traillering with a burgy

[fatcatlawyer]

Apologies to those who have see this before, but last Sunday interest was shown in trailering so here is the story if my trailer.

"TRAILERING WITH A MAXI SCOOTER


Chapter 1. 2004
It is just over twelve months ago that I was lucky enough to have a test ride on a Suzuki Burgman 650. Having decided that I could no longer cope with my Yamaha 900 (the clutch was too heavy) I thought that my motorcycling days were through.
What a difference. It was a pure revelation. Power, smooth power. Fast enough and with that automatic gearbox. It was just like someone had taken all the worst parts of biking away and left the pleasure. I appreciate that that is a matter of personal choice and boy oh boy, my mind was made up it was going to be the maxi scooter route or none. As ‘none’ was not going to be on the agenda I determined that if all else was equal I would have a Burgman. But, - isn’t that always the case, - there has to be a but! Though the Burgman has masses of space, (to quote one review) enough for a family of Rumanian Refugees to hide, I knew that I would need more. Hard luggage was how I transported my camping gear on the old bike, but I have found as I get older, my camping equipment needs have grown also. Though the Burgman can carry a top box, there was never going to be enough room for my pillion, me and our camping luxuries.
I made enquiries on the ‘net to see what the options were. Side car, tried that thirty years ago with a Lambretta and Bambini – not again. So what else. Hard luggage - not on. No way of getting to fasten that to the bike. Soft Luggage - not enough security and even then not enough capacity. Well that left the option used by the Gold wingers and that was a trailer.
So the idea was born. Can a Burgman pull a trailer? That was the first question. Well yes was the answer, but (that word again) only if it has a tow bar. So the next question was where can you get a tow bar. This was somewhat tricky. No one sold them off the peg. So it was going to have to be fabricated specifically. Also there was all that lovely plastic, that I really did not want to see cut up. Back to the internet, could anyone help.
Did anyone want to help. Yes, Squires would do the job for about 350 pounds. (plus VAT) Too much for my budget. The bike was costing me more than my car! The trailer would cost as well. There are several trailer manufacturers, Squires for one, Consett for another, and a company called Freewheel of North Walsham in Norfolk. This last company was prepared to put a hitch on for 150 pounds. More to my budget.
I found them out by reading, on the Gold wingers web page, about a couple who had ridden up there for that purpose. Great thing the internet.
Now there are certain laws regarding trailers being pulled by motorcycles. It is set out as follows:

