Scooter/Motorcycle rack.

Stewart MCG · May 20, 2012

Hello, I have read the post on tow bars and believe this to be slightly different, and have started this new subject, I am in the process of deciding whether to fit a rack to the Calli to carry a Scooter/Motorcycle. Is the maximum load you can carry the same as for towing? has any one had one fitted and what manufacturers do you recommend? and of course any retro fitting disasters concerning wiring and VW warranties.
Cheers

Stu · May 20, 2012

I have a Thule Ride On rack for the car which is Tow Bar mounted -

http://www.thule.com/en/GB/Products/Bik ... ideOn-9503

The manual for that suggests a maximum load of 45Kg.

If you don't have the tow bar I'd suggest the Westfalia removable bar and Westfalia electrics from pfjones as these will be exactly the same as VW would supply you and the bar is what would be fitted from factory.

I bought the same setup from them for my Audi and fitted no problem. Mine was slightly easier the S-Line has all wiring for the Trailer Control Unit already in place in the boot. The Cali is different as it requires wiring to the cabin from the back.

You can view the install instructions from the pfjones website or the Westfalia website.

Stewart MCG · May 20, 2012

Thanks I will check the web sites :thumb

Mslv · May 21, 2012

FYI, I have a 130" Landrover Defender with a 'Dave Cooper' motor cycle carrier. I carry a XR400 on it which weighs in at 120kg+ .... I was thinking of mounting it to the VW......should not be a problem.....

MickyBlue · May 21, 2012

I think you will overload the rear end on a Cali if you do.

The max noseweight of the Cali tow bar is either 100 or 110kg IIRC, where your defender's is something over 150kg from memory (I had several).

It 'is' the same principle as towing, as you are putting a vertical load (dead weight) on the tow bar and rear suspension. It is to do with plated legal axle weights as well as what the tow bar is designed to carry. The tow bar will be well over engineered and would support the bike& rack no doubt, the rear axle (legally) won't as I understand it. I would not risk the Highways agency bods pulling me in to put it on a weigh bridge, or my vans rear susp.

As the DC rack will add to the bikes/scooters weight, the XR400 will be far too heavy. Also as the rack/bike will hang behind the rear (as they do) you are magnifying this mass on the rear end which is pretty low as well so grounding could be a real issue.

I also think you will hit warranty issues due to failures of susp components (springs) which will ring alarm bells at VW if you used it regularly.

If you are going to the expense/trouble to fit a tow bar on an expensive vehicle like a Cali why risk it?? I will be using a trailer for mine regardless of the convenience of a DC rack.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Stewart MCG · May 21, 2012

Thanks again for all the information I will check with VW concerning the warranty = :thumb

Hubert · May 22, 2012

I met a guy in Germany who had a motorcycle rack fitted to his T5 camper. On it he had his BMW r1200GS motorcycle which wiegh in at approx 250kg fuelled. It was a bought item manufactured in Germany from steel tubing, quite substantial. I assume it was mounted directly to the tow bar attachment points. Obviously remains on the vehicle at all times.
He claimed it didn't affect his steering or stability even at speed

I was quite interested but I think my R1200RT may be just a bit too big.

Hubert

smgcowfoldparts · May 22, 2012

If you fit a tow bar to a facelift T5, then make sure that the electrics work with the ESP and ABS etc...as the VW electrics and the van then take into account the fact that you are towing something and it affects how the ESP and ABS etc..work when you are towing. If you fit a non-genuine tow bar wiring kit that does not take this into account then you will have issues. We have seen facelift T5's that have worn rear brakes out to the metal extremely quickly and other electrical issues.

The labour time to fit a VW tow bar is 2 hours, to fit the 13 pin electrics is anywhere between 4 and 5.5 hours depending on your vehicle and if you need the extra fuse holder.

I would get confirmation from the company who fit it that it will work

cheers

Bjohnson · Jun 13, 2012

I too was wondering this and thinking if I could get a tow bar mounted carrier to carry my trackbike, instead of using a tow hitch and bike trailer. The tow bar/trailer nose weight limit was a question I hadn't managed to find the answer to yet - actually I hadn't got round to looking for the answwr :lol:

lewisnoble · Jun 14, 2012

I think the weight issue is a problem here. My Cali weighs 2860 kg in 'camping trim' with full tanks, a cycle, but no people on board - which gives the 2 of us some spare capacity up to the 3000kg gross weight. The Cali in fact has more payload than many campervan conversions, which often use the 2800 kg chassis.

This is quite apart from the towbar/axle weight issue.

I was prompted to weigh mine after reading a motorhome test where the tester found he was 600kg overweight and had to send his family home by bus!! The conversion kit is surprisingly heavy, all of which has to come out of the overall Gross Vehicle Weight. I think amorotbike would be pushing it.

Lewis

lewisnoble · Jun 14, 2012

Sorry, typo in my earlier post. The weight of the vehicle in camping trim was 2680, not 2860kg. I see there is a separate thread about this anyway. From our point of view, that gives us plenty of leeway, we could cut back on some kit and empty water tank - but a Cali with, say, 4 blokes + climbing ropes, kit and suplemenatary tents etc could be near or over 3000kg if not careful. And as I say above, many camper conversions are on the cheaper and more readily available 2800kg van.

Lewis