several vehicles that pulling isn't a big issue. Stopping is the biggest issue followed by controlling as an issue. You can always use a lower gear or add power in different ways. However keeping the trailer in line with the bike with so lttle traction area is problematic. Proper balance and electric brakes may help. Interesting project for sure.
 
nice trailer ....hmmm if me first id hook up to trailer as is ... and pull it around ...id say 83 gearing if that what you have is great ...kicking down a gear is easy if you have to ......if me id trailer like a flat bed and accessories for it ...as oppose to making a tear drop only deal ....makes for wide use ..and a tear drop deal could go right on ...or off ..to do something else with ...
 
As far as handling, tongue length will help but tongue weight is most important. Keeping the tongue level with the hitch and no more than 30 lbs tongue weight will go nicely. Stopping distance is an open question with 400 lbs. The max I have pulled with my HF trailer was about 200 lbs cargo with trailer itself weighing in at 150 lbs. Almost 350 lbs average and I had zero issues with braking.

My '82 1100 has an '83 engine in it. Takes a bit longer to get up to speed when loaded and I use 4th gear a lot more when riding on State roads in the 55 MPH range, but the trailer stays straight with no wagging loaded at 75 MPH. Biggest issue for me was the hit to gas mileage (32-35 MPG).

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Thanks everyone, I'll let you know how I progress. After some design work and decisions I'll be able to proceed. Of course the lowest trailer weight is the goal, and the alloy frame will help a lot.
 
1980 1100 with California side car pulling fully loaded trailer with loaded cooler loaded riding 3 up is no problem going up a steep grade I haven't ran out of power yet been doing it for years with no problems with bike don't really know it back there sidecar makes steering a lot different (3 wheels) BE CAREFULL WHEN STOPING SPECIIALY ON WET ROADS THE TRAILER CAN PUSH YOU AROUND have fun. Jerry ps It handles Joe's dreaded drive just fine
 
Tongue length is important to prevent wag also try be keep hitch same height as rear axel it can cause braking problems if not same height Jerry
 
we are into Teardrop campers , ( the real ones ) but here is a picture of a solid Aluminum Small Teardrop Camper that was pulled into a campground where we was camping at a Teardrop meet. it was SUPER NICE .

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:smilie_happy: right , well....... a little one like that would be tight for 2 people , but a full size Teardrop , like mine has a full size bed in it ... same as in a house . I asked the Harley guy how his Teardrop did stopping it . he said it did good , handled good , stopped good . soooo thats all i know about his . but it sure was a sharp little thing .
 
Joe's idea of flatbed first has merit. Build your trailer with the floor independent of what's on top of it. Then you can put trail bike rails, stakes, or a teardrop camper on it as the situation requires.

The tongue looks like it has been extended already, so tongue length should not be an issue. Tongue weight, when loaded, should be about 10% of trailer weight.
 
Pull 500+ lbs with my 87 aspencade riding 2 up pretty regular...I have also pulled my dads 87 aspy on a uhaul bike hauler 1000+ lbs (43 lbs at the tongue) 600+ miles back home from Daytona but as others stated keep it level for sure dont allow it to sag .If its level they pull true and stop better.

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We were in a bind he broke down but we never got over 45 and I took my time .... It pulled suprisingly well and in a pinch I would not hesitate to do it again if I absolutely had too .

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I have a one inch receiver that goes all the way under my bike along the frame to the crash bars in front of the bags thats rated for 77lbs tongue and can control my hitch height better than most such as markland tow packs that are fixed position and only rated for 28 lbs .My after market rear progressive air shocks are rated at 980 lbs each .The only place i had any fear was at the rear tire which at the time was brand new and at 42 psi . Also my bike has a brake controller for the trailer once it was set right (took about 30 miles to dail it in) it was a cake walk .We stopped every 45 miles and let the tire cool for 20 mins .

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Oh brake controller, good deal.
I have one on the burb and if the trailer got into a sway, hitting the trailer brake righted it nice. I suppose could get a bad effect if trailer brakes weren't adjusted good and only one engaged but sure worked great for me.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=173420#p173420:v7n5ezet said:
slabghost » Sun May 15, 2016 9:24 pm[/url]":v7n5ezet]
1000+lb! You are a lot braver than I am!
+1
I already feel that I don't have enough brakes without another bike and trailer pushing up the rear.
If you have the right motivation you can achieve wonders. :hi:
 
Motivation was a 200 dollar weekend camping trip and renting a truck was out of the questiom and to have a bike towed 600 miles was over a grand so we got a trailer for 40 bucks .

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