Motorcycle Trailers Regulation 84 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
All motorcycles
A motorcycle may not:-
draw more than 1 trailer, carry any passengers in the trailer (unless it is towing a broken down motorcycle)
draw a trailer with an unladen weight exceeding 254kg (unless it is towing a broken down motorcycle).
Solo Motorbicycles
2 wheel motorcycle without sidecars may not (unless it is towing a broken down motorcycle)
If not exceeding 125cc draw any trailer
If exceeding 125cc draw a trailer which exceeds 1metre overall width, allow the distance between the rear axle of the motorcycle and the rear of the trailer to exceed 2.5m, draw a trailer, the laden weight of which exceeds two thirds kerbside weight of the motorcycle or a maximum of 150kg
and must display kerbside weight on motorcycle unladen weight on trailer.
So it is clear that my usual car camping trailer was not going to be legal. I was going to have to make or buy a smaller lighter trailer. Back to the internet. Good old Ebay. Within two weeks of looking there was a trailer advertised. I bid, I was successful and my project was now coming together.
I intended to try out the outfit at Easter. Camping in the UK at that time of year is not altogether ideal. It gets cold at night but with the trailer I can take my power supply and electric blanket. Now that is what I call camping in style!
The tow hitch was fitted at North Walsham, and I would recommend any body thinking of going this route to contact Free wheelers. I turned up at 11 a.m. Helped with the removal of some of the plastic. Then I was sent away to the local motorcycle museum (its about 1 mile away) and by the time I had had dinner looked round the museum and returned the hitch was fitted and the electrics just being plumbed in.
Now this is the good bit. The testing is where it is at. The following day I was home. The trailer was hooked on and I went for my first trial run. Just round the block. Just to see how it towed. Well yes it towed very well. Taking off on a slight uphill off my drive, there did not seem to be much difference than when I had a pillion aboard. Next test was with pillion and camping gear loaded. No real problem in fact the Burgman tows like a dream.
Off we set for Sunderland, the shakedown run, up the A1 nice straight dual carriageway. Any problem. Yes! Pillion thumped me in the back. I needed a reminder that the trailer was there. My speed had crept up to an indicated 85 m.p.h. Any problem with the trailer? None whatsoever.
The first run proved it. Trailering with the big Burgman not only was feasible, it was the way to tour. The reason was so obvious. The luggage trailer is left at camp. The daily tours are done without luggage on the bike.
Disadvantages. Well the biggest is (or was) the cost of getting the outfit over the channel.
Solo bikes can cross for about 100 pounds. Cheapest crossing this year with a trailer was 250 pounds. Just that little too much. However, the new ferry company from Dover to Boulogne will charge 88 pounds. So next year it is touring abroad for us.
Disadvantage number two is finding each time you return to the bike a crowd of people with interesting questions. Though to be honest this disadvantage does wonders for your ego!
Disadvantage number three is that it may invalidate the warranty on the bike. .
In the summer of 2004, the outfit went in addition to Sunderland, Scotland, a long tour, The BMF rally, Peterborough. a tour from Chesterfield to Dover to Cornwall, and odd week end camping trips to Kielder and elsewhere.
I would mention that the Burgman ‘manual’ gears make it ideal. When negotiating a steep hill downwards I put it in 2nd gear and it stays there all that loverly engine braking, and when going up steep hills a touch on the power button takes you up and over with no ado whatsoever. Following the coast road of Devon caused me to encounter quite a few interesting hills. No problem at all.
Would this modification be recommended, with no hesitation whatsoever, I would say yes, and yes again. Dispatch riders may well find that this combination is ideal. Remember there is no congestion charge in London for bikes and that includes bike with trailers. Consider the carrying capacity of an outfit like mine.
Tour fanatics will love the joy of never having to unpack! The camping equipment stays locked up in the trailer. The clothes and food are packed in the seat and top box on the bike. It is so far as I can see the best of every world. Remember, the trailer is by law no wider than one metre. The Burgman is that wide with the mirrors. Filtering through the traffic just takes that little more nerve. I do it.
Petrol consumption must be a little higher but to be honest the increase is barely noticeable. I think it is still in the high 40’s to the gallon. More than I was getting on the Yamaha.
Hook up, plug in switch on and ride. Find the campsite base, pitch, unplug, unhook and tour from that base. Now that’s what I call brilliant!
Chapter 2 2005
Good old Speedferries, Bike pillion rider and trailer can cross the water for eighty eight pounds. Just the job. I had originally planned to take the Burgy trailer and all over at Easter. The weather was just that little bit too cold and or wet.
