TRF Forums

Mazda bongo!
It fits either 8 people, 5 people and 5 mountain bikes (wheels removed), 2 dirt bikes or 1 F800gs with windscreen removed. 4 wheel drive, powered blinds, seats fold down into a bed or seats and a table. No van speed limits either. Its the future of dirt bike transport, from 1997. Its also narrower than a van.

My preferred setup is one set of back seats. These fold up to create a bulkhead and I can fit 1 ktm in. Then fold seats down into a bed for camping.

I've got a Motolug collapsible trailer, works for me...
http://www.motolug.com


www.trumpettouring.com

I guess the transit has gone then?

Not long after your friend purchased my TTR I went the van route, prefer the option of standing up in it almost. swb fiat ducato.

Thanks for all the reply's guys, I'm thinking about a van and getting rid of the golf, I don't want to get rid of it but I think I'm just going to spend money on a trailer and tow bar only to get a van 6 months later anyway.

Not 100% sure yet but really think the van is the way forward. I've found this down the road from me so going to have a look at it http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121844511019? ... EBIDX%3AIT

Have you considered a box trailer? secure out of site bike, no tax or service cost, little deprecation and keep your nice car to drive. Especially when van not needed.
I can stand up to get changed and can sleep in it for weekend away used to tow it with a pug so golf would cope fine.

No I will take a look at some now, cheers bud

Don't waste your money......
here's what to do..............










But seriously, although I’ve never had a van, I reckon if budget allows, first choice would be to have a transit size van purely for trail riding. I’d go for one with a tailgate rather than the double doors to keep the rain off when unloading / getting changed etc. it would be great to keep riding gear, tools, spares etc and maybe even the bike in the van permanently all ready to go.

2nd choice would be to use a transit size van that you have easy access to. Perhaps a work van or a friends van that it is possible to borrow. The down side is that it’ll probably need the work gear removing before and after use. I have hired one before and it’s just too much bother collecting / returning it and all the time the paperwork seems to take when picking it up.

3rd choice would be a 4 x 4 with a scooter rack on the back. I had a Hilux as a company vehicle for a while and I thought it was great.

Upsides
Enough room in the back to just push the work gear to the front and load the bike gear in behind it.
No issues with speed limits.
No issues with towbar weight limits
The rack detached and could go in the back of the truck when riding and was easy to store in the garage when not in use.

Downsides
Like a trailer, it advertises that you’ve got the bike.
Also like a trailer, if driving on roads that have been gritted and it’s now melted, the very fine salty spray chucked up from the truck when bombing down the motorway must surely find its way into places that it wouldn’t when riding the bike??? Maybe???
When the bike is on the rack you can’t access the back of the truck.

4th choice is a trailer. This is what I have.
Upsides
Only extra cost is a towbar and the price of the trailer
Easy to wash the worst of the crud of bike on the way home at a garage without taking the bike off the trailer.

Downsides
Storing it - although I now have a collapsible trailer which really helps and it will go in the car when I’m riding.
The points mentioned with a scooter rack
Basically – it ain’t a van.

That’s my thought anyway

Steve

My mate Steve used to race a Laverda 500 Montjuich and transported it INSIDE his Renault 5!

He removed the back seat and moved the front passenger seat to behind the drivers seat.

Unbolt the passenger door.

Remove wheels from bike and manhandle into car (two people needed - that's why he kept the passenger seat)

Fit wheels, riding kit, camping gear around the bike and in boot.

Bolt passenger door back on.

Store tools in boot

His mate would travel in the back to assist with bike manhandling

However, two things to note....

Steve is a certifiable nutter

and

He only lasted a few races and then went and bought a van instead!


Personally I used a two bike trailer for several years but even though I had somewhere to store it (on it's side in the garage) it was a heavy old lump, still took up too much space and I have a few times on trips away where parking a car and trailer has been a right pain in the proverbial.

I have now gone down the van route.... sooo much easier!

I know this is a bit left field, but, apart from being a Fiat, it ticks all the boxes for me:

3/4 seats. Car speed limits. Small enough for SWMBO to drive (which she never will!). Also, SWMBO doesn't want a van on the drive as it brings the tone of the neighbourhood down Economical.
Can get in 2 x builder's bags of rubbish to take to the tip, and can get in without having a permit (which van's do around here).
Cheap to insure, so my son can drive it - he's also making a rear flat bed, so he can use it for his rally servicing weekends, where he sleeps at a service area - room for all his tools too. Need some curtains or drug-dealer glass in the back though.
Last but not least, I can get the Husky in it quite happily - with 3 or 4 inches of space to spare over the handlebars, so no grazed knuckles.

The bike will go in with the front seat in-situ, but as it's only 5 bolts, and takes only a couple of minutes to remove, it gives me more room for riding gear. The bike rests on the upright of the rear seat (soft). The wheelchair restraints keep the bike from moving, although I do loop a strap over the top of the bike in case of extreme right-hand cornering.





The rear wheelchair restraints just clip on/off



Note the off-cut bathroom lino carpet cover (no I didn't cut the right side of it)

The "normal" floor level for the Doblo (and new Vauxhall Combo, which is the same car) is at the height of the carpet either side of the ramp, so you'd struggle to get a bike in a non-converted one - it would be too short as well because of the bulkhead behind the seats.

Mike

Neat.