To trailer, or not to trailer? That is the question. I'm downright torn.

[BigLenny]

Hey Y'all,

We've had our 2020 RTL since October of last year. We are absolutely loving it so far! We are now tossing around the idea of buying a pull behind trailer, with the idea that it will give my wife more room for storing stuff that she might buy while we're travelling. Also, It will allow the bike to not be as loaded up with weight directly on it. I don't know, it just intrigues us quite a bit to try a trailer.

Here's the deal though. I have some concerns that it's gonna considerably alter the riding experience because i picture in my mind that it will affect cornering speeds quite a bit, and i wonder if I'll constantly feel it back there, especially in twisties and such. And, does it affect the take off and stopping rates that much?

The problem with making the decision to buy a trailer is you can't just go out and try a trailer before you buy it. It's an expensive proposition to buy and install the hitch, the wiring harness, and the trailer, then only to find out you don't like it.

Several folks have told me to buy the RT622 trailer instead of the Freedom trailer. Maybe about it being built more sturdy or something? Not sure.

We have ridden 2 wheelers for decades, and have never pulled a trailer. Now that we have transitioned to 3 wheels, the trailer is being discussed more and more in our house. I'm interested in the wisdom and ideas you folks could give to help me with this decision.

I'm all ears.

Big Lenny

 

[oldgoat]

I love my trailer . As long as I am going forwards.
At times I have found it easier to disconnect it and push it if I want to back up.

My '08 GS handles just the same with it on. The only time I have felt its presence was going down a steepish curvy road when the front brakes started to judder, so I slowed down.

 

[Saluda]

We have the Freedom trailer, use it quite a bit. Have towed it on a 4 hour trip pretty loaded (not above max. rating) quite a few times. This is with the wife on the back of the Spyder. Love it, hardly know it's there.
Does it influence braking, yes but not a lot. Just plan ahead and keep some space to be safe. Have never had an issue. To me cornering is no big issue with the trailer. We now do multiple over nights with all we want with us. Good luck and do seek additional comments.
Backing it up is interesting but you'll get the hang of it. We hesitated prior to purchase but do not regret it at all.

 

[JayBros]

If you have ridden two wheelers for decades and never towed a trailer, this bloke has to assume your wife made the appropriate adjustments to her purchasing routine to accommodate the carrying capacities of the motorcycles. Therefore, the simple action IMO is to tell her a third wheel is no excuse to change her buying habits.

 

[fatboy]

if you can find a 622 get it and dont look back the two lids make it much easier wife pulls hers no complaints

 

[UtahPete]

if you can find a 622 get it and dont look back the two lids make it much easier wife pulls hers no complaints

:agree:

 

[UtahPete]

We have the Freedom trailer, use it quite a bit. Have towed it on a 4 hour trip pretty loaded (not above max. rating) quite a few times. This is with the wife on the back of the Spyder. Love it, hardly know it's there.
Does it influence braking, yes but not a lot. Just plan ahead and keep some space to be safe. Have never had an issue. To me cornering is no big issue with the trailer. We now do multiple over nights with all we want with us. Good luck and do seek additional comments.
Backing it up is interesting but you'll get the hang of it. We hesitated prior to purchase but do not regret it at all.

:agree: makes touring 2-up much more pleasant. The Freedom is smaller and lighter than the RT-622 I believe. You don't have to get a Can-Am trailer; there are plenty of other motorcycle trailer options out there that will work just fine.

 

[KosherKid]

I have a 2016 RT and a Lumina type box shaped trailer vs the 622 or Freedom, could not find either in my bike's color.

The cost was better also. We have made a few long trips and you can't tell we are pulling the trailer. I have to check the mirrors to be sure it's still there. Stopping is really not a problem either.

Buy what you can find and afford. Ride safe.

Dave

 

[canamjhb]

I had a 2014 RTL with matching RT622 trailer. I did 3 different trips of 3,000 to 5,000 miles each towing. First of all, do not get a trailer with a cooler on the tongue. Spyders have hitches that are un-sprung. That means everything your rear tire feels transfers to the trailer tongue. Anything in a tongue cooler will be a mess.

Expect to loose about 3 MPG towing. However, when traveling the trailer is almost not noticeable. The only times I knew it was there was when passing. I had to allow a little extra room. And you also need to allow a little extra room when stopping. Just common sense. Nothing different than towing anything behind a car. Pretty much didn't know it was there in the twisties except when going up steep hills. Required gearing down more often.

Your RT has a 400 lb. towing maximum. Some have towed more without problems but I always kept mine at about 350 or less. The RT622 weighs 50 pounds more than the Freedom so, even though it is physically larger, it can not accommodate as much cargo before getting to your 400 pound maximum. But, you will be surprised just how much stuff you can accumulate before you reach 100 pounds.