However, for our main holiday there were no questions of weather just the joy of setting off and going. The camping trailer was given a run out behind the car and no problems found. June came round after what seemed to be the longest Spring I can recall.
Wifey and I had agreed that if we were to make the most of our first day abroad with the bike and trailer, it would be better to have our first night in the comfort of a UK hotel. The route was to take us to Stratford on Avon to see our newly born granddaughter and then on to the M40 M25 and M20 and then, because I was able to get a great deal from Travelodge just off the A2 over to that road. However on arrival it was discovered that I had been booked for the wrong night! Typical. No problem though, the date was changed by them and I got the benefit of a great deal. Thanks Travelodge.
So now is the day. The last twenty miles of UK and we are in the queue ready for embarkation. I had a few qualms. To get the cheap ferry price I had (quite properly as things turned out) described our transport as a “large car and trailer”. It was anything but. In fact when we had gone over at Easter with the trailer behind the car it had been described variously as ‘no bigger than a postage stamp’ and ‘hand luggage’
Off the Ferry, I am getting quite an old hand at this now. I know exactly which way to go from the Ferry on to the main Paris Road. No messing about getting lost in Boulogne.
The Periferique has a reputation. It is deserved. Experience it. It is the only way to learn! The plan was to go round till we reached the N20 and then go South. How far would depend on traffic, weather the bike and the expected pain of riding so far. What is it with the French – No campsites open. This is June – not Easter. I had just about reached the end of my tether (it had been a long day. I was tired and I was ready for rest) and had just decided that we stop at the next hotel when into view came a sign for camping.
It was away from the N20 by about 4 km. It was open. It was clean but (that word again) no swimming pool. Too early in the season. OK but why if the pool was not open, the shop not open and half of the toilets were not open were we charged 20 Euros! Cheaper to stay in a Formula 1. Our one touch Kayam tent went up like a dream. The airbed filled up and we were able to have a meal. Long day – glad it was over.
The following day got off to a reasonable start. One failing on my part was that I took a wrong turning and found we were going north up the N20. Great! I could have done an illegal U turn and traveled 10 yards but wifey said “no” . ten miles and a quarter of an hour later we were going the right way. Heading South is fun. The downside is you have to keep reminding yourself that every mile south is a mile that has to be traveled north on the way back.
As the day progressed we ultimately made it onto the A73 tolls. Still it was easier than negotiating all the little French towns. I had had the foresight to mark on my map a potential camp site. This one had a swimming pool I had thought we might make it to a camp moto site but we were both tired.
The problem was that the directions to that site did not take into account a new road. We were the wrong side of it! One pull off the new road, and a quick ask for directions at the local garage put us on the right road. We were there! Pool was open this meant we were able to get a swim. Great site just outside Montmaraultt. Tent went up, Dinner cooked and we had a swim felt great.
However, as wifey got on the bike to do a little exploring the next day I pulled a muscle and found movement in my back was limited. We decided we needed a rest. That night we slept well, and on the second morning decided that another day swimming and resting was a good idea. At 2 p.m. the site manager approached and with a heavy heart and in broken English explained that there was very bad weather expected that night. And he wondered whether we would like to stay in his Chalet that night (for the same cost) rather than put away a wet tent in the morning ‘Yes please’. we said.
This meant that most of our packing was completed .in the afternoon. That evening we heard the thunder but there was minimal rain. Still it meant that we were on the road that much earlier when the morning came. Back to The Autoroutes.
A fellow camper had told us that the new bridge at Millau took about one and a half hours off the journey to the Med. We took that route even though Motorways are boring! I did want to get to the Med though.
The first sight of the bridge was through the mountains. It looked very much like the Sydney Opera House. White with the sun shining off it. I thought the high crossing would be scary on the bike with the trailer, but no problems were encountered at all.
We ultimately ended up at a site by Montblanc (not the mountain) It was in the middle of a vineyard. Great swimming pool. Stayed 2 nights 10 Euros a night not complaining about site, conditions and the rest it was brilliant.
