Does anyone pull a trailer with their Silverwing?

Does anyone pull a trailer with their Silverwing?

I’m currently in the process of building a “foamie camper” to pull behind my car. These are ultralight hand made campers using xps foam rigid insulation as the structure.

I always wanted to pull a trailer with one of my numerous motorcycles, but never got around to it. I suspect it could be scaled down, and built on a small light motorcycle trailer frame, to be pulled by a SWing. 

It’s already been done to tow behind a Vespa scooter!

I can’t post a video link to the forum yet, but do a search for “Vespa scooter foamie camper” and you’ll find the videos on YouTube.

If they can built one for a Vespa scooter, I bet one could be built one for a 600cc maxi scooter fairly easily! (I’ve already found a trailer hitch for the SWing.)

The 6x10.5’ Foamie camper I’m currently building is based on a “vardo style” trailer, which were based on Romanian gypsy wagons. I’m using this photo as a loose template. When I’m done with it, I’ll probably build a mini version for the SWing.

In reviewing most of the old threads here mentioning trailering with a Silverwing, the consensus seems to be a 150-200lb weight limit to the trailer. That would eliminate all but the lightest aluminum trailer frames on which to build on  

Nice vardo. How about a combination of thin folding plywood and canvas -even though the basic style element are the roof “eaves” and tapered side walls.

Think about how you would stop it, strain on drive line that was not designed for load, heavier trailer you have tail wagging the dog.  I have had 3 camping trailers pulled by motorcycle, over 100,000 miles experience=dangerous at highway speeds----Kawasaki Voyager 1200 ok with trailer, Kawasaki Concours dangerous, Honda Nitehawk 750 with homemade hitch ok---took Kwip Camp to Alaska with it---a little scary on mud and dirt.

I think weight and braking will be the sticking points. The scoot weighs 550 plus or minus; the rider 200 lbs or more. Without some trailer brakes I feel this would be a hazard. People tend to weigh trailers and say "it's 150 lbs I am good", then fill it up with all sorts of stuff because they have the room!

As mentioned above another worry would be the CVT system. If the Silver Wing had a shaft drive ala the Goldwing I would not worry. Good luck but I prefer to just travel fairly light.

Vespa foamy trailer.

Maybe safe backroads and slower speeds. Highway forget it crosswinds and trucks no way.

A Vespa pulling a teardrop. I wonder what the top speed is on that outfit —even under ideal conditions?

Builder claims up to 40 mph but that has to be downhill. Search Vespa foamie trailer short story there.

I just exchanged messages with the individual who built the tiny teardrop for his Vespa. He said,

“I built the frame from scratch with a friend of mine. It’s made from box channel aluminum. Mostly welded. It’s a solid axle on pillow block bearings. No “suspension” to speak of…(no leaf springs or shocks). I had to do this for the extreme weight savings required. The tires are Carlisle 4.10 x 3.50-6. 4-ply. Speed rated to 35mph. Not the ideal set up as the trailer can be a little bouncy over bumps. I’d recommended a real suspension if possible.”

Since I just found a used small motorcycle trailer that’s already titled, I’m just going to use that for the frame for my camper build.

I brought home this titled used mini motorcycle trailer this week. With the wheels and fenders, the frame area is approximately 48”x48”. I’ll extend the tongue 2 feet and build a 6.5x4’ foamie camper with it, with an aerodynamic shape. It only weighs 95lbs. With a base floor and the foamie camper construction, I should easily come in at 150lbs or less.

BrianInVA wrote:

Build pictures please.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

BrianInVA wrote:

Build pictures please.

Be glad to.

The trailer frame itself is smaller than I originally thought, 30” long and about 44” wide, including wheels and fenders. I’ll be adding 3 feet to the 4’ tongue and shooting for a 6’4”x4’ footprint. I’ll use 1” or 1 1/2” xps foam to save weight and I’ll probably go with a curved semi aerodynamic design for the roofline, sloping up to a height of about 4.5’ at the rear. It will be a rear entry, but I haven’t decided on the exact design yet.

And I still need to figure out a lightweight but strong floor.

