Trailer Wobble

 Driving between Fairbanks and Anchorage, down the longer, less traveled,
and arguably more scenic Richardson/Glen Highway route instead of the more
developed Parks Highway, I saw what was by Alaska standards quite a few
motorcycles on the road.  Most were the usual Harley or Goldwing tour
types, but a fair number were dual-purpose BMW types.

Shortly after leaving GlenAllen, a small town out in the middle of
nowhere, and heading toward home on the Glen Highway, I noticed a
motorcycle being shaken by the trailer it was towing.  The Glen has more
than a few bumps/dips in it due to seasonal frost heaving.  The trailer
seemed to wobble side to side each time the bike passed through a dip.
This caused the tongue to shake the rear end of the bike side to side as
well, which is something I hadn't seen on a motorcycle before.  I saw
several trailers along the way that were relatively narrow, but this
particular trailer appeared to be more generic/utilitarian than others,
being more square, neutral in color, with no apparent styling.

Does anyone have a thought on common causes of motorcycle trailer wobble?
Although I've recently changed my opinion that having a small trailer
might be useful when taking the wife for a tour, I'm still interested in
learning about motorcycle trailer shake.

Anyone in the know?
Robert

 
:Does anyone have a thought on common causes of motorcycle trailer wobble?
:Although I've recently changed my opinion that having a small trailer
:might be useful when taking the wife for a tour, I'm still interested in
:learning about motorcycle trailer shake.

Bad weight distribution
Bent Axle
Misaligned wheels
Faulty tires or wheels

I've pulled a trailer for thousands of miles without a problem.

If you are worried, go with one of the one-wheel models.
--

 

Thanks Steve,
Robert

 

If all of your mechanicals are in good shape, the wobble is usually due to
poor weight distribution.  A general rule of thumb is 10% of the complete
weight (trailer + cargo, bike, etc.) should = the minimum tongue weight.

Example:
if your trailer + bike & stuff = 1500 pounds the tongue weight should = at
least 150 pounds.

 On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:27:30 -0800, "Robert Bolton"


    Isn't that caused by not tying the bike down firmly
enough ?  :-)




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