The last time I had been to Barcelona it was on my old Yamaha The ride back had made me decide it was time to get a new bike. I had wanted to go back primarily to see the Picasso museum. I knew it was too far from our site to get there and back in a day. So we moved on again. I had hoped to stay at a site just outside Gerona which I had stayed at on my first trip south to Barcelona, but when it came to it that site was not yet open. So we went to the site at Loret la Mar. A town centre site. Not a nice place to be and the pool whilst it was clean and OK had no steps to get in and out. No problem for me but wifey with the arthritis had a real struggle.
The following day we made our way to Barcelona. We got to see the works of Picasso we went without our full leathers. The weather was by now so hot it was a toss up – do we take the risk of serious injury or die of heat exhaustion. No problem. The riders of two wheelers in Barcelona are (as I found them the last time) completely mad! Life expectancy for those who ride like that in London would be between ten and fifteen minutes. We returned to the campsite at Loret. It was now that the oil warning memo on the dash came on. Half a litre of oil sorted that out.
The following day it was move on time again. We packed up and I decided that it would make a pleasant start on our journey back if we were to move up the coast of Costa Brava. What stunning views, we were stopping every ten minutes to take photographs. The coast road was very up and down and the burgy fully loaded with the trailer made light work of the task.
It got to about 2 p.m. We were not going as far north as quickly as I had intended. I decided a turn inland was the right way to go. I called at a Supermarket with a view to buying a local map. I had not taken a road map of Spain with us. The only map that the supermarket had was written in Dutch! Still it had the roads, it had the place names and I knew where I was and where I needed to be!
Within the hour we were back on the right road going north. On the way from the supermarket I passed a signpost that pointed to Loret it stated 15 kilometres!. Such is life.
I was not bothered, we had plenty of time to get back and what was another day. We were now going north. I decided that it would be good to go to Andorra along the roads we had been along at Easter in my car. Super road up towards the Pyrenees.
We stayed at the same site we had stayed at the Easter, though this time we were on the Bike. Next morning we were on our way again. It looked like a long long way to go North to the Ferry.
We stayed at Carcassone that night. We decided a night off from packing and unpacking would be in order so we stopped at a hotel. It was about now that I determined to work out our times and distances to be covered each day. We did after all have a ferry to catch. Roughly it meant two full pages of the Route Map each day. About 160 miles.
As mentioned I was more than a little tired so we stayed in a hotel. Well worth the money. Hot shower en suite toilet. The effect of this was that when we set off the next day there was no packing to do. Just get on and ride north
Because of that we were able to get as far north as the Camp Moto Dordogne. What a super site. Before we were off the bike a cold beer was being poured. The swimming pool was so inviting we went in to cool off before setting up the tent. We decided that two nights was appropriate and so stayed the second night.
Still we had to move on. Next stop was at Le Blanc. Not a bad camp site but on the way we suffered our main mishap of the trip. Following stopping for lunch we managed to set off without fastening the cool box on. Result it was lost it with all its contents. Wifey most apologetic it was her mistake. No problem says I and temporary cooking utensils were bought as was another cool box, though this one did not have the electric capability of the old one! Following our night there we were onward northward again.
Our last night under canvas in France was at a site just north of Evreux. St Remy sur Avre. Pleasant enough but it is fair to say that by now we were getting ready to get ourselves home. We had done some very long days in the saddle and wanted time out but the constraints of the return ferry booking were becoming oppressive.
Rouen is a sod of a place to get lost in! Nevertheless we were able to navigate our way out and on to the Autoroute to Abbeville, from where we took the N10 to Boulogne.
On arrival at the Ferry port we made enquiries to see if we could get on the next ferry, it was quite late at night and we hoped for the best. Yes, we were told we could be on the 3.30.a.m. boat on payment of an additional booking fee. Not surprisingly we declined the offer and went to a local hotel. By now we were expert at the camping/Hotel routine
We caught the ferry back to the UK the following morning and then on arrival at Dover enjoyed a breakfast in Tesco at the top of the hill on the A2. Then it was just a question of following the Road through to the M25, M40 and then to our daughter to see the grandchild we had last seen two weeks before. Now named Kerry. We left and went on to Chesterfield a thoroughly great trip about 2500 miles. Worth it? You bet In all that travel the only rain that we encountered whilst on the road was 6 miles from Chesterfield. Such is life.

[The Bern]

Nice write up bud Any pictures of the scoot & trailer ?

[victor]

I need a lie down after reading that . But well done for the write up and journey