New member

[Mikelgiles]

I am new member and I mainly wanting information on what to expect as a fulltimer. I may never make the grade as i have not yet convinced the wife that it is a good idea.<br>Name is Mikel and I am 73 years old and still simi working but I can do what I do from the road as well as from a home.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

<P>Welcome to the group - there are several full timers who work as they travel, and I'm sure they offer information on how they succeed.</P>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Welcome Mikel.&nbsp; Have the wife and you been able to do any extended vacations camping?&nbsp; Good luck.<br><FONT color=#00ff00><b>Dragonfly</b></FONT><br>

 

[Dust of the Sun]

I'm curious about how you wrote you can make a living from the road or a house...always interested in mobile businesses...could you mention what it is you do?? And can do if mobile?? Are you a writer or editor or website developer or something like that?? thx<br>Dust<br><br>

 

[Mikelgiles]

Dragonfly - My wife and I did a lot of tent camping in our early days and really enjoyed it but as the kids got older they lost interest so we did also. &nbsp;We manage a camping trip about every other year now and just for a long weekend and we still do it in a tent. &nbsp; About 15 years ago I bought a 15 year old 32ft class&nbsp;motor-home&nbsp;that really looked good on the inside and not bad on the outside. &nbsp;Almost every time we took it somewhere something broke that needed to be fixed and the wife thought it was too big to drive&nbsp;around&nbsp;in so she really got turned off on using it. &nbsp;We did live in it for 8 months while our house in the country was being built and she was actually&nbsp;OK&nbsp;with that( being stationary&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;stress her out I guess)<div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Mikelgiles]

Dust - I work for a 5 person software company that develops opperation software for the business form manufacturing market. &nbsp;It is a company that I owned for 25 years but is now owned by two of my children. We are a much smaller company now and do not do as much new development but are still doing some conversions on the software which is mostly what I do. &nbsp;I do some trouble shooting with customers and with the other employees. &nbsp;The five of us all work out of our homes and use the internet and telephones for&nbsp;communication&nbsp;so it really&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;matter&nbsp;where&nbsp;I work from as long as I have a phone and internet connection. &nbsp;I could get by with omitting the customer troubleshooting which leaves me with the&nbsp;programming&nbsp;which&nbsp;wouldn't&nbsp;even need full time internet connection. &nbsp;I could work in the development process and simply email the finished product to one of the other employees if I needed to. &nbsp;So a trustworthy laptop would cover most of my needs.

 

[Mikelgiles]

What is the proper forum to ask if anyone has experience and suggestions on the best way to use a RV and take along a motorcycle? &nbsp;I have a Harley&nbsp;Davidson&nbsp;which is a fairly&nbsp;heavy&nbsp;bike that I would like to take with me. &nbsp;What is the best solution, &nbsp;a motor home &nbsp;or a trailer and what are my options for taking it along. &nbsp;Is there any kind of a mount that can be used on the back to carry&nbsp;anything that heavy? The Harley is the main question I have about selection motor home or trailer.

 

[sl1966]

Hi &amp; Welcome Mikel ... this is the place to ask it ... but if you mean which sub forum I think under the RV one. Tough call since it's more of a bike question I guess.<div><br></div>

 

[maritimecamper]

Welcome mikel. This is a good forum, their are a few bigger ones, but they remove half your message, so all the members can have their say,much tooo big. I hope you enjoy.

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Welcome, Mike! <img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/wave.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Heavy duty motocycle carriers aren't cheap, and you may have to add heavier rear springs to your motor home. Here is an example.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.discountramps.com/rv-motorcycle-carrier.htm" target="_blank" target=_blank>http://www.discountramps.com/rv-motorcycle-carrier.htm</a></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">A better solution may be to pull a small cargo trailer that you can fit your Harley in (and any other stuff), both from a safety and a theft-security standpoint.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob</p>

 

[judycmomx6]

Welcome, Mikel, you could always get a Toy Hauler or you could do what I did and build your own out of a cargo trailer. I have a huge Honda goldwing trike that I carry in mine, and I have a Ford E-350 van that I pull it with. You can get those cargo trailers in any size and if you get a used one they are fairly cheap, just another idea for you to kick around.

