Tongue Weight Question

Hey all,

So I'm buying a 2018 Honda CBR650F and I'm looking at getting a hitch carrier for it for transporting it short distances around town, less than 20 miles at most.

My question is I know the tongue weight limit on the 2016 4Runners is 500 pounds. The weight of the carrier and the bike is a combined 551 pounds. I have a 2" lift on the rear with heavy duty springs. Is this completely inconceivable thing to do? Whats the weak point to make it only 500 pounds? Is it the hitch, springs, frame, ect.?

I don't need the carrier, but it would be a convenient thing to have.

 

Yes here's a link to the carrier.

Goplus 600 LBS Motorcycle Carrier Dirt Bike Rack Hitch Mount Hauler Heavy Duty with Loading Ramp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C5EYV9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sXjwBbPYV7MKW

I was thinking the same that 50 pounds really shouldn't matter as long as I'm not taking it off road or cross country.

 

I'd run it. I'd try to keep the weight as minimal as possible, eg almost no gas in the tank, no luggage, etc. I think really the limiting factors are the carrier's weight rating and the distance the bike sits from the hitch - further back means more de facto weight on the hitch.

Even with HD springs you're going you have rear sag. Airbags are really the best way to deal with that. Even with my 280 lb enduro I'm sagging.

I have an old thread in the "towing" subforum with pics. Add yours if you get it.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

The carriers weight limit is 600 pounds so hopefully all works out. Really don't want to drop a $9000 bike on the freeway haha.

I'll definitely post pictures when I pick it up next month.

 

Short trips should be ok, you won't hurt the powertrain. I wouldn't go faster than the speed limit though, braking becomes a factor after that.

 

Thanks, I'll definitely be keeping it under 55. I'm sure I'll be too paranoid to do go any faster.

 

The weight isn't a factor in "hurting the powertrain", the hitch hauler + bike weighs way less than a trailer, and I think the 4R has a tow rating of... maybe 4,000-5,000 lbs? Something like that. So 600 pounds to "tow" on the hitch is nothing (although Large is correct, there will be some minor braking defecit with more mass). The issue is weight on the hitch and "torque" (for lack of a better word) on the hitch from the hauler moving around over bumps and in corners and such.

OP, I dragged my enduro cross country and back ( https://meefzah.smugmug.com/March-2018-MMM-Tennessee-trip/ ), over 5,000 miles on a hitch hauler, high speed interstate (105 mph max!). No problems. Again, smaller bike, but same concept. I think you'll be fine.

I would suggest that you get a set of quality ratcheting tie downs with carabiners on one end and soft loops on the other - for the front of the bike; and either get the same ratchet set or at a minimum get a good set of cam buckle tie downs with carabiners and soft loops - for the back. If you ever have lost a bike because of a shitty 'S' hook coming undone when you hit a bump and the bike's suspension compresses... well, you'll never let that happen twice, I can tell you. My druthers are the KTM Powerparts ratchet straps, they are the bomb diggety. I think they are pictured in my other post in the towing thread that you 'liked'.

 

Oh and one more piece of free advice... put your hatch window down when you load the bike. If you drop it towards the truck, you won't break the glass!

 

Most likely you would be fine, but why risk it? I have a little cargo rack for my receiver and even hauling light stuff is awkward. The bike will wobble around and you will probably stress out the whole time. You risk scratching your truck while loading and unloading. When you are done, the carrier will be heavy and awkward and you will need to store it. I would just rent a truck or buy a utility trailer if you have the space. You could use it for Home Depot runs too.

 

Well I finally used it. Bike got a flat due to a pothole destroying the rear wheel. Worked fine driving on the freeway at 55 for about 15 miles. It's definitely a short term solution for emergencies. I'm going to look into a full trailer once I have to take it further than out of town.

 

I have the same concerns.
My bike + the carrier I’m considering getting weigh 520 lbs altogether. I know that if I remove gas from the bike tank I’ll be at 500 lbs but I’d rather not have to deal with sucking the gas out every time I load the bike.
I’d definitely need to use the freeway for what I’d need to use it for.
I’ve trailered the bike several times before but the carrier seems a lot more convenient when driving several hundred miles over mountain roads and when parking the truck.

any thoughts on the extra 20 lbs being a big deal?

I would most definitely get air bags at the rear as well

 

You can always find someone online who will make you feel better about doing something you are going to do anyway

 

So I've long sold my bike and carrier, but in the time I had it I ran the carrier with an '08 SV650, '19 ZX-10R, and an '09 MV Agusta F4 without issue. I drove on the highway but stayed under 60. The 4Runner had plenty of power and I barely noticed it was back there. I did avoid driving at night because of the amount of squat and my headlights pointing up.

I did upgrade the trailer sway bracket as the stock one didn't really work with the 4Runners kinda weird hitch. The upgraded one worked great.

I felt pretty confident doing short trips around town and short stints on the highway/freeway. I think it's a great alternative if you don't need a full blown trailer, don't have the room for one, and aren't doing multi state travel with it.

I really don't think 500 vs 520 is a game changer. But if you're doing this more than infrequently, I think a trailer is better.

It really goes either way, you can find just as many naysayers. It's really up to the individual to figure out their needs.

 

I’ve read from a lot of people saying the 4R has a tongue weight of 500 lbs but it’s never mentioned in the owners manual. I’m guessing a lot of people are assuming 10% of the towing capacity which is how we’re getting the 500 lbs tongue weight (fairly safe to assume it’s correct)

the owners manual mentions to load the tongue weight 9% to 11% of the trailer weight. So if the trailer is at max capacity (5000 lbs), then 11% would mean 550 lbs.

I’m wondering if anyone has experience doing so and if they ran into any issue

 

Im not really worry about power, that shouldn’t be an issue. More so, I’d want to make sure the hitch doesn’t bend at slightly over max weight.

If you’ve had no issues with the zx10 I should be fine.

I plan on getting either air bags or sumosprings bump stops for the sag since I’d be driving it more than just around town. Did you not do anything to avoid sag?

 

I didn't, again I used to so infrequently (less than 10 times, probably 100 miles cumulative) that I just didn't feel the need to do any modifications. It fit my needs of an emergency way to move a bike in a pinch. But again it worked great for that.

In my opinion if it were a super regular thing, I'd get a trailer. My hitch never seemed to care the bike and carrier was there though. I even stood on it with the bike there (static load of probably 700ish) without a problem.

 

I loaded my 300 lb Dual Sport on mine, and just felt uncomfortable with the wobble, even when I added a hitch stabilizer. Then good fortune struck, and my son bought one too. With two Dual Sports I justified a multi-purpose utility trailer and added a pair of wheel chocks. Just felt much better about hauling on the trailer.