Motorcycle Carrier

I helped a friend outfit his new 2016 Two with a hitch and cycle carrier. We installed a Curt hitch (1 hour, 2 beers). Modified a Harbor Freight hitch carrier by attaching a 1-1/4 inch to 2-inch receiver adapter after shortening the main tube by 11 inches (four inches longer than the adapter). I decided to post after his vanity plate came in.

With the bike loaded the car sits 3/4-inch lower in the back, and approximately 3/8 inch higher in the front. The bike is a Grom (225 pounds). Headlights do need to be aimed -- he gets flashed more often. No noticeable effect on handling. The mileage tax is about 5 mpg. I don't think I would add more than 1 passenger. Of course it totally screws up the usefulness of the backup cam.

The rack is nice (only $90 on sale with 25% off coupon, plus $9.99 for the adapter, also on sale.). There is a nice pinch setup for the front wheel -- the bike will not fall out of it. He also relocated the plate. I think it needs lights -- the rear fender obscures the right side signals a bit. With a fender eliminator for the bike, lights wouldn't be necessary. The rack does wobble a bit, but nothing severe. I have suggested reducing its width as it is about the width of the reflectors too wide. It does not exceed the width of the car (mirrors), so it is legal in California.

 

Not sure where the additional support would be placed. The only idea I could think of knowing the configuration of the Curt hitch we installed on the Gen 4 would be to use a "J" bolt to support the cross tube through to the storage area with a plate or bar inside the cabin to spread the load. That wouldn't help much with the rotational stress. As we installed the hitch, I was pretty satisfied with the structure of the car as the hitch bolt up points are at the end of boxed "beams." The box configuration is a pretty strong cross section. Also, although I don't know the actual values used in this design, it is not uncommon for engineers to build in 2.5 times the rated load for such connections.