 

[Mikelgiles]

Welcome Mikel &amp; wife;<br>as for bringing the Bike along, A "V" nose trailer that the Harley will fit in and paded too, seam to be the best bet.Putting on the rear of a Motorhome---will possibly,not be safe (my 2 cents) if the carrier broke off,from bouncing,that would be horrible.I had a friend had a 7K generator--on his MH---broke off---massive damage &amp; it was all his fault. so glad to have New members.<br>sparky1.in Va.<br>

<div><br></div><div>Sparky, &nbsp;I too was thinking a open trailer to pad it on would be the best bet but it looks like some think a Harley being exposed might be a problem with theft and that a enclosed trailer would be better. &nbsp;I am sure the open trailer would be a lot lighter though. &nbsp;</div>

 

[Mikelgiles]

Welcome, Mikel, you could always get a Toy Hauler or you could do what I did and build your own out of a cargo trailer. I have a huge Honda goldwing trike that I carry in mine, and I have a Ford E-350 van that I pull it with. You can get those cargo trailers in any size and if you get a used one they are fairly cheap, just another idea for you to kick around.

<div><br></div><div>Thanks Judy, &nbsp;is your cargo trailer very heavy? &nbsp;I was thinking of a open trailer to reduce the weight and wonder if you would&nbsp;consider&nbsp;open trailer a wise choice. &nbsp;I know &nbsp;the bike would get a lot&nbsp;dirtier&nbsp;but I &nbsp;think it would be a lot easier to load &amp; unload from a open trailer. &nbsp;Do you find a lot of use for the trike when on the road? &nbsp;I am thinking that I would use the bike almost daily.</div>

 

[KatieinKansas]

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Hi Mikel,</font></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Glad you're with us. &nbsp;...Perfect place to learn..</font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Katie</font></span></div>

 

[judycmomx6]

Yes, my trailer is VERY heavy, but my trike is VERY heavy, and my trailer is my camper also. You wouldn't need a very big trailer though if you were going to use it for just your bike, you could probably get the smallest one they make, and it would be so light you probably would forget it's back there. But I personally would not put my bike on an open trailer, but that's just me, I have a $30,000.00 trike and the temptation is just to great for some people to steal things. If you did get an open trl., I would buy some of those un-cuttable locks and chains to tie the bike down with. And yes, as soon as I park my trailer I get my bike out. I have always ridden year round, rain or shine and I would use my bike to go everywhere. I don't like un-hooking my trailer from my van cause it's too hard for me to do myself, so I just ride my bike. &nbsp; &nbsp;p.s. they do make special open motorcycle trailers that are just big enough for a bike. I'm sure they're really light.

 

[Mikelgiles]

Yes, my trailer is VERY heavy, but my trike is VERY heavy, and my trailer is my camper also. You wouldn't need a very big trailer though if you were going to use it for just your bike, you could probably get the smallest one they make, and it would be so light you probably would forget it's back there. But I personally would not put my bike on an open trailer, but that's just me, I have a $30,000.00 trike and the temptation is just to great for some people to steal things. If you did get an open trl., I would buy some of those un-cuttable locks and chains to tie the bike down with. And yes, as soon as I park my trailer I get my bike out. I have always ridden year round, rain or shine and I would use my bike to go everywhere. I don't like un-hooking my trailer from my van cause it's too hard for me to do myself, so I just ride my bike. &nbsp; &nbsp;p.s. they do make special open motorcycle trailers that are just big enough for a bike. I'm sure they're really light.

<div><br></div><div>Thanks for the information Judy, &nbsp;My bike is a 2001 Harley and is probably worth closer to 7k than 30k so I have less to loose LOL. I also think that most of the time it is on the trailer will be when it is being towed and it will be hard for&nbsp;thief&nbsp;to do much damage at that time so the most vulnerable time will be when it is off the trailer anyway unless I were willing to load it back into a trailer each night which I doubt I would do. &nbsp;And I do like the idea of lighter and cheaper also. &nbsp;If the bike were new I would probably have different thoughts. &nbsp;What kind of trailer do you have that you can haul and live in? &nbsp;Custom or a stock toy hauler? Are you a full timer?</div>

 

[judycmomx6]

I have a 14 foot cargo trailer that my Dad made into a camper for me, and it has a barn door so I can pull my motorcycle up in it when I'm traveling. My Dad made the beds and dining table so that they lift up and are held by heavy chains up against the wall so there is plenty of room for my bike when I travel. And no, I do not full time as of yet, but I have traveled extensively on my bike, and I drove a big truck for over 18 years before I got sick. I'm on disability now. I have a home I have to sell before I can get out on the road for good.

 

[SheketEchad]

<P><FONT face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=#990000>Welcome Mikel and family <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></FONT></P>