Tongue weight is critical for good handling. I found the best weight to be 18-22 pounds regardless of amount of cargo. I used a fish scale that helped me to make sure everything was loaded to have the right tongue weight.

I know what you're feeling about committing to the expense of trailering without knowing if it will be OK for you. The best I can tell you is that it adds to your traveling versatility with very minimal down sides. And besides, a Spyder touring with a trailer looks WAY COOL!!!!! Good luck..... Jim

 

[EdMat]

Go for it. And there are several other trailers besides the Can-Am versions that you might want to consider.

 

[CJAC]

Wife pulls a Aluma MCTXL with her 2017 F3L, no problems at all.

 

[fatboy]

theres a nice 622 for sale on here be a nice weekend trip to pick it up

 

[Ex-Rocket]

Everybody is correct in saying that when pulling a trailer you don't know its even back there. I pulled a trailer from Arkansas to California on a trip out west back in 2017 with a 2015 RTS and the Spyder have no problems. I wasn't pulling a 622 but a Aluma Trailer. Covered 9300 miles on that trip.

 

[pidjones]

We pulled a Uni-go behind the Goldwing. Never felt it while riding forward. Advantage to the little trailer was that we rolled it into the room which made packing, parking, and security easier. I advise that whatever you get, have her pack it in the garage the night before you leave. Then sneak in and remove at least half of it! Before we got the trailer she would ask what she could do with souvenirs. I said any place worth buying them will ship them home for us!
We will continue pulling the Unigo behind the RTL.

 

[YIRYDE]

I had a 2014 RTL with matching RT622 trailer. I did 3 different trips of 3,000 to 5,000 miles each towing. First of all, do not get a trailer with a cooler on the tongue. Spyders have hitches that are un-sprung. That means everything your rear tire feels transfers to the trailer tongue. Anything in a tongue cooler will be a mess.

Expect to loose about 3 MPG towing. However, when traveling the trailer is almost not noticeable. The only times I knew it was there was when passing. I had to allow a little extra room. And you also need to allow a little extra room when stopping. Just common sense. Nothing different than towing anything behind a car. Pretty much didn't know it was there in the twisties except when going up steep hills. Required gearing down more often.

Your RT has a 400 lb. towing maximum. Some have towed more without problems but I always kept mine at about 350 or less. The RT622 weighs 50 pounds more than the Freedom so, even though it is physically larger, it can not accommodate as much cargo before getting to your 400 pound maximum. But, you will be surprised just how much stuff you can accumulate before you reach 100 pounds.

Tongue weight is critical for good handling. I found the best weight to be 18-22 pounds regardless of amount of cargo. I used a fish scale that helped me to make sure everything was loaded to have the right tongue weight.

I know what you're feeling about committing to the expense of trailering without knowing if it will be OK for you. The best I can tell you is that it adds to your traveling versatility with very minimal down sides. And besides, a Spyder touring with a trailer looks WAY COOL!!!!! Good luck..... Jim

Well said,

My trailer was the best accessory I purchased, it was costly and I was hesitant, but it has paid off. The extra space for clothing, jackets, boots/shoes and shopping is worth it when riding two up.

We went on our first Spyder overnight group ride and my wife said we are getting a trailer after seeing the space that it offered (who am I to argue:shemademe_smilie. I shopped around for a good deal (in 2012) and the rest is history. I have used my trailer with 3 different Spyders.

If you get one you will not regret it.

To answer your question, TRAILER

 

[trikermutha]

I put a cooler rack on my 622 and yep it did get shaking up , but you dont put delicate items or carbonated drinks it works well. It worked great for water and lunch items.

Plus I put a swivel hitch on my 622. I didnt even know I was pulling a trailer.

 

[UtahPete]

I put a cooler rack on my 622 and yep it did get shaking up , but you dont put delicate items or carbonated drinks it works well. It worked great for water and lunch items. Plus I put a swivel hitch on my 622. I didnt even know I was pulling a trailer.

Note to OP; swivel hitch not needed with Spyder.

 

[trikermutha]

Personal choice.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Check this one out -

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?140895-2013-RT622-pearl-white-Trailer

Oh, and they do take paint pretty well too; or if you don't want to go that far, you could talk to one of the Vinyl Wrap places about their trailer wraps (try https://wrapmyspyder.com/vinyl-category/trailer/ ) so you can easily have pretty much any colour scheme you want, or even match your trailer to your Spyder if that's your bent. :thumbup:

 

[Copperman]

You'll never regret buying a trailer. I've been pulling one for eight years and have many, many thousands of miles pulling it. I just got back from a 7200 mile trip and I pulled it all but maybe one mile. You don't even know it's back there.