I have a 2006 Harley-Davidson Road Glide and I am thinking about getting one of those small motorcycle utility trailers to pull behind it.  I have never ridden a bike with a trailer behind it, so I would like to ask a few questions to anyone who has.

How is the ride when towing a trailer behind your motorcycle? 

Does it change the way the bike handles in turns?

Does it cause the bike to sway? Especially in the wind?

Is it easy to stop?

I have seen all different types of motorcycle trailers out there.  Do the really sleek aerodynamic trailers really make that much of a difference?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

http://www.cyclefish.com/uploads_user/1000/948/2775.jpg 

As you can see we have a trailer for our bike, and we pile stuff on it when we go camping with the bike. When we first started using it, it would move us around and was a pain.

We then moved the axle back and WOW! What a difference. The ONLY time it bothers is when we go up onto the sidewalk or anything like that where it hits one tire before the other, then it will shake you some, but as long as you are aware, it doesn't seem to bother much. Very small inconvience for the added benefits. I am just the rider, but I can tell you that I do not feel the trailer when we are going down the road.

It is great to have the extra room. We have a little camp stove, and even an inverter to recharge phones or whatever.

Last year at the Redwood Run a bike came in with a little trailer shaped like a coffin. It folded out into a tent trailer. It was a little erie, but looked like it worked well.

I have never pulled one but many people I have spoken with say they are barely aware of them. I met one guy with a monster of a trailer this summer behind his goldwing. He said it weighted 700 plus pounds, whew, I guess that is why he had a 5 gal gas can setting on the tongue.

I have pull a trailer behind my motorcycle for many miles. If you have a light trailer you won't even notice it behind you. The biggest thing to get used to is the extra width of the trailer and remembering it is behind you.

When I first started pulling my motorcycle trailer, I would always forget about the width and occasionally run the right tire of the road. And then I would forget the extra length when turning and pull the trailer over the curb. But after one or two rides you get totally used to it, and no problem.

Steve, I have and do pull a trailer, camper style pop up. Been around Lake Superior and all over Texas. I have used the follow website as this guy has supplied more than enough info about pulling a trailer than I can.
http://www.bousmans.com/camper/camper.htm
We really enjoy the comfort of the camper and removing the extra weight off the bike.
Good luck

Thanks for all the great advice. Anyone have any tips on which trailer to buy.

Any good, or bad experiences with any certain manufacturer or trail type?

Found this site with some really simple plans to build your own motorcycle cargo trailer for around $380. Looks like a pretty nice trailer when finished. You do need to do some welding, or have it done somewhere.

http://www.intergate.com/~brianb/bike/MotorcycleCargoTrailer.htm

My buddy built a trailer similar to that and it came out great. He actually got the frame already assembled at Harbor Freight and then bought the car top carrier.

I know a guy that has that exact motorcycle trailer from Harbor Freight. It as a good little trailer for the money.

I asked him and his only negatives are:

With the 8" wheels (vs the 12" wheels you get on some of the more expensive trailers), the trailer bounces a little bit more on bumpy roads.

The cargo container is sturdy enough to protect your gear and kee the weather out, but you can not put anything on top like you can with the tough fiberglass trailers. You also nee to be king of gental with it. He kind of threw the top open and cracked the plastic shell where the hinges mount.

That is a cool little trailer for the money. I may just have to get one so I can bring the BBQ and cooler to rallies!

Anyone have a recommendation on a hitch for a H-D Fat Boy. I started looking around to see what my total cost would be, and I found a number of choices from around $150 to $400. Just not sure how much of a hitch I need for a light little trailer like the one above.

I have a HitchDoc for my Vulcan, and a Kuryakyn hitch on the HD. I purchased both of them used off ebay under a $100. I cannot say one is better than the other. If you need a hitch for a Vulcan 1500 drop me an email, I do not use mine any longer.

Whatever you do, MAKE SURE you have a swivel hitch. A standard setup will limit your lean angle and can cause other issues. A swivel hitch allows full lean of your machine without the trailer causing an issue for you, not to mention if your trailer takes a hard enough hit to only one tire, that can cause the trailer to get airborn and you have the potential for it to try to filp over. Without a swivel hitch, a trailer attempting to flip over has more than a significant chance of putting you down.

here's a VERY bad video of some twisties in California... (she was in a tuner car we passed and was trying to capture the sparks off my wing in the turns)
www.youtube.com/watch

I ride two up with my wife, on long trips we have to pile stuff on top of the tour pack, riding on the Interstates from east to west you'll get strong cross winds, with a trailor you don't have as much wind block and other then the extra gas it use's just being able to take the extras for comfort makes it worth it to me. the Pro's out ways the Con's.
L.A.

I have been trying to talk hubby into getting a trailer. Would really be nice to bring a small BBQ and a few other things when we go camping.

I will have Harleyman get back to you on this one..otherwise call me tonight and I am pretty sure he can hook you up with that info.