New idea for using a motorcycle/trailer.

[RoamerRV428]

Do it for the adventure, but not for the pocketbook.
What tx2 says here is very important.

You are going to be living DAILY on the road. If you don't make it fit your lifestyle as you need it and want it in any way, and plan it all around the wallet, then you will probably end up regretting it. And selling stuff off to find another suitable better living situation on the road and losing money in the end probably.

Think about your lifestyle and what you truly can live in comfortably! Put your money on that!

I think a mc and trailer suits many for sure but will it really be what you want or is it all about money? when you add mc and trailer up can you then maybe do small car and popup or ?? something like that which will suit you more to your lifestyle you desire.

think long and hard before spending your hard earned money is the best you can do

plus a used rv can be found for a lower cost, thing about that is just keep looking til that great deal comes around. they are out there great smaller trailers with a low price tag.

 

[gsfish]

Metalartist.

You don't explain what you are meaning by a trailer. Are you wanting something with which to store camping gear securely and out of the weather or are you thinking of an enclosed space with room for sleeping, etc? Are you planning on building the trailer?

Personally I would go for a minivan where i would be able to sleep or drive at the drop of a hat, cook, have a permanent work space... I've done bicycle touring and there have been many times when there was foul weather that I wish I could have just turned on the wipers and turned the heater up a notch.

And there is the safety factor of the van over an inexperienced rider on a big bike pulling a trailer. You do NOT come out of a class as an experienced rider.

Guy

 

[Uncle Todo]

If you're not in a hurry to get going to this, I'd recommend buying a 500ishcc motorcycle to get some miles under your belt and experience on a motor driven two wheeled machine and then reassess your plan.
If you're still thinking of giving it a go, then you can look at a larger MC and a trailer.
Doesn't sound like you've ridden before, or maybe some, but no way you should just jump into full time on a MC let alone pulling a trailer.

I, as many here have suggested, whole heartedly recommend getting a vehicle, full size van, minivan, SUV or something along those lines.
You can easily tote a bike or mnotorbike with you and ditch the van for the day or weekend and rough it.
Plus you can easily bring your tools and other stuff w/o having to be so critically thinking about weight.
At least this should be done breaking into mobile living until you find your groove, and then you'd be better suited to see about doing it on two wheels.

No idea what your financial situation is or anticipated budget for this venture, but a vehicle will be a much cheaper entrance.

I'm in process of building out my van, an 97 Chevy Astro to carry my tools so I can DIY repairs/maintenance. At some point I'd like to get a hitch carrier and something like a Honda 250 Rebel.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah, what people are saying is true you will not save money going with a large road bike. go and price tires for a large bike, I was blown away by the cost of tires for a large road bike and they only last a few thousand miles. plus you carry no spare so you must always have tires that are in tip top shape. even though I strongly dislike Front Wheel Drive I would recommend a minivan. highdesertranger

 

[Freelander]

When I was looking at buying an RV I made a list of all the things I wanted and didn't want, and what I thought I needed.

Needless to say after weighing the cost vs value, I downsized my needs quickly.

Maintenance was at the top of the list, why buy something if you can't afford to fix it.

 

[RoamerRV428]

and your travel. rainy days, and alot of them on a MC, if you are ok with it, sure not a darn thing wrong with just that, but if you are one who gets annoyed ya know.....weather can not be controlled no matter where you are ever.
but you can get out of the rain and travel easily vs. on an mc.....again personal choice on it tho.

 

[bullfrog]

No body has said it yet so I will. Getting cut off by a log truck crossing a dam, almost going over the edge, which was several hundred feet down didn’t really bother me. Having a truck load of oxygen bottles fall off a truck and having to dodge them didn’t either. Watching a camper trailer hit a semi in front of me blow up in a tornado lodging a piece of wood in the spokes of my wheel and watching the bolts in the guard rail fly by my face shield as I crouched on top the sliding bike on it’s side made me sort of be concerned. Riding an unfamiliar bike and running out of fuel being left handed I had to lean down and reach across the tank and turn it on. Having the throttle full on when the fuel got to the four carburetors the bike flew out from under me. I landed on my knee causing permanent damage, which is a nice way of saying it hurts badly on rainy days. Most of my old friends that are left set off the metal detector when they fly so I guess I’m lucky.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Motorbikes are more expensive to own then a small van and not as practical or as comfortable. Hard to beleive. I have ridden motorbikes for decades, travelled across North America several times been up to Alaska, ridden in Asia across parts of Europe, done most of Australia and New Zealand. I currently own two small bikes I have the same model as the blue one in the photo TW 200 I also have a Vespa gt 200 that I rode to Alaska fifteen years ago. I have done most of these trips on less then 200 cc motorcycles as travel insurance have a interesting rarely read clause that says they won’t cover you on motorbikes larger then 200 cc. It can be very uncomfortable at anytime of year even with all the expensive gear. My Tw200 easily does 70 mph with a change of sprockets the Vespa does 70 stock so you could take them on freeways but it is not comfortable or fun to be on freeways with any motorbike for long periods of time. I would never consider living full time on a motorbike. Yes when the sun is shining, the road is twisty and no one is trying to run you over it’s magic, however it is often too wet, too hot, too cold, too windy. too dusty, too dangerous, icy, snowy.. Etc ...A small van with a roof rack for you tools, a hitch rack for your bicycle, ....

 

[RoamerRV428]

wow bullfrog, some scary stuff listed in that post! whew!

 

[Metalartist]

Tx2,

I will definitely consider your advice. Thank you!

