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New user
Posts: 3
| I want to install a hitch this winter on my 2008 Vision; but want to make sure I purchase the correct hitch. From all the notes I see most have used a hitch from HitchDoc part #15765. Is this correct and is there anything else I need to know prior to purchase and or anything else I need at time of purchase? Also will be looking for a trailer- any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Dudeman |
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Tourer
Posts: 412
Fargo, ND | I have used the Hitch Doc for one season and am happy with mine. The install is pretty straight forward and the quality is good. They did send out the wrong bolts with mine...but other than that, no problems. Good Luck |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| same here Hitchdoc |
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Cruiser
Posts: 54
Bancroft Ontario, Canada | I have the Hitch Doc and pull a "Fibro concept" trailer....made in Quebec Canada....$3300.00+/-
Great combo...looks great.....works excellent
VBear |
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Tourer
Posts: 309
Vineland, NJ United States | I have hitchdoc, works great, installed it myself and I am not a "motorhead." The only other thing you'll need is a wiring harness/kit once you get your trailer. I pull a Uni-Go. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 255
New Brunswick , Canada | I am looking myself to for a trailer hitch....for a Vision...
doing a bit of reseach ...here what i found so far....take a lock
Some body posted that the HitchDoc does not required to remove the back wheel
for installation...Hmmm!
Take a look...
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2889&pos...
Please , any new info you can find about any other hitches would be nice..
I will post more when i find some..
Vic. Vision White Pearl 2010..
Here some good info from another member ( BLACKJACK )..for a more solid hitch..
Have seen the Hitch Doc installation diagram and I have installed the Bushtec hitch. The Bushtec hitch has more contact points for more even distribution of the weight and road torque of the trailer. It is rated at 75lb tongue weight and a maximum of 500lb GVWR.
The Bushtec comes with more than enough detailed instructions (including R&R of the necessary bike components) that a blind man could follow. It can be done in less than 6 hrs if you stay at it.
Some say that the Bushtec is over engineered and I'll take that any day as I like to error on the side of caution.
When we travel we take along a cooler that is mounted to the tongue with food and water and ice and we carry additional food and water in the trailer.
If you travel like we do you will likely load, unload and redistribute the contents several times, plus the food stores tend to diminish changing the tongue weigh so I carry an old bathroom scale (doesn't take up much room) and check the tongue weight before setting out for the day. I find the trailer rides and handles best with 40-45lbs of tongue weight.
Hope this help Dudeman..
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Cruiser
Posts: 80
| I have had Bushtec hitches on my last three bikes. They were the first to build a hitch for the Vision. Bushtec makes quality products. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 85
| I ride with a Hitch doc draggin a Gypsy Scarob trailer. The trailer is Canadian built near Ottawa. One of the many features I liked about it aside from the shape was that this trailer has a full aluminum tube frame. Check out the photos in my gallery and I've had a chance to drag t his thing around quite a bit now so I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
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New user
Posts: 3
| How do you like your uni-go; I have seen them on-line they look like they pull nice, but look small for cargo hold. |
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New user
Posts: 3
| Nice trailer; thanks for the pics and info. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 99
Kansas City, Ks | Double Post...
Sorry..
Edited by Blue Demon 2009-10-13 12:21 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 99
Kansas City, Ks | I went with Hitch Doc and I am very pleased...
I pulled my trailor from Kentucky to Kansas. Pulled straight and effortless!!
(Victory 001.jpg)
Attachments
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 Victory 001.jpg (68KB - 4 downloads)
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Tourer
Posts: 309
Vineland, NJ United States | It pulls like a dream. "pulls" is not a fair term because you don't feel like your pulling anything. It does not restrict your driving at all. I am just as manueverable as normal. Unlike a 2 wheel trailer, it leans with the bike when you turn. It has 5 cubic ft of storage and weighs 70 lbs empty. Most of the 2 wheel trailers are 200lbs empty and hold 20 cubic feet of storage. I didn't need that much space and I didn't want to tow that much weight around. It comes down to what you need in terms of storage capacity. To improve towing and manueverability you must sacrifice weight and size. |
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Tourer
Posts: 412
Fargo, ND | Photos...Photos...We Need Photos!
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Tourer
Posts: 309
Vineland, NJ United States | go to gallery section and search my name, there is pics |
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Cruiser
Posts: 99
Kansas City, Ks | edsasdelli - 2009-10-13 5:24 AM
It pulls like a dream. "pulls" is not a fair term because you don't feel like your pulling anything. It does not restrict your driving at all. I am just as manueverable as normal. Unlike a 2 wheel trailer, it leans with the bike when you turn. It has 5 cubic ft of storage and weighs 70 lbs empty. Most of the 2 wheel trailers are 200lbs empty and hold 20 cubic feet of storage. I didn't need that much space and I didn't want to tow that much weight around. It comes down to what you need in terms of storage capacity. To improve towing and manueverability you must sacrifice weight and size.
Completely disagree with this many false facts other than: "it leans" , "has 5 cubic ft" , "70 lbs". The rest; well, understated BS.. |
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Tourer
Posts: 412
Fargo, ND | Blue Demon...I would be interested in 'your take' on why you feel edsasdelli's comments are false.
Thanks!
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Cruiser
Posts: 99
Kansas City, Ks | Flatsix - 2009-10-15 6:52 AM
Blue Demon...I would be interested in 'your take' on why you feel edsasdelli's comments are false.
Thanks!
My trailor, for instance, doesn't need to lean it has a coupler that pivots. So, when I lean
the trailor stays flat.
The tongue weight is more of a concern than overall weight of the trailor. Granted,
pulling a 1000lb car hauler is not advisable, but a little trailor is not going to have
you in a bad spot as his comments came across to me as.
