[1300VTwin]

This will take several post.

I like taking long trips and camping, but storage space is limited on the fury. In the past I have strapped everything to the back seat and made do. Ever since I put my gangster fender on the rear I have been trying to figure out how to make a trailer hitch that didn't look like a$$. An idea hit me about a month ago and with the help of my very talented buddy, Matt Jordan, we made and installed a hidden receiver hitch on my bike.

This will be a long post but should be entertaining. It started with a sketch of what I envisioned on some cardboard.

We the took the fender off to see what we had to work with. The ideas started flowing. This project was very fluid and it was definitely a "refine" the design as we went.

We discovered that 3/8"x1 1/2" flat bar would slide very snugly into the rear sub frame. So we determined the arc needed to keep the sub frame inside the fender and then glued several sheets of cardboard together to get simulate the thickness of the flat bar. We then made a cardboard template of the frame for the hitch.

My buddy cutting the templates out.

The first rail, second rail and then the cross supports. Houston we are ready for take off.

Of course we put the bike on the ground and proceeded to jump up and down on it it ensure the frame wouldn't contact the tire.

 

[1300VTwin]

Next we started the metal work. (This is where my buddy was the mastermind).
We cut reliefs achieved the desired arc and filled the gaps in with molten metal.
Yours truly is the model. LOL

Next we cut and notched the ends to slide into the frames.

We then went back into the shop and mounted the side rails. We decided to bolt the two frames together. (Easier to remove later if needed) So we drilled the appropriate holes and bolted it up. We then did the first trimming on the side rails it get the even on the bottom.

 

[1300VTwin]

Rear wheel removed, ready for phase two of the project.

Our arc was off just a bit so we have to trim the ends at a slight angle so that the fender would sit right. We then bent our cross supports and put them in place with chrome tape. (Keeps your fingers from getting burnt as he tacked them on. )

Burn in complete.

 

[1300VTwin]

The next step was to make and mount the receiver to the fender so the we would the know where and what level to weld the receiver to the frame. Cutting the hole in the fender behind the license plate.

We made the receiver and a outside plate with studs welded into it to mount the receiver to the fender.

Receiver on the inside and plate on the outside.

Now, we needed to connect the two pieces.

We used boxed tubing and tacked it into place with the fender on.

It doesn't look like much but it was a start. LOL

 

[1300VTwin]

Removed the frame so that we could add the reinforcement metal and do the final burn.

All metal added and properly heated together.

We then made the license plate holder and the hitch. We made it so the I could pin the license plate to the bottom of the hitch when I had the hitch installed. (Another great idea of my buddy)

Painted the hitch, mounted it on the bike and made sure the plate and hitch worked as planned before remounting the fender.

Yours truly getting the wiring straight as well as adding a trailer pigtail hookup.

 

[1300VTwin]

Everything mounted and plate installed. If you look closely at the top of the plate I added a lip so I could mount some LED's to illuminate my plate at night.

The hitch and plate installed and one with just the hitch.

This is a picture I took Tuesday night when I got home from my buddies house. My first trailer pull with my bike was at night in the rain. It did great. I am now ready for the camping trip that my son, friend Mark and I are taking to Mena Arkansas. We will be camping in style.

 

[locozap]

Wow! Very detailed. Can't wait to see how it ends up.

 

[TREM]

Way to mod dude A+++++

 

[Hammy]

What a great concept !!

Well done and cleverly executed.

How's it handle with a car tyre on the rear? .. I have heard other people say they use car tyre's to increase mileage and wear, but the squareness must upset the handling yes?

Didn't mean to derail the thread, just curious that's all.

 

[Night Fury]

Very, very nice!


Sent from Motorcycle.com App

 

[Bo]

Awesome write up .
Congrats on a job very well done


Sent from Motorcycle.com App

 

[1300VTwin]

What a great concept !!

Well done and cleverly executed.

How's it handle with a car tyre on the rear? .. I have heard other people say they use car tyre's to increase mileage and wear, but the squareness must upset the handling yes?

Didn't mean to derail the thread, just curious that's all.

Thanks. The car tire handles about like a 300 series tire. It takes a little bit more counter steer to turn. After a couple of days you don't notice it. Other than that you don't know any difference between the two different tires.

I plan to take some daylight picks of my new "tractor-trailer rig" this weekend. I am starting to call my Fury the "naked" Goldwing edition. LOL

 

[laundryday]

Practical and looks great. WELL DONE!

 

[Dave Maher]

Wow! Great creativity!

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[Goat]

Holy cow! Now that's a modification!

Very impressive.

 

[1300VTwin]

Thanks. I can't wait to get on the road with it.

 

[Invicta]

Great job! I remember your speedo mod for the ape bars. You certainly know how to mod . Look forward to reading how the first trip goes

 

[Floridafuryman]

Looks great. I pulled a trailer with my Goldwing for year. It really helped to have the weight on the trailer and not on the bike, I'm sure the Fury will be the same. We had many great camping trips, enjoy time with your family. FL HOG

 

[1300VTwin]

Well, I am extremely pleased with the performance of my trailer/hitch setup. With it loaded down, I don't even feel it behind my bike while towing. We just road 300 miles today and I never once felt any concern with the trailer causing any handling issues. I think it helps that we have the hitch at the same level as the rear axle.

 

[ozzman]

Wow!

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App