Author Topic: Rear Wheel Down Towing?  (Read 2202 times)

slunkmonky

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Rear Wheel Down Towing?
« on: July 10, 2019, 09:13:50 PM »
I'd like to tow my scooter down to the beach sometime so I can park my car and really enjoy riding around in a new place.
I have a 6 cylinder car so I can't get a hitch-mount carrier that would hold the entire weight. I'd prefer not to spend $1500 on a motorcycle trailer and have to store/register it (apartment dweller).

However, I saw that people have made mounts that just hold the front wheel in place and then the rear motorcycle tire is on the ground.

I'm assuming that I'd want to remove the drive belt so that my rear is essentially in 'neutral', otherwise if the cvt engaged at some point the engine would be spinning at above red-line with no oil pumping and I'd melt my scooter?

My understanding is that if the engine spins faster than like 2500 RPM's it engages the CVT, so with the engine off it should stay in neutral. But I'm not technically aware enough to know if one hit a nice bump of something if the CVT could engage the engine while being towed.


Does that take a bunch of time to do? Remove the belt and put it back on with only an on the road toolbox? Is it necessary? I'd not want to do it over and over, but it would be a fun memory to take Scooty Puff Jr to the beach and have the option to do it again at some point or take it somewhere else. I don't think it would take too many trips for that front tire mount to be cheaper than renting uhaul trailers.
Kymco xciting 250 '06

CROSSBOLT

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Re: Rear Wheel Down Towing?
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2019, 11:43:30 PM »
I doubt the clutch would ever engage without engine running. However, there is a tiny needle roller bearing on the back side of that clutch that would get a workout. This bearing does little when the clutch is engaged and only "rolls" when engine running and bike not moving. How far to the beach?
Karl

Three motorcycles 1960-1977 (restored a 1955 BSA)
Agility 50
Yager 200i
Downtown 300i
Navy tech, Ships Engineer, pilot and aircraft mechanic

slunkmonky

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Re: Rear Wheel Down Towing?
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2019, 01:34:52 PM »
Thanks for the info. It's about 200 miles.

The needle bearing you are talking about. "When engine running and bike not moving". So the engine would not be running and the bike would be moving in my scenario.

I know if I am parked pointing downhill and I let off the brakes, I can roll in 'neutral' until I blip the throttle to the point of the cvt engaging. I use that to engine brake if I am rolling down I35 in traffic and dont' want to ride my brakes all the way down the hill. I just slalom around in my lane with the cvt engaged to control my distance to the next car. The engine is running at that time,, but it's not as if there is an oil pump for the rear drive or cvt that only works if the engine is running, right?

Another thought. I'd be towing it at up to 75 MPH and it's only meant to go that fast for short periods, if ever.

The engine, if being turned over 'in gear' while not running would presumably have issues, but I also feel that the idea of it just engaging while being towed with the engine off seems unlikely.

Kymco xciting 250 '06

CROSSBOLT

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Re: Rear Wheel Down Towing?
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2019, 02:03:42 PM »
Give it a try and see what happens, then post.
Karl

Three motorcycles 1960-1977 (restored a 1955 BSA)
Agility 50
Yager 200i
Downtown 300i
Navy tech, Ships Engineer, pilot and aircraft mechanic

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