Best Cars for Towing Motos

LittleBigGirl

LittleBigGirl

Well-known member
I was wondering which cars folks think are the best for towing one bike (on a small trailer). I am looking for smaller cars or small (1980's-small) trucks.

Anything that's easy to hook up, put the bike on, AND gets good gas mileage.

I am looking for a new or used car and am in the research phase. Would love a vehicle that I could use to tow my bike (possibly across the country, eventually).

So far, I am thinking the Honda Fit would be good. Owners have had success putting on a small tow trailer on the Fit with small modifications to the brakes.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-generation-ge-08-13/56452-motorcycles-trailers.html

Thanks for your thoughtful advice in advance!
Traci
 
Shigeta

Shigeta

Moving Chicane
I've got a 2003 Honda CR-V with a hitch that has been wonderful at towing, gets good mileage, is reliable as rocks, and has a very reasonable amount of room.

A few weeks ago, I took myself and 2 friends + 3 bikes on a Kendon 3 rail trailer + 3 gear bags + tools, gas, etc. in the trunk up to Georgetown.

The best part is you can get 2nd generation CR-Vs for under $5k.
 
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LittleBigGirl

LittleBigGirl

Well-known member
Shigeta said:
I've got a 2003 Honda CR-V with a hitch that has been wonderful at towing, gets good mileage, is reliable as rocks, and has a very reasonable amount of room.

A few weeks ago, I took myself and 2 friends + 3 bikes on a Kendon 3 rail trailer + 3 gear bags + tools, gas, etc. in the trunk up to Georgetown.

The best part is you can get 2nd generation CR-Vs for under $5k.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Shigeta! Did you have to modify the CR-V at all?
 
R

Rob750

Well-known member
I've worked on quite a few Fits. I wouldn't buy one, too gutless and flimsy - just my opinion. The Accord is much more comfortable and smoother. The V6 with M/T would tow a small trailer a lot better. I wonder how much more gas it would use?
 
ST Guy

ST Guy

Well-known member
I, too, think a fit would be too small.

That said, have a look here to start and then when you have a possible vehicle identified, check to see if a hitch is available for it. Finally, before you buy the vehicle, check the owners manual to see how much it's rated to tow.

One final note: Most definitely get yourself an anti-sway bar. This keeps the trailer from swinging left and right as it goes down the road. It can happen with any size trailer and unless the driver is really good and notices the beginning of the sway soon enough, the result is often a trailer that goes wildly out of control, pitching whatever is on the trailer off and often causing the tow vehicle to crash. An anti-sway bar is cheap insurance.

Somewhere there's a video of that happening to a small pickup towing a trailer. I'll try to find it if I can.
 
ST Guy

ST Guy

Well-known member
Haven't found the video in question, but this should give you an idea of what trailer sway can do. The last thing you want to have happen is have a thousand pounds or more of trailer and cargo controlling and yanking your tow vehicle around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Kfl97b57s

It's one reason you don't really want a small car for the job. And even with a larger tow vehicle, it's amazing how a small trailer can still yank it around.
 
Lowerside

Lowerside

Well-known member
Someone a while back told me that he ran into issues with car insurance when he got into an accident while towing a trailer on a car that he added a hitch to. If you go down the route where you get a car with a non-stock hitch, you might want to call your insurance company up to double check if they'll cover accidents while you're towing stuff.
 
HadesOmega

HadesOmega

Well-known member
I'm not really recommending it but you could do it =P However the Prius get's about 35MPG towing and much better than my Previa that get's 19mpg. On flat roads it does well, very steep hills like Metcalf Road it doesn't have the beans to get up. Have driven through SF on the not so steep parts through San Rafael and it did pretty good. It's an alright tow vehicle and comfy. Now if you could get a 3rd gen prius that has the larger 1.8L engine even better. I'd really only tow 1 small bike with it less than 400 lbs. It's not recommended to tow with the Prius but people do anyway. Also Toyota reliability :)
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I also saw this at Refuel TT this year the 2nd gen Volt. I heard a Volt is a good tow vehicle. Here it's towing a Zero S and it's a plugin also so save some gas. Towing your EV bike with an almost EV car.
0630191153_HDR-XL.jpg
 
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HIglesias

HIglesias

Well-known member
I used to have a 2001 VW Jetta TDI. it was great at towing my bike. great on gas and plenty of torque. would recommend.
 
matty

matty

Well-known member
My buddy used a mid 2000's Matix and had no complaints. I used a 2001 Odyssey mini van with the seats removed, which worked really well, not great mileage though. It was my moto hauler / camping rig. Sadly, my new to me dr650 won't fit inside, so I'm going the hitch hauler route as opposed to a trailer.
 
OaklandF4i

OaklandF4i

Darwin's exception
You can tow with anything from a Mazda Miata to a Ford F350 truck. A small inexpensive pickup that gets good gas mileage like the old 4cyl ranger and 5 spd tranny is a great option for folks that do it often. A van is even better for convenience, camping, and carrying a lot of stuff while being semi secure... but cost more and rarely get the same sort of mpg.

For many folks, especially those who only tow occasionally and need to use the vehicle for other uses... a small car fits the bill. If towing with a small car, you have to watch the weight, trailer type, how you load, tongue weight etc etc. It can be done safely.

I wouldnt tow in a small car on a regular basis with a CVT transmission unless it was a very light load without passengers. CVT transmission can have a short life and tend to be expensive to replace. Just my opinion.

I've towed sportbikes behind a first gen Acura Integra, Miata, and Mini Cooper. All with manual transmissions and without a fuss or drama.

I'll tow my Street Triple or a dirtbike without hesitation behind my Mini Cooper and foldable Harbor Freight Trailer. I wouldnt do that with my ST1100 unless my Land Rover wasnt available, it was an emergency, and a very short distance (like a few miles.) That said, I would avoid long stints in stop and go traffic.

Just my experience, others may vary. :thumbup
 
Maddevill

Maddevill

KNGKAW
I used to tow my race bike/ 2 dirt bikes or 2 jet skiis on a Harbor Freight trailer with a 1985 VW Cabriolet. Worked excellent.

Mad
 
anytwowilldo

anytwowilldo

Well-known member
I haul my dirt bike on a rail on the back of a Honda Element all the time. The bonus is you can sleep in it when you get there. They are incredible cars and with proper maintenance will go well over 200K. They were made from 2003 to 2011 in 2 and 4wd.
 
S

sniper1rfa

Well-known member
Literally any car will tow a single motorcycle on a reasonable trailer.

Two bikes on a uhaul will be a lot, one bike on a lightweight trailer will be no problem.
 
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