Taco camper shell that could fit Motorcycle

Hey all,

I’d like to both have a camper shell, as well as be able to have my motorcycle in the back at times and curious if there might be a hybrid solution the community could suggest?

Was wondering if the FlipPac or another rig might work for me to drive the bike into the back when on the go...any other suggestions other than a towing behind?

 

how about a softopper? Fold it down when you have a bike in the bed.

 

Could put one of these on and have a normal camper shell.

 

Maybe an ARE commercial cap.

 

Motorcycle leaves a lot to interpretation they come in all sizes. I think the soft topper as mentioned above may be a good solution but may not be tall enough. The hitch mount bike carrier above works for lighter machines but can be downright dangerous with street bikes or heavier machines.

Problem is your question is pretty open ended with little details so we are left to guess on pretty much everything. I know my streetbikes will not fit under a shell and even if they fit with an couple inches to spare I guarantee over time that during loading or unloading the bike would get dropped as you crouch under it to strap it in. Even my trials bike would be too tall. I loaded a gocart with a full cage into my coworkers truck today and we had to remove the cage to get it under the topper and a bike would be taller so that is all the real world experience I can offer as I wasn’t the guy with the tape measure.

Any reason you are against a trailer? Give us more details and we can give better answers that suit your needs.

 

I have noticed trailers are imposaible for people who live in apartments.

 

@Exracer2
This one doesn't look to bad but I agree with you on different shapes and sizes, the heavier the harder it is.
Here is the link to this carrier
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/difference-between-mid-and-long-travel.192555/

 

What information do you have that the OP is in an apartment? I couldn’t find any mention of it. Besides if he is in an apartment wouldn’t your contractor cap be tough to clear the ceiling in underground parking? Let’s not argue what if’s and let the OP answer the question instead of everyone playing devils advocate.
***********

I have seen many use the “heavier” tongue mounted carriers but in my mind they are dangerous. The longer you make the tongue to give clearance to the truck the more strain you put on the truck. My RC51 has to weigh double that of a dirt bike. Since it needs more clearance to the truck and therefore a longer tongue the weight could multiply to 3 times the dirt bike in terms of stress on the hitch / frame. I know a local guy with his RC on one of these mounted on a Cherokee and it scared the hell out of me. Now if I custom made one for a one ton truck I am sure it could be made heavy enough and the hitch braced enough to be safe knowing the truck itself could handle the big lever and weight that far back. But we are talking a Tacoma and that is a lot of weight on a big lever. We need more info from the OP on the bike and it’s dimensions and weight so we aren’t guessing and filling in blanks that may not be relevant.

 

You can probably fit a grom under a shell

 

Thought about getting one of those if I got a motorcycle, think it would work with the pelfreybilt HC bumper with the built in hitch?

 

It should work. There are several on the market. Do your research and test them out if can first. Just my opinion. I dont think there is enough room to put a bike in with camper shell like op mentioned. The bed is already kind of small, most bikes I see are stood up diagonal in the bed unless the tail gate is down. So with being narrow, putting a height restriction doesnt seem like the right path. Seems like it would make it harder to load and unload. A soft topper would work, but if op or you are looking to keep the bike enclosed in the shell.... Not sure about that.

 

Like I have said I am not a fan of tongue mounted carriers unless for light dirt bikes.

I have argued with guys who road race and don’t have a place to store a trailer. I heard about a guy who destroyed his bike when his hitch broke off the frame from the weight and long lever. Now I did a quick check and 3rd gens have a 640lb tongue capacity with tow package hitch. So take your ball mount and now compare that distance to the center of gravity of one of these hitch mounted carriers. My impression is you will exceed that weight easily with a sport bike. The distance and leverage are the killers on this design. The carrier may be strong enough but the leverage is what makes them dangerous.

************
(EDIT)
One thing many forget is the safety factor vs breaking strength. For example the same cable that lifts a load on a crane has a safety factor of 5 times the breaking strength iirc and has a SF of 10 times the breaking strength if used to lift PEOPLE. So in essence it is rated for half when lifting people.

So in the case if these carriers they might not break but they may be exceeding the safety factor of the design which over time could cause a disastrous failure. So one day it breaks and the motorcyclist behind you gets killed by your motorcycle or that family swerved into the ditch and everyone dies. Guess who is liable? Here in Ontario Canada the MTO (Ministry if Transportation for Ontario] have no design department for trailers and carriers such as this. But in the event of a failure your setup will be deemed to be unsafe or overloaded and both the operator of the vehicle and the manufacturer will be held liable. Now if the manufacturer rated it lower than your motorcycle you are 100% liable. If Toyota were named and they can prove your leverage exceeds their rating they are off the hook and once again you take 100% liability.

 

I don’t believe in speaking out my ass and speaking for a manufacturer. Contact Pelfreybilt. They will either say sure and accept liability or say no and limit their liability. Who better to speak about the abilities of their product than the manufacturer?

 

Just get a trailer. If you are in an apartment, get a storage unit to park the trailer in.

 

if you have a swingout, it wont work

 

As stated earlier, we need more info. Is this a dirt bike, or a street bike. How much does it weigh?
Even though it can be done, it is not the best idea to load a street bike in the back of a truck. One slip and you have over 400 lbs on top of you. A trailer is the best way to go.
You can get a motorcycle trailer that has a channel in the middle for the tires to rest in for more stability.
If a dirt bike or lighter machine, then the hitch carrier would work.
Pics of motorcycle please. I want to see

 

I've been trucking and riding all my life. Whatever you do will be a compromise. I had the shell and used a MotoJack & trailer on my Gen 2, but on my Gen 3, I've held off on the trailer and so far think I made the right decision.

RZ Rob

 

The answer depends on the type/size/weight of the bike in question... more info is needed to provide better responses...

A Kendon fold-up trailer works well if storage for a trailer is an issue - worth checking out.

 

^^This. Hitch carriers are a dumb invention. The receiver hitch was never designed to haul weight like that on an extended lever arm that puts a bending moment in to the structure. With the designs I have seen you would at least double the load on your hitch as compared to the weight on the carrier. Meaning if you have a 600lb hitch, you should be putting 300lbs or less on one. I wouldn't put anything but a light dirt bike on one, and it would need to be a full size truck at minimum. All that weight behind the rear axle. Hard on the frame, hard on the suspension, screws up the weight distribution of the vehicle. Very very bad idea. Yes, many people get by with them, but in the bed or on a trailer are the best solutions.

 

What about a tow hitch?

TMS 800 lbs Motorcycle Trailer Hitch Carrier Hauler Tow Towing Dolly Rack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005...+hitch+tow&dpPl=1&dpID=41q1Xor2kTL&ref=plSrch