 

[ckelly78z]

I can see that it would truly be an adventure, but just not sure how much supplies you could bring with you (safely). This isn't a problem for someone with a large budget, but you have already established that this would be a financial stretch to get completed before you even start, what about the inevitable plans changing that occurs when on the road ?

I would hate to see an emergency "help needed" post on this forum, a few months from now describing a string of bad luck culminating in a breakdown/injury/trouble from the side of the road in nowheresville !

 

[Metalartist]

Hi Kelly,

Definitely not taking off right away until I’m ready. My jewelry business was hit hard when the pandemic started. So until that gets back to normal I won’t be going anywhere. Also I plan on waiting until I can get the vaccine before I start living the nomad life. In the meantime I have lots of time to prepare and learn from others how to live the nomad life. I also have a few other sources of income I’ve started working at a frame shop as well a window washing business. This summer I’ll be doing lawn maintenance as I have all the equipment to do so now. Thanks for your concern Kelly, very much appreciated!

 

[shadowmoss]

You could start with an economy car pulling a motorcycle trailer.  Then if you want to you'd could switch out to the motorcycle and still have the trailer set up.

 

[Donah]

Hubby took a 2 month long trip on this. He loved it but did have stops to stay in bricks and sticks. I went on a two week ride with him, again we stopped and stayed in hotels or with friends. Weather was a big factor on both trips. He hit a lot of rain on his solo trip. We were caught in a heatwave up north. That's not fun in black leather and helmets and neither of us ride without. I would probably never do another trip like that but I am getting older and the bones let me know it.

 

[GoingMobile]

My BMW R1150R loaded up for travel. At the halfway point of a 9,000 mile 2 month trip. Carried small tent, sleeping bag, pad, backpacking stove, cookware, and a French Easel half box to paint in oils along the way. I camped, but also stayed in motels, and at friend's houses along the way. I had to replace an alternator, rear tire, and rear shock absorber in the course of the journey. Had to know how to do those things myself as outside of bigger cities no one works on or carries parts for BMW motorcycles. Had parts overnighted to motel rooms a couple of times. I had a great time on this summer trip, but I would not want to try to live with a motorcycle as my only vehicle. You are totally exposed to the elements and as I eventually found out to traffic and other obstacles that would merely dent your car but resulted in 6 broken ribs, a lacerated spleen, punctured lung and broken scapula. 2 weeks in the hospital and I had health Insurance through my job. The bill was several hundred thousand dollars. I would definitely not want to ride hauling a trailer. As soon as it is more than two wheels everything changes and you lose all the advantages of a motorcycle. New tires every 6,000 miles and they are expensive. Figure on at least $1k for appropriate safe riding clothes and helmet. Definitely not cheaper than an econo car. Unless you are already an experienced rider, an experienced ultra-light backpacker, young, strong, and an extreme minimalist, I would not recommend that route, especially if your intention is to save money.

 

[grumpygrizzly]

I saw a trailer on my local Craigslist the other day that's really got me thinking. I've got a 27' Class C that will sleep 8 (Yeah, that's never gonna happen.. More like me, the 2 dogs, 2 cats, two parakeets and.. umm.. what was the other one.. Oh yeah, my wife.) Anyway, back to the trailer I saw. It was a horse trailer and about 20' or less in length, the sides have more of a metal fence like style to them (so the horses can look outside and see what they're missing... but, the thing that really caught my eye was the tack room on the front. I could put my Jeep and one of my Goldwings (parked sideways) in the horse area, then have the whole tack room for one of my roll around toolboxes, a bench with some electric tools (small compressors for running my wood carving tools) and pretty much anything else I don't want to have in the RV or in the back of my Jeep. I guess the overall length was about 16' with 10' being the back part and the tack room being 6'.

I could easily pull this behind my RV or if we decided to go smaller, my F-150 pickup with a gem top canopy. I'll probably modify the front part of the fence with a gate on both sides so I can ride whichever GoldWing I decide to keep when the time comes to hit the road full time.

I plan to do caricature drawings are fairs, carnivals, marketplaces, those sort of places. I've been drafting both manually and with AutoCad since '76 when I took my first drafting class back as a senior in high school. House plans (like I do now) just really can't be done on the road unless you tie in with a contractor or a company that wants floorplans for their catalogs.

My caricature setup involves one of those 3 legged artists easels that folds all down and will fit 2 inside a suitcase, both loaded with pens and paper and whatever else you need. I've actually got 3 of those easels, two with legs, one is a desk or table top version.. Thank you yard sales..

 

[SteveSF]

Again, motorcycles are not all about saving money.

Larger road-going motorcycles and especially when pulling trailers, will NOT save you money compared with an economical small car or minivan.

You will have more fun and adventure and experiences than traveling in a car could ever provide, but you will NOT save money, unless someone sells you a ready to ride, trouble free touring bike and decent trailer for a really cheap price...but then you still wont save money on maintenance.

Everything costs more: Maintenance, insurance, tires, oil, repairs, food and supplies on the road, riding gear, camping supplies, and likely more frequent use of motels.

A smaller or mid-sized bike (250-750cc) NOT pulling a trailer, can be very economical, but as the number of cc's go up, so do the costs.

Do it for the adventure, but not for the pocketbook.

Lisen to this guy he is spot on. I would add pulling a trailer with say a van will hurt your milage, but if say the trailer was say a kitchen or tool hauler with an easy way to remove the bike, it might be justified. Single axle 8 by 10 ramp back door with a side door?? I think Bob had one and did a bunch of videos on it. He did in the end tire of hauling it but if you need it for work?? or puts a smile on your face??