I just found a diy swivel hitch explanation. It looks to be a quite satisfactory version of a Helm swivel hitch for a small lightweight motorcycle trailer:
https://motorcycle7usa.com/question/diy-heim-joint-swiveling-hitch-coupler-no-welding/

Does that hitch have 360 degree capability? You might be surprised what can happen when you drop a trailer wheel off the pavement.

Gosh! It looks like an enormous rose-joint!
Does the job, though.

john grinsel wrote:

Does that hitch have 360 degree capability?  You might be surprised what can happen when you drop a trailer wheel off the pavement.

Yes, in addition to the limited rotation provided by the end of the tractor top link where it sits on the vertical pin that is the “ball” for this hitch, the greased threaded neck of that tractor top link will spin 360• within the body of it within the tongue. It could spin 360• several times, actually, though it’s obviously not on a bearing.

MikeO wrote:

Gosh! It looks like an enormous rose-joint!
Does the job, though.

That’e essentially what it is, plus the threaded part freely spins within the body of the tractor top link.

I just picked up a 12’ piece of 2”x2” 11g steel square tube to extend the tongue 3’ plus make a 4’ cross piece for on the tongue to support the camper.

Now to figure out safe hitch that does not go up and down with rear wheel, remembering ball should not go up and down with rear wheel....hitch height has something to do with behavior underhard braking.

Looks like a great project. Any guesses on tongue weight?

DavidinDunnellon wrote:

Looks like a great project. Any guesses on tongue weight?

I will keep it at 15 lbs or less, by the way I load the trailer.

Some health problems left me sidelined much of the last year, but I finally got my Silverwing back on the road late this summer, and realized just how much I missed it, and the bug to do some camping touring hit me once again.

After thinking long and hard about the “foamie” motorcycle camper trailer I had planned last year, I couldn’t get past the nagging doubt about the high cross section of my original design, and the effect cross winds would have on it. Plus I calculated the build might end up too heavy for my Silverwing to tow it safely.

So I finally compromised and decided to abandon the idea of a diy mini foamie camper, and instead mount a hard shell roof top tent to the current motorcycle trailer frame.

The trailer frame is 100 lbs empty and this roof top tent is 128 lbs. It’s an AutoHome Columbus, a highly regarded roof top tent.

So I’ll have an entire motorcycle pop up camper at 240 lbs, less than half the weight of manufactured motorcycle pop up campers.

I brought it home a hundred miles yesterday strapped to the motorcycle trailer. It trailered very well, even at interstate speeds. I’ll mount it properly this week.


It looks like this one when opened:


I’m curious if anyone has ever gone this route of mounting a roof top tent on a small motorcycle trailer, or has seen this done before, to save weight (and expense, as motorcycle pop up camper trailers are expensive.)

The only drawback I can see so far is it’s relatively large footprint, 51”x80”.

If you dig around on Pinterest you'll find something similar.

Brian, good to see you back! I was hoping you were doing well.

Erdoc48 wrote:

Brian, good to see you back! I was hoping you were doing well.

Thanks. In addition to some health trouble, I acquired a new addiction - wood turning. I started using a wood lathe as a hobby last fall, and it’s taken up all my time and attention (and $$$) since. I never thought it would happen, but the Silverwing was on the back burner since last summer.

The rtt is wider than the trailer frame so I just ordered a pair of small trailer stabilizer jacks for it.



I’ll replace the tongue jack wheel with a foot plate so it can’t roll around while I’m in it.

I finally finished the trailer. Once I put the tongue jack wheel on a bathroom scale, I realized it had 75 pounds of tongue weight, way too much for a Silverwing hitch.

So I had to undo part of the frame and slide the roof top tent towards the rear of the frame. Now there’s only 20 pounds of tongue weight. (I also remembered I had a plastic donut for under the tongue jack wheel designed to keep it from rolling.)


That problem solved, I had to extend the rear of the subframe, and that meant the tail lights and license plate needed relocated to the rear too.

I put all those on a 2x6 “bumper” that sits on top of the new rear subframe extension and also supports the rear of the roof top tent, and added the small trailer stabilizers and new LED taillights.


I’ll be trailering this with me on my trip to Florida and back in a week.