Collapsible Motorcycle Trailers

I'm looking at getting a collapsible motorcycle trailer (due to storage space) and interested to hear your experiences and recommendations. So far I have narrowed the list down to:

Dave Cooper - £339
http://www.davecooper.co.uk/bike_trailers.htm
-Pro = Collapsible, front securing points
-Cons = Axle doesn't split & its 4ft wide

Motolug - £599
http://www.bikelug.myzen.co.uk/s7-singl ... 917-0.html
-Pro's = Super collapsible & well made, axle splits
-Con = No front securing points

Treales Trailers - £499
http://www.trealestrailers.co.uk/motorc ... ailers.php
Very similar to the Motolug

Lee Phillips - £399
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COLLAPSIBLE-FOLDA ... 230e4019cb
Cross between Dave Cooper & Motolug
-Pro's = super collapsible, axle splits, front secure points
-Con = finished in grey primer

Depends how much space you have!?

I have a Dave Cooper single bike trailer (non-collapsible) which i just just flip up on its end and push against the wall in the garage! Takes up hardley any space then

I have a friend with the Moto-lug and hes done thousands of miles with it with out a problem, the bike rolls on and off really easily and he only secures it with 1 of those Tyre down rachet systems (as shown below), takes him 45 seconds to get the bike on and strap it down tottally secure. The only downside with the trailer is that it doesnt tow anywhere near as nicley as my cheapo Dave Cooper trailer, thats the only thing stopping me getting 1

I saw a lot of those lugger ones at Brands last year. Thye looked nice but very basic. I was tempted to get one though, however i plumbed for an Erde PM310. Its not collapsable but its small, i stor it on its side in my garage and it doesnt take up much room. Only weighs 60kg.

I am looking for a 2/3 bike trailer in a couple months i reckon. I want to be able to take both bikes around now.

just found this:
http://www.laag-technik.at/LaaG-Technik ... Cinch.html

I went for Dave Cooper in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to make up the difference between £339 & £599 for the little extras the MotoLug had.

Spoke to Dave over the phone, put down a deposit and went to collect it on the on the agreed date. Dave will pre-assemble if you want, I preferred to pick it up disassembled and put the bits (easily) in the boot of the car. For the price it comes with everything you need, including Light Board, Wiring, Mudgard etc. I also paid the extra £28 for a spare wheel, not really sure why, probably because Dave's cockney sales line of "it's ten times its worth in buggery if you get a flat fully loaded" kinda resonated with the imaginary pain of getting the thing home with a flat tyre and bike loaded.


Once home I laid out the parts and set about bolting everything together. Instructions are provided and really simple to follow, it took around 45 mins to get the job done.


Saturday morning, bike successfully loaded and to Snetterton I head. An uneventful drive, only thing registering is the trailer knocking off 25% mpg at 65mph, still getting 40mpg though


So what's it like:
I haven't driven many trailers before, just a double axle 4 wheeler so there's no real baseline to compare this trailer with. That said, it feels stable, no shaking or wobbling and held a good line all the way, even up to 75mph. The build quality is excellent, its a lot heavier than I though and being bolted together rather than using pins it should last longer. I would say the build is heavier than the MotoLug, and from what others have said it should handle better being bolted together.

Good write up mate! Looks nice and vcalue for money compared to the other choice.

It looks tricky to load up over thise beams instead of a smooth ramp/gulley to load it onto but i kind like how it grips the wheel at front. Does that help steady it before you get the first strap on?

Does that price include a loading ramp?

For comparison, my Erde PM310 is sweet, it loads easily enough, has a cradle for front wheel and eyes front middle and rear for straps. You can buy a spare wheel and any other part you need but spare wheels are about £50!! I do want one though. She tows well and up to 80mph is fine either loaded or empty...although she bounces a little when empty.

She weighs about 60kg so i can flip it onto its side for stowing in the garage on my own. And with the EXC on it i can lift the front and wheel it around alone too. Together they weight about the same as the SDR, maybe a little less.

Next stop for me might be a 2 bike trailer...although a van is the ultimate choice!! (and expense).

Oh yeah, have you got a link to that wheel strap down thingy? Looks good for not compressing the forks etc.

As you say the centre gulley isn't smooth which makes loading easier with two people, also the front type doesn't get held enough to make it a one person job. I think mine is over 60Kgs

A van would be my ideal - however its hard to justify as I have to pay £250 just to park outside my house, plus road tax, plus insurance etc etc. That's near £1000 gone before I drive the thing & I would rather get something for my money than bits of paper

I think he means the tyre down

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorcycl ... 02/0/39062

Just be careful with that small trailer and make sure it's tied down good. Small trailers like those tend to bounce a nice bit. There's not much for the wind to catch so I can't see it shaking at all. From your pic it looks like you have it under control, but to anyone else make sure you have the right sized tyre to match the ones on your vehicle so it's level at the hitch. That will help lots on the stability.

Has anyone seen these before and are they any good?
http://motorbiketrailers.org.uk/carrier-frame
they claim no wear on the rear tyre - which would be important to me if I was transporting a track bike with a soft rear tyre.
if it works its a brilliant idea.

How could they claim no wear on the rear tyre if it's in contact with the ground?

Well, I'm not expert but I imagine wear is supposed to me minimal is there are no acceleration or deceleration forces being put through it.
I guess I'd have to increase the pressure though - I run D211GP rears at about 17psi cold so if I put about 30psi in for transport maybe that would be OK?

Ive seen one of those on the road. Big fail imho. Chain is still running all the time, which means so are the sprockets....dirt from road......bumps to worry about....it all seems wrong to me.

Deadly for the bearing behind the front sprocket to.

Some cheeky reprobate has put their trailer up for sale on eBay and used my SDR at Snetterton pic in the auction http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1156
The seller is Waxjocky and this is his profile pic:

It could be Freestyler on his Village People Aprilia! Or some pikies planning to sell mine to order!

Only worry when it states the trailer comes with a free KTM