For example, we have repeatedly said that you can’t put two Goldwings in a two bike flip top without running them through a grinder first.  But then along comes somebody who owns one of our two bike flips who says “yes you can”.  Turns out he was not only staggering them, he was taking both mirrors off one and one mirror off the other.  Then when he loaded the forward one, he was picking up the ass end and moving it as close to the wall as was practical, before loading the second one.

Here’s a staggered setup that will work for an Ultra and a Street Glide:

Street Glide Wheel Chock Positioned to Allow:

• 100 inches from the tailgate to the leading edge of the front tire
• and centered 18 inches to one side of the center of the trailer

Ultra Classic Wheel Chock Positioned to Allow:

• 112 inches from the tailgate to the leading edge of the front tire
• and centered 16 inches to the other side of the center of trailer

One of our two bike flip top owner routinely uses this setup to haul his Ultra and his wife’s Street Glide.  But he took it two steps step further.  First he had us install Cargo Buckles–automatic retracting ratchet straps.  Second, after we explained that with his drive-in step-off wheel chocks and his Cargo Buckles properly located, two-strap towing was a real possibility.  So he tried it!  Now when somebody asks him how he gets up front to tie the bikes down.  He has a very simple answer, “I don’t”.  Recently he won a bet that he could unload the two bikes and have them on the ground ready to ride in three minutes—talk about pain-free trailering!!!

Our WideBody is our widest, longest and tallest motorcycle cycle hauler and will accommodate two Goldwings, Ultra Classics or Visions, the largest motorcycles around except for the Boss Hoss and V-8 Choppers.  With a tailgate opening that is 90+ inches wide, a usable internal width at the handlebars of 101+ inches, an internal height of almost 64 inches, a usable internal length of 132 inches and a top that flips up from the rear, it’s very usable.  Goldwings with Tulsa windshields, Smart cars and T-rex’s are well within its limits, not to mention sidecar motorcycles, Can-Am Spyders, Thoroughbred motorcycle trikes and even some VW trike conversions and ATV’s.

Our two-bike flip top can handle pairs of bikes up to and including one touring bike like an Ultra Classic, Goldwing or Victory and one cruiser bike.  It’s important to remember that even though a particular motorcycle trailer has the internal width to accommodate your ride, you’ve still got to get it through the tailgate opening.  Surprisingly, this is not as simple as it sounds.  The tailgate of our two bike cycle hauler is 72 inches wide but the door jambs reduce the available width by another three inches.  Not to mention the stabilizer jack housings which reduce the opening by another two inches.  So the actual tailgate opening is only 67 inches wide.  Nevertheless it can easily accommodate Honda and Harley trike conversions and Can-Am Spyders, but side-car motorcycles and the exotic T-rex are still out of the question for our two bike fliptop, as are VW trike conversions.  .

In some cases, width isn’t an issue, it’s the length. For example, while the Thoroughbred will fit through the door of our two-bike cycle hauler, it’s a little too long for it.  While the trailer appears to be long enough, the proprietary hinge which enables the top to flip up is mounted exactly in the middle of the front of the trailer and is about a foot and a half wide.  The hinge combined with the rearward slope of the front of the body limits the usable length at the two foot level to 119 inches—one inch less than ten feet.  By contrast, the same two-bike trailers are routinely used for choppers nearly eleven feet long—as long as they are carried on the side, not in the middle of the trailer.

With a tailgate opening that is only 49 inches wide, our one bike fliptop motorcycle trailer is too narrow for anything except motorcycles, scooters and small atv’s.   It’s one heck of a single motorcycle trailer but it does have its limits.  A Boss Hoss really fills it up and if you want to haul a Goldwing or an Ultra, you or your traveling buddy better be thin enough to tie and untie the bike.  Nevertheless the one bike is wide enough for two scooters or motocross dirt bikes and, although we don’t recommend it, because it’s pushing the 2000 lb capacity limit, some people even use them to haul two Harley Sportsters.

Our one bike and two bike open chariot bike haulers share the same footprints as our one and two bike enclosed flip tops.  But since they are topless, there’s no flip top hinge to limit their effective length.  Likewise since there are no walls at handlebar height, each has a wider effective internal width than its enclosed trailer counterpart.  But the tailgate openings are identical.  All Ironhorse trailers are aerodynamic, fiberglass, lightweight, beautiful, fuel efficient and extremely easy to use.  Towing will never be as much fun as riding, but Ironhorse motorcycle transport trailers make it a heck of lot less painful.

Hopefully this answers your capacity questions.  If not, get the specs for what you want to haul and call us at 931-668-8860.

As a now proud and cash rich owner of a Iron Horse trailer I cant stop talking about it. I recently sold my old box trailer that was used to carry my 2003 Gold wing and bought a Flip Top Single Motorcycle trailer from the Ironhorse Trailers.

Our old box trailer was sold to us from the Honda dealer where I bought my Gold Wing, although nice to start with it soon turned out to be a dog. It was steel framed and rust soon appeared in corners and around welds. But that we could deal with, the cost of towing it with our 2001 V8 Toyota Tundra was ridiculous.

The cost of towing the box trailer soon put a stop to our monthly long weekends away with the Gold Wing thanks to the $3.50+ per gallon gas prices coupled with the 8-9 mpg we got towing this beast. The box trailer was also a nasty thing to tow, nearly every time you passed a semi the thing would start fishtailing and become very unstable.

Now we are back out on the road nearly every 2 weeks, the Tundra now achieves a gas mileage of and amazing 13 mpg at an average speed of 60 mpg on the highway towing the aerodynamic and stylish Flip Top, plus it turns heads, looks great, and keeps my prized Gold Wing in comfort while she travels to her next adventure.

John Jenkins