A 2-wheel trailor, I would imagine, is easier to balance more so than a single-wheel version
when it comes to loading/packing.
All-in-all his statements, to me, came across snotty towards all that decided to not
pull a single-wheel version...
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | Blue Demon
I couldn't agree more. I tow a two wheel trailer and it does not affect the handling at all. It follows like its part of the bike; as a matter of fact I have to adjust my mirrors so that the trailer is constantly in my vision to remind me its back there.
I ride through the twisty's the same with as without it (a little slower 2 up and allowing for the extra length) with no problem. Anyone concerned about lean angle can check this out. http://timeouttrailers.org/accessories.aspx
Also with two wheels you can adjust the tongue weight with a single wheel positioned at the very rear of the trailer your S.O.L. the tongue weight is what it is.
Maybe I travel differently then most folks but 5 cubic ft. would not handle wife's trappings. And the price per cubic foot of storage; WOW!!!
Blackjack
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Cruiser
Posts: 85
| I put a pivoting (or twist coupler) on my trailer not to allow for more lean in the twisties but to protect the rear of the bike if I should ever drop the bike while the trailer is attached to it. The ball and hitch will only forgive so much twist then something is going to give, with the twist coupler I don't have to worry. |
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Tourer
Posts: 309
Vineland, NJ United States | that is why this site is valuable, you get many different perspectives. If I needed more than 5 cubic feet I would have no qualms about pulling a 2 wheel trailer. I don't want to haul around more weight than I have to, so for now I stuck with a smaller lighter trailer. I realize that might not work for some folks. Also good point about the cost per cubic feet. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
Reston, Virginia | I know I am arriving late to the party but I wanted to weigh in on this thread. This site is tremendously helpful with all the input by those that have been there and done that. It gets better everytime I log in.
I purchased and installed the HitchDoc hitch. Relatively easy to install and is quite well made...also much less expensive than the Bushtec. The Hopkins Towing trailer light kit works well, is available at most places and has the built in protection to isolate your bike's electronics. I researched the heck out of trailers and ultimately chose to go with one I could justify in my mind. I would love to have a chosen a Texelent xTC or a Gypsy Scarab. Both would look great and compliment the lines of the VV but I wanted to start out slow before I went for the major leagues. BTW, the owners of both those companies are quality people that make a quality product. I was going to build my own but figured out it would always look like I built it. Then I came across the Harborfreight Tagalong trailer (#66771). For about $450 to $500 I am able to have a decent looking trailer that is surprisingly well made. I will post pictures shortly. I also made a bunch of modifications to it based on this web site that make the Tagalong much better than stock...changed the suspension, swapped out for LED light, coated the inside with a spray-on rubber surface, installed cargo hooks and netting, etc. I will see how it goes over the next few months of travel but for now, I am happy with the results. One other mod I wanted to mention...I chose to go with a Swivel BALL instead of a Swivel HITCH. Instead of $150-175, $40 plus shipping, accomplishes the same thing. You may want to look into it. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 725
Reno County, KS | Right now superfreak is offering a great deal on the HitchDoc. Look him up on the classifieds. Came up to $304 with S&H to my door. I ordered mine over the phone yesterday. They used to be a little cheaper until recently but had to raise their prices just a little. I don't mind so long as I'm getting a quality product. The Bushtec hitches look like they are well made too but are about twice the price. I have to find a trailer now... My Fiance opened her mouth and said that she'd take more road trips with me if we had a way to get her all her stuff on the bike. (She has to have EVERYTHING for a month if she leaves for a week). Flatsix has a very good step by step tutorial in the tech reference outlining how to install these suckers. Thanks Flatsix! BTW, it is possible to install these without taking off the rear wheel you you remove the plastic cover insert from the frame (above the rear wheel) Thanks for that tip Superfreak! I'm looking at all the trailers that you guys have been talking about. Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to keep watching this thread for trailer comparisons. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | I'm late to this party too. But, I think it's good to keep adding information to a thread to help new Vision owners see what's available...what's been done, what works, what doesn't work, etc.
I used a HitchDoc hitch. I don't know how it compares to others, but it was easy to install in about 2 hours. Can't say I have any complaints yet. See my comments in this thread:
http://www.Vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=3150&pos...
I did the wiring for $23 using a Reese 74672 wire harness. It's mounted under the hitch so it cannot be seen. Details on it are included in the above link.
I had a trailer custom built. Though not many riders will have a need for the same setup as me, I think the trailer manufacturer will build whatever you want. Here is the link to that discussion:
http://www.Vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4811&pos...
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
Reston, Virginia | I posted some pictures of my harbor freight tagalong trailer on the Vision-rider gallery. See below for link
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
I had a lot of fun outfitting my VV with the hitchdoc hitch and then building and modifying my trailer for my liking. I changed the color of the wheels from white to black to match the body. I removed one of the leaf springs to provide a better ride. It is rated for 600 lbs and I dont plan on anything close to that. This will allow it to track better without bouncing as much. I sprayed the interior with a rubberized plasticote, the kind you use to regrip your tools with. This will keep the contents from sliding around as much. Then I replaced the regular bolts that secures the body to the frame with eyebolts and installed a cargo net. I also replaced the chains with safety cables. This reduces weight and looks better and lessens noise. The holes on the hitch needed to be widened to accept the safety cable hooks. I also took a bike kick stand off one of my kids bikes, got a longer bolt and mounted the kickstand on the drawbar. I also replaced the tail lights that came with the kit with LED lights for longer life and brighter output. Mounted a few reflectors on the frame for better visibility. In the future, I may mount an LED light bar on the top part of the shell for addl visibility in traffic.
I probably wont stop tweaking it, it's just my nature to keep on improving things. Thanks to this website, I am never short of ideas. |
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