Van or Shuttle bus? and more ???

[gallahadion]

Ok, so I have more questions than just Van or Shuttle bus, but that's where I'm starting.

So Q 1 is....should I go with a van or shuttle bus?  I will be living in it full time work camping and just traveling
across the country.  I will be hauling a 600# motorcycle with me on either a trailer (behind a van) or inside
the shuttle bus using the wheelchair lift.  I'm guessing that going with the van / trailer combo I will get better
mpg but what do you guys think?  The van would be gas and the shuttle bus would be a diesel ...probably 7.3l power stroke. 

Q2 is.....should I used my savings of $5000-$7000 to buy the vehicle, or trade in or private party sell my
2012 Ford Escape?  Private party value is about $14,000 and trade in value is about $12,000.  Obviously I
probably couldn't trade for a shuttle bus but could trade for a nice fully outfitted campervan class B. That trade
in thing of course would be based on a dealer "having" a class B in inventory and be willing to trade for it
with a small amount of money either way.   Now if I used my savings to buy and outfit the vehicle, I could
use the money from the sale of the Escape for my initial funding which I think would go a long way.

Q3.....if I go with a van and do a trade in would it be better to go with a much newer "blank slate" cargo van with
many less miles, or the older (say early to mid nineties) campervan class B with the probably 80,000 to 150,000 miles?

Ok, so if you aren't confused by now....just chime in with something, any advice I can get is very welcomed.

Thanks!

 

[masterplumber]

Before you jump in with both feet, take a serious look at your needs. A 600 LB bike is very large - Harley or large GS? my KLR is only 400 Lbs. The reason I point this out is that I have a 6 x 12 cargo trailer conversion - about the same size as an extended van with a high top. I can sleep inside my trailer with the bike inside, but it is tight and not easy to cook. As soon as I get to where I'm going to be for more than a night, the bike comes out. With a larger bike I'm not sure it would be practical.

Also, consider if you'll be on the road full time, with everything you own, or extended trips but still a home base. Or just weekends. Also, do you travel with every toy you like, or travel light with the bare minimum, or somewhere in between. Do you need a large bed, or can you be comfortable on a 24'' bunk like I am. Do you like to cook elaborate meals, or is 1 pot and a backpacking stove more your style. All of these and more will go into which vehicle is best for you at this time (it will change as time goes on and your needs change). Normally if you already have a vehicle I'd say go with what you have to start. Since you obviously want to travel with your motorcycle, the Escape won't work. But take your time to seriously evaluate your needs and look through other builds on here before spending money on something that may not meet those needs. I've seen a couple people on here do that and for some, it soured the whole process of hitting the road when things didn't work out as they thought. Good luck and keep asking questions - they help all of us learn.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Getting insurance for a home converted bus can be problematical in some places.  Many companies that will insure a commercially converted bus into a motorhome won't touch a home conversion or anything involving a school bus.

Some people succeed in doing it, so it's clearly not impossible.  It may depend on your state of residence and their insurance regulations.

Only advice I can offer is to make sure you have your insurance lined up BEFORE you spend any money on a bus.

Regards
John

 

[Wanderer]

I'd halfway love to get a iron horse, but won't. Now if I WAS doing this:

Q 1. then a Shuttle, with cycle trailer (Single) With shuttle, you can stand, have a shower, cook and store clothing and have a really nice place to sleep.

(Note: That wheelchair lift will NOT easily handle 600 lbs, it most likely can do so, but not a good idea to stress it as if it croaks, what will you use to load it then?)

Q 2. That's a shaky think...Obviously you're leaving some things behind and selling some gold (Which is not a bad thing) But regarding the selling/buying an RV with the car.

Simply put, if that's your leaning, sell the car yourself, you'll get more. Dealership bought that used RV for half the price they want or so...You're better off buying a used RV privately anyway. It's the same then, neither party will warranty anything.

I'd buy the van first, outfit it, then sell everything else and then get the cycle trailer

 

[gallahadion]

Before you jump in with both feet, take a serious look at your needs. A 600 LB bike is very large - Harley or large GS? my KLR is only 400 Lbs. The reason I point this out is that I have a 6 x 12 cargo trailer conversion - about the same size as an extended van with a high top. I can sleep inside my trailer with the bike inside, but it is tight and not easy to cook. As soon as I get to where I'm going to be for more than a night, the bike comes out. With a larger bike I'm not sure it would be practical.

Also, consider if you'll be on the road full time, with everything you own, or extended trips but still a home base. Or just weekends. Also, do you travel with every toy you like, or travel light with the bare minimum, or somewhere in between.  Do you need a large bed, or can you be comfortable on a 24'' bunk like I am. Do you like to cook elaborate meals, or is 1 pot and a backpacking stove more your style. All of these and more will go into which vehicle is best for you at this time (it will change as time goes on and your needs change). Normally if you already have a vehicle I'd say go with what you have to start. Since  you obviously want to travel with your motorcycle, the Escape won't work. But take your time to seriously evaluate your needs and look through other builds on here before spending money on something that may not meet those needs. I've seen a couple people on here do that and for some, it soured the whole process of hitting the road when things didn't work out as they thought. Good luck and keep asking questions - they help all of us learn.

Thanks much Masterplumber.    I have a 2013 R1200R, basically same bike as the GS but for the road. I can do some light off roading but
this is a curve machine!  600#s is a conservative estimate of the weight, wet weight is 492 for the basic bike, but I have full luggage, crash bars, full aftermarket fairing, etc... its probably around 575 or 580, i was just rounding up.

Yes, I need to slow it down a bit and really think this out. I love the idea of the van and enclosed trailer but a truck and a trailer that would haul both the bike and be a living space is a great idea too that I hadn't considered.  I'd love to see some pictures of you converted cargo trailer for ideas. I think I'd like a bit more than 24" to sleep on, 1 pot meals are about the way I cook at home here already. I learned to live pretty light last summer for 2 months when I did a cross country trip on my motorcycle. 

Yeah the Escape was my father's and I inherited it when he passed a little over a year ago. It's only the 4 cylinder so its pretty much useless to tow anything with. I'm looking to have things all worked out by early August. 

Again, please share your pics of your trailer, thanks!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If you want pics of Cargo Trailer Conversions, the Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers forum has a whole sub-forum devoted to such conversions.  You'll find hundreds of examples there, from very simple to quite elaborate.

http://www.tnttt.com/

Regards
John

 

[masterplumber]

If you have the time you can read all the sorted details here.
https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-M...ight=masterplumber's+cargo+trailer+conversion

I need to do an update, and finish a few things, but this is pretty much where it's been for a couple years now. It works well for me as I also use it to travel for work, so my truck is full of tools and there isn't any room to sleep in it. Also check out TNTT.com - go to the sub forum for cargo trailers. Many are very expensive and overly nice for most of us here, but interspersed there are some great ideas.

 

[rvpopeye]

Buy Wagoneer's van , private party sell the Escape , get a cargo trailer for the bike and extras , remodel the van to your preference and have $$$$$$ leftover for an emergency / gas fund....