Anything that will haul bikes and get 30mpg?

[spagthorpe]

I've been doing thinking about the options here, and there is no good solution. In the end, a truck is probably my best bet. Or an SUV and limit myself to a hitch carrier. At least that'll keep the gear safer.


Own a high mpg little car and tow a trailer:
pros:
great mileage when not towing
pretty good mileage while towing

cons:
stuck at 55mph in a lot of places
trailer registration and upkeep
not fun to get to offroad riding areas, if the car will even get there.


Own a truck
pros:
so-so mileage towing
can get just about anywhere you want to haul the dirtbike

cons:
so-so mileage even when not towing


Own both a little car and a truck:
pros:
do everything

cons:
pay for and maintain two vehicles, find parking, insurance, etc.

[Gummee!]

OR...

Drive a car and rent a truck from Enterprise, etc. That way, you have a truck only when you need one. Yeah, it seems more painful to your wallet and its a PITA but you don't have to park it, pay for it daily (taxes, registration, etc) etc.

Make sure you get the damage policy!

M

[Venteuri]

OR -.....

you can selll your house and get this

[Tinfish]

Originally Posted by Honey Badger

OR -.....

you can selll your house and get this

I think I'd have to sell my house two or three times to afford one of those.

[lukeinlondon]

anyone got a prius and hitched towed a bike? Would like to get advice..

i have a few mpg I could spare..

[stainlesscycle]

i tow up to 3 dirt bikes behind a 97 subaru outback sport, 2.5l / 5 speed.

i specifically bought this vehicle to tow to the races that are far away, for dirt cheap.

i built a 3 rail trailer from a jet ski trailer. added 14" wheels. trailer is very very light.

with 1 dirt bike on i get 28mpg.

with 2 on i get 26mpg

with 3 on i get 22mpg

all at 70mph.

a friend does the same with a 2011 dodge caliber. he has a very heavy trailer, and pulls 3 dirt bikes behind it also. he gets similar mileage.

i think the best mpg is gonna be the manual jetta tdi. towing capacity is almost nil, but it will easily tow 1 bike on a small trailer.

i bet a mid 80's mb 300d (turbo) could easily approach 30mpg and towing a bike or 2 with minor tweaking...then you could travel in style. best highway car ever.





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[FireMedicATL]

I use my 1985 Mercedes 300d. It gets 27 mpg empty and pulling my double wave runner trailer I get 27 mpg. The car does not care it is back there.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[seuadr]

Originally Posted by Venteuri

hell, it even says MAN on the grill!

[broncobowsher]

Originally Posted by hugemoth

Here's one that gets 45 mpg towing a bike. 93 Suzuki Swift 1.3L 5spd towing my little rat bike.

Is that a pusher motor added to the back of your car?

[Gramp-Z]

Maybe something like this ? From Ratman , think it will get over 30 MPG at 70 ?

[aceluck]

30 mpg towing two bikes, with 2 more on the roof, 65 mph cruising speed. TDI FTW!

[vtwin]

They didn't need fancy diesel cars or Sprinter Vans in the old days.



I did learn something while using my SUV to haul bikes. When I went on a trip, I took two small bikes with me. One inside the vehicle and one on the hitch mount. The smell of fuel mixed with two stroke oil was a bit overpowering and had to run on the freeway with the windows opened. Something to think about before you get a Sprinter etc.

[Dukeryder]

Originally Posted by stainlesscycle

i bet a mid 80's mb 300d (turbo) could easily approach 30mpg and towing a bike or 2 with minor tweaking...then you could travel in style. best highway car ever.

Those MBZs didn't get as good as you'd think. At least the 5cyl 2.5 NA Diesel in 190D only returned 30 on the hwy unloaded and the Turbo doesn't help mileage any.

My 280E (Gasoline) only got 18mpg towing an XR on a harbor freight trailer. The low MPG was the main driver for to switch over to a pickup truck (well that and I blew the motor).


I think 30mpg and towing at highway speeds is still just a dream.

I still think a tall geared 2wd 6cyl truck or a maybe a van would return the best mileage

[Hastelloy-X]

Originally Posted by lukeinlondon

anyone got a prius and hitched towed a bike? Would like to get advice..

i have a few mpg I could spare..

There is a Prius towing group at yahoo.com. Some of them tow 1200 pound tear drop campers cross country.

[troidus]

Originally Posted by stainlesscycle

i think the best mpg is gonna be the manual jetta tdi. towing capacity is almost nil, but it will easily tow 1 bike on a small trailer.

U.S.-rated towing capacity may be almost nil, but that doesn't mean anything. Get a Westfalia hitch and you can put 1800kg back there (with brakes on the trailer). Get the Euro plug-in harness and convert your trailer to Euro-spec lighting and VCDS can be told to detect the trailer and adjust the ABS automatically.