Hey Tom, can you show some close ups of the windshield. I'm interested in making a wiindshield myself. Is that a safety face shield that you used?[/QUOTE]

Red,

Here's a link to the one I used:

Adjustable Face Shield

All I did was eyeball it, mark and drill the holes, and use stainless hardware. The top of it is about 10" above the top of the headlight shroud. It works well for my use.




Tom
Oriental, NC

 

Mike,

I use mine to keep branches (small) from hitting my GPS and route sheet holder on single track. Is it beautiful? Well, it is to me, YMMV. I've had a windshield on every dual sport I've ever owned and for me, they do exactly what I want them to. On my dirt race bikes, enduros-hare scrambles, I never had a windshield. I have windshields on all my street bikes too. Guess I'm just a *ussy with poor taste.

Tom
Oriental, NC

 

I have the same hitch carrier and it has served me well. I found some LED tail lights on eBay that are about 12" long and not very tall. I mounted them on the back of the carrier and routed all of the wiring inside the carrier, very clean and they don't get torn off.

 

I'm considering a similar hitch carrier and wondering if a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan with class III hitch will support it. In this thread I see most are mounted on full frame pickup trucks. I'm looking at a steel one on Ebay. Steel Motorcycle Scooter Dirtbike Carrier Hauler Hitch Mount Rack Ramp Anti Tilt | eBay

 

Mike, I have that same exact one. Used it on my Toyota Tacoma for a different bike. It's ok and gets the job done. I now have an enclosed trailer. But I don't think your vehical will carry the load well. My brother inlaw has an SUV with a unibody style frame like yours, and he was advised by "Everyone" Not to use it. So he ended up buying a small trailer for the bike. It may be rated to hold that total weight standing still. But it's multiplied many times when you hit bumps, dips, etc, while driving. Something to think about.

 

The class of the hitch is not the determining factor for these. You're going to want to know your vehicles maximum tongue weight.

MAXIMUM Tongue weight is 10% of the towing capacity. For my RAV4, towing capacity was 3500 lbs. So my max tongue weight is 350 lbs (Juuuust enough for a klx and the carrier)

Dodge Vehicle Towing Capacity Chart | Towing Guide & Capacity | Dodge

The tow rating on your caravan is 3600 lbs, so you should be good up to 360 lbs on the hitch. But don't forget that the carrier extends beyond the hitch quite some distance. That's a LOT of extra force being leveraged - particularly if you hit a bump or anything.

You also have to consider that, just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD. I had to buy helper springs for the back of my Rav4 to prevent the back end from sagging and messing with my steering. The vehicle is still light on the front wheels, but sits level now.

 

Thanks! I'm convinced. The reason I was considering a hitch carrier is our local ferry to the mainland charges by the foot.. I'll look for a light two bike trailer instead. Any recommendations on that? I have a utility trailer but It's old and heavy, ok for local use but not so good for a long trip I'm planning to Moab, Utah. We own two KLX250's so I'd prefer a dedicated bike trailer for long road trips to destinations.

 

your hitch should list a tongue weight its good for
that would be the entire weight of the carrier and the bike

also I would think it would be very low to the ground, you can find nice 6 inch hitch risers I use that on my suv to give the carrier extra height
especially when using a dual bike carrier

 

You'll be fine, assuming you're not hauling a Harley. I hauled my KLX250 on my Ford